Prayer for May 31, 2023

It is with sadness that I am writing to share the loss of the last of the puppies that we bottle fed from their second day of life.  The Ted Lasso litter was born on Easter Day to a mother dog who was very weak and could not produce milk, so Heather and I took them in knowing we would be bottle feeding them.  The puppies had some sort of genetic issue that did not allow them to live the long life we had hoped for them. They did, however, live the relatively short lives they led being named, held and truly loved.  I want to thank all the people who came and fed them during their first weeks of life.  We don’t get to decide how long people or pets get to be with us, but we do get the choice of deciding how we treat them.  There was not a day that these puppies weren’t loved.  In the more than 800 puppies our family has fostered we have lost several.  It hurts, and yet it is still worth it.

 

We have fostered children and puppies, and I can say one thing about the experience.  It was worth it.  The children who were a part of our lives for a part of their lives when they needed a place to be loved and safe will always be a part of who we are.  We gave them what we could during their time with us and we loved them.  They made us laugh, and cry.  We are better for our time spent with them. 

 

O Lord our God, you created us with instincts to care for one another and your creation. Help us to see that the time and energy we spend loving and caring for the most needy in the world matters. Give us an awareness of when our unique gifts and experiences are just what those we encounter need and the strength of character to respond fully with the love you gave us. May we cherish the time, however long that time is, we get to spend with those we love. Let our treatment of all of the world around us be a response to how grateful we are for all that this world provides. Let our love for you shine forth in how we treat all of the created world and our actions be a response to our knowledge of you. All this we ask in your name, O God of all creation. Amen