Are you there God?  It’s me, Sheila.

Middle Child came home somewhat confused and very upset by a statement her Theology teacher made.  Apparently he teaches that ‘animals do not have souls’ and ‘they do not act using free will’. 

As I was going through old photos of the dogs to put on this site, I came across many of Bogey.  Not just ‘a dog’, she was part of our family for 9 years.  And it got me to thinking about her death and how we dealt with it as a family. 

Out of the blue she didn’t feel like playing and was eating less.  We took her to the vet who told us she needed emergency surgery.  Long and painful story short, while in surgery, the vet found her completely infested with tumors that made life impossible to continue.  Shane took the kids up to say good-bye and then she was let go.  Everyone in the vet office cried along with them.  We all cried for weeks, the pain unbearable.  The memories even bring on tears today, five years later.

How could animals not have souls?  I can look into their eyes and see when they are happy, upset, feeling pain and confused.  They know words and gestures and are devoted only to those who love them.  They bring us love, joy, humor and grief.  They teach us about life and love, compassion and heartache. 

They play ball and beg to take a walk.  Sometimes they come to me with lease-in-mouth.  They are like an alarm clock at feeding time and sit in front of the fridge when there is leftover steak in there.   They leave the room when I’m upset with them, and console me when I’m sad.  They run like the devil when they don’t feel like doing what you want.
Is that not ‘free will’?

Funny, but sometimes You send the most unlikely people to deliver the most profound message.  A friend of Shane’s, who I don’t believe to be quite religious, said to me during my grieving:  “You know?  I think that God put dogs on this Earth to teach Humans how to deal with death.” 

I can’t wait to be greeted with a jump and a face-lick by that ‘old soul’ when I see her again someday.