by Peggy Mott
I want to write in support of the return of our beloved fur babies. When my beautiful Zach died, I thought I would die of grief. He was so special to me - the most wonderful dog I've ever owned. He died of kidney disease and there was nothing I could do to save him. I cried for days (I stll cry after 3 years whenever the occasion of his loss hits me). About 4 or 5 days after his death, I was getting ready to leave for work. He would always lie in the hall just outside the bedroom watching me, and would then get up to follow me down the stairs so he could stand at the window to see me off. As I passed through the hall to go down the stairs - I was preoccupied with my plans for the day - I suddenly heard the jangle of his tags behind me. I stopped and looked around, totally stunned by the noise. I didn't see him but immediately felt his presence and his warmth against my leg. I knew he was there without any doubt. I stopped to talk with him and he followed me down those stairs, tags continuing to hit together. After that, I would often feel his presence so strongly I would reach out to stroke that once-soft head. I didn't feel the head, but in my mind I could see him. About a year after his death, he came for the last time. I was leaving my work building preoccupied with other thoughts, when I suddenly saw him - in my mind - walking next to me, looking up at me with a joyous smile, tail waving, eyes sparkling, with this unspoken message to me. It was: "See how good I look. I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I feel wonderful and I'm happy." I knew he was there to reassure me. Since then he's not come, and since then, the terrible pain is gone. I still miss him, and always will, but I understood the purpose of his returning. At first, it was because he knew I needed him so badly, and as time went on, I needed him less. God sent this angel to me to love me so magnificently at a time in my life when I needed that kind of love. And God called him back when his mission on earth was over. God sent him to me as a gift of love after his death to help me with his loss, and as I healed, God sent him to me that one last time.
Our fur babies are God's gifts to us, coming to us at a time in our lives when there is a purpose. They are a reflection of God's love for us. If heaven is God's reward to us for well-lived lives, then God will make heaven perfect for each one of us by having those precious gifts there for all eternity.