A message from my dog

In December, I received the following card that turned out to be my favorite surprise of the season: “A Holiday Message from the Dog you Killed…”

 Inside was a silly poem. In typical doggy generosity and faithfulness – Bing forgave me and wished me a Merry Christmas. HOW did Hallmark Cards know? All I can think is that I must not be alone for this to be a salable topic.

A friend who read the first chapter of The Exact Place found this card SOMEwhere. In my defense, I would LIKE to remind everyone that it was an ACCIDENT. Although it is true that this was strictly against the rules I didn’t want him to get hurt when I set him on the horses.  “With a flying kick, Duke sent Bing somersaulting through the air until he rested quietly on the floor of the woods among decaying leaves and tiny blue violets. From a distance he looked like a still life, a bouquet of small white flowers pushing through the chilled earth….a tiny marsh of blood forming beside his head.”

 

I still think of Bing occasionally and wonder if dogs will be in heaven. Sometimes I imagine being joyfully greeted and bowled to the ground (gently) by all the pets we ever knew. All these creatures God has made and that we have cared for and loved or not loved as well as we should have…. I give thanks for them.