Oh, Michelle, Julene said she told you our precious puppy is gone. We didn't get to walk him as much lately. He was so patient about no walks and sometimes he'd walk himself, and he wasn't that good with cars but I think he now is but it's too late.

"Does anyone want to go on a walk with me?" No. Just Blaze. He'll be my companion. He'll check out every interesting bush and then get behind and run and catch up and...here comes a car. "Come here, Blaze!" And here he is and we're both safe, and people don't think I'm some potential burgler because there's his dog that he's walking.

Kelly next door had FTD send us a big bunch of white flowers with a note. Sister Dennison sent us a card. We were all talking about Blaze outside of Relief Society until the president broke it up. So I went in to tell Brother Bushman.

For Family Night tonight we watched Blaze videos and said little speeches about Blaze. Angela kept standing up and saying, "I have another speech about Blaze."

Saturday night Angela and I took one last tearful walk with Blaze, with me calling our fantom friend to "Come here, Blaze. There's a car. Watch out for that car."

Anyway, I wrote a poem, with a lot of help from another poem. This was my part for Family Home Evening:

Blaze Thompson
Our Sweet Golden Retriever

There must be great rejoicin' on the Golden
Shore today,
An' the big and little angels must be feelin'
mighty gay.
Could we look beyond the curtain now I fancy
we should see
Heavenly Father waitin', smilin', for the coming
that's to be,
An' Blaze's purebred Grandpas an' the whole
excited pack
Jumpin' up an' down an' barkin': "Look, it's Blaze! He's
comin' back!"

There's a heep 0' real sadness in our
neighborhood today:
There are lumpy throats this evening now that Blaze has
gone away;
There's an empty house out back where he waited
every day
And an empty, quiet, chewed-up yard, where a puppy
used to play.
There is much of joy and laughter that we
mortals here will lack,
But the angels must be happy now that Blaze is
comin' back.

The world was gettin' dreary, there was too
much sigh an' frown
In this vale o' mortal strivin', so God sent
our puppy down,
An' He said: "Go there an' cheer 'em in your
good old-fashioned way,
With your waggin' tail and paw-shakes, but don't
make your plans to stay,
Cuz you're needed up in Heaven. I am lendin'
you to men
Just to help 'em with your kindness, but I'll want
you back again."
An' Blazer came, an' neighbors saw a Golden with
a heart
An' he started games like soccer, an' he let them all
take part.
An' they leaned on him in sorrow, an' they
shared with him their joys,
An' they walked with him in moon-light
An'  he chewed up all their toys!
But the heavenly angels missed him, missed his
tender, gentle knack
Of makin' people happy, an' they wanted Blazer
back.

There must be great rejoicin' on the streets of
Heaven today
An' all the angel children must be troopin'
down the way,
Singin' heavenly songs of welcome an' pre-
parin' now to greet
The soul that God had tinctured with an ever-
lasting sweet;
Our street is robed in sadness an' is draped in
sombre black;
But joy must reign in Heaven now that Blaze is
comin' back.

(by Larry Maddocks
Inspired greatly by Edgar Guest's poem.)

I looked it up and found that Joseph Smith said that all animals will
be resurrected. Angela is talking about that and asking me questions,
and she's wondering how other people in other faiths can get by not
knowing things like that. So you are doing a great service, telling
people about these truths so that they are not so sad when things like
this happen.

I'd better get to sleep now. I love you.

--Dad