This morning I called my dear friend Ann Marie, who told me that her loyal companion for the past 12 yeas, Molly the Dog, had taken ill. The vet suspects leukemia, but won't know for sure until the test results come in on Monday.
My heart sank as I recalled that Annie has lost 3 of her other pets this year... first Gracie, her loving black cat of many years; then Zeus, her smart-as-a-whip German Shepherd; and just a few weeks later Harold the cat, Zeus' best friend, who was the victim of a water moccasin attack.
It's been a rough year for Annie and her family of animals, and the thought of losing Molly is so surreal, so unfair that tears filled my eyes and all I could do was promise her and Molly my love and my prayers.
And then my mind wandered back to a time several years ago when my son attended a local Christian school. Yes, I know, it's ironic that a Pagan High Priestess would send her son to a Christian school, but I had my reasons.
First, the level of academic education was superior to that offered in public schools in my area. Not to mention the environment was much smaller and safer than the public middle schools around here.
But more than that, I wanted my son to be exposed to other religions so that he could choose his own spiritual path from an informed place, and not just blindly follow a path laid down for him by someone else... even me.
One day, Tyler came home from school very upset. When I asked him what was wrong he informed me that during the morning prayer request one of the girls in his class raised her hand and asked the class to pray for her cat, who was very sick.
The teacher scolded the girl, who was obviously distraught over her furry friend's illness, and told her that they would NOT pray for her cat because... are you ready for this... animals don't have souls. Tyler, a pretty mild mannered kid, had to fight the urge to throw his math book at the teacher.
Now I don't by any means think that this is a belief held by all Christians. In fact, in my experience this is a belief that could only be held by someone who has never known the loyal love and companionship of a pet. (Which is pretty sad if you ask me.)
Because if you are someone who has ever looked deeply into the eyes of a dog, you have seen a loving and trusting soul so pure it would break your heart. If you've ever held a purring and contented kitten in your arms, you've felt the warm playfulness of one of God's own messengers. And you know without a doubt that animals are among the most soulful creatures on this planet.
But the hardest part of having animals in your life is the knowledge that one day you will have to say goodbye to them. It doesn't seem fair, but I guess it's the trade off we make to be loved so unconditionally.
So now I reach out to all the animal loving peeps in my tribe of amazing, soulful people of all faiths, and I ask for your prayers for Molly the Dog and for Ann Marie her faithful and loving person. Blessed be!
My heart sank as I recalled that Annie has lost 3 of her other pets this year... first Gracie, her loving black cat of many years; then Zeus, her smart-as-a-whip German Shepherd; and just a few weeks later Harold the cat, Zeus' best friend, who was the victim of a water moccasin attack.
It's been a rough year for Annie and her family of animals, and the thought of losing Molly is so surreal, so unfair that tears filled my eyes and all I could do was promise her and Molly my love and my prayers.
And then my mind wandered back to a time several years ago when my son attended a local Christian school. Yes, I know, it's ironic that a Pagan High Priestess would send her son to a Christian school, but I had my reasons.
First, the level of academic education was superior to that offered in public schools in my area. Not to mention the environment was much smaller and safer than the public middle schools around here.
But more than that, I wanted my son to be exposed to other religions so that he could choose his own spiritual path from an informed place, and not just blindly follow a path laid down for him by someone else... even me.
One day, Tyler came home from school very upset. When I asked him what was wrong he informed me that during the morning prayer request one of the girls in his class raised her hand and asked the class to pray for her cat, who was very sick.
The teacher scolded the girl, who was obviously distraught over her furry friend's illness, and told her that they would NOT pray for her cat because... are you ready for this... animals don't have souls. Tyler, a pretty mild mannered kid, had to fight the urge to throw his math book at the teacher.
Now I don't by any means think that this is a belief held by all Christians. In fact, in my experience this is a belief that could only be held by someone who has never known the loyal love and companionship of a pet. (Which is pretty sad if you ask me.)
Because if you are someone who has ever looked deeply into the eyes of a dog, you have seen a loving and trusting soul so pure it would break your heart. If you've ever held a purring and contented kitten in your arms, you've felt the warm playfulness of one of God's own messengers. And you know without a doubt that animals are among the most soulful creatures on this planet.
But the hardest part of having animals in your life is the knowledge that one day you will have to say goodbye to them. It doesn't seem fair, but I guess it's the trade off we make to be loved so unconditionally.
So now I reach out to all the animal loving peeps in my tribe of amazing, soulful people of all faiths, and I ask for your prayers for Molly the Dog and for Ann Marie her faithful and loving person. Blessed be!
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