Claimed, gathered and sent

It has been a very difficult and emotional week for us as a family. Ray's retired Seeing Eye dog, Abby, was put to sleep on Monday. All the animals in our family knew it was time, including Abby. She was just done--tired of the pain of arthritis and her body not working like it used to. All of us miss her very much. Amity has been looking especially melancholy, while Pokey, the cat continues to look around for his buddy. The doctors and staff at Emmitsburg Veterinary Hospital   were so wonderfully compassionate. The vet was crying with us as Abby was put to sleep. They care so deeply at that place. Even when we saw the folks at the main desk on our way out, they were crying with us. In the midst of all of this, the community at LTSG carried us with their love and thoughtfulness. From classmates that are still here to those already on internship, from the Dean to the President to Pr. Vickie Brown, who put together and conducted a burial service for Abby, the community of God...

Abby had x-rays at the vet yesterday. Her arthritis was not as severe as anticipated. She does have some in her hips, hip dysplasia, and some muscle loss. Considering her age of 13 1/2 years, we all decided it was best to just try to get her comfortable. When she came home, she was feeling no pain. She had been put out for the x-rays and was still woozy, which was great. She didn't hurt! Tramadol has been added to what she's already taking for pain and though it's early, we already see an improvement. She was wiggly, outgoing, and wagging her tail today like she used to. She even bounded over to me from the bedroom to the living room! At least for now, Abby is much more her old self. She isn't huffing and puffing, looking at me with pain in her eyes, and unable to settle down anywhere. At the moment she's resting comfortably next to my chair. She may make it to internship after all. Thank you all for your prayers. The hard and sad thing is that when dogs start...

Abby, Ray's retired Seeing Eye Dog, has been ageing rapidly the past few months. Several times her back end has given out on her. She is very Stoic and doesn't let on how much pain she is in. We took her to the vet today and as she was being examined, her pain level was obvious, even though she did not bark or yelp. She is spending the day at the vet for x-rays. We wonder if she will be able to make it till internship in August. We are conflicted. We don't want her to be in pain and we don't want to have her put down simply because it would be convenient. She is 13 1/2 years old. Some days she doesn't even wag her tail--which is something that was in perpetual motion. Please pray for us that we will do the right thing for her when the time comes. In the meantime, the issue is to get/keep her comfortable.

Sophia wrote: My son's tiny beloved lizard, Elf, is looking and acting strange this week. His skin/scales are quite dark, and he is lethargic. We are adding vitamin drops to his lettuce and spinach and hoping and praying that he is just getting ready to shed his skin--but it's too soon to tell. Others in the ring have also been worried about beloved pets this week. And, in the saddest news of all, Songbird has had to bid farewell to her precious Molly , the amazing dog who is well known to readers of her blog as a constant sacrament of God's unconditional love. So in memory of Molly, and in honor of all the beloved animal companions who bless our lives: tell us about the five most memorable pets you have known. The first is my beloved black lab, Tasha who I had to say good-bye to a number of years ago. She loved everyone and if she saw anyone playing a with a ball, she wanted to play too. Abby, who is still with us is next. She's Ray's retired Seeing Eye Dog. Abby...

Abby (L) Amity (R) I've done lots of writing about Abby and Amity and posted pictures of other similar looking dogs. Now that I have a digital camera here they are! Amity & Ray Amity is doing a fine job as a guide dog and Abby is doing a fine job of holding down the rug in retirement and loving the freedom of being fussed over by everyone. For her it's open season for petting. And since being here at seminary where there are lots of dogs, they have boyfriends or should I say dogfriends. The first is Gus, a huge, gentle giant of a Pit Bull. Abby met him first. After Amity joined the family, she liked him also. When the girls see Gus, their whole demeanor changes like teenagers seeing a rock star. Their faces light up, their tales start wagging. It's like they're saying, "He's here!" The problem was, both gi...

Last Friday, Abby once more had a chance to go to chapel, as a pet. As a community we celebrated St. Francis' day with a b lessing of the animals. Pets included dogs, cats, fish, a gerbil, and a snake. All were quiet for the most part and very well behaved. The homily reminded us how each animal is doing what it is created to do and thereby glorifies God...as in G enesis where God pronounces "it was good." Much of life in seminary revolves around discerning how we can faithfully live out our baptismal calling. For some that means preparation for the ministry of Word and sacrament, for others Word and service. But as Christ's followers, all of us, in or out of seminary, must daily keep our eye on the prize, just as Paul did, just as we heard in this past Sunday's epistle reading. We need to be who God created us to be. By God's grace, may we too, glorify God in our daily lives as easily as our pets do. flickr picture

Corporate prayer is one of the great joys of seminary life. Along with worship, it is at the heart of why we're here, what we do, and how we are empowered for service. One of our favorite prayer times is compline or evening prayer. Each night at 10:00 we gather in the courtyard for this student led prayer service. For the Lutherans, it begins on p. 320 in the ELW. Whether spoken or sung, it never fails to move me. It's like God is tucking me in for the night. Tonight was my turn to lead compline. At 9:45, Abby stood up in our apartment and looked at me. Her expression was, "Mom, it's time to go now." Normally her sense of time revolves around meals and snacks. But tonight it was for prayer time. She enjoys it because she gets to see people that love and pay attention to her. But it was still amazing to me that she has the timing down now for compline. Thanks be to God to have such a sweet reminder. Flickr picture.

Yesterday Ray left to spend 3 weeks in training for a new Seeing Eye dog. He had a great train ride from Harrisburg to Newark, NJ. and is all settled in at Seeing Eye. He will get his new guide dog tomorrow. Meanwhile, back at home, Abby is officially retired, which sounds wonderful, doesn't it? The down side is that Abby is used to going everywhere: work, church, chapel, the refectory, restaurants...there were no limitations on where she could go with Ray. As a dog of leisure, whose primary responsibility is to hold down the rug, Abby will now be spending time being left behind at home. My classmates have been wonderful. Everyone is concerned about her and have offered to help walk her and give her lots of TLC. She did really well yesterday and I have been trying to pay more attention than usual to her. This morning however, was difficult. She can no longer go to church with me. The look I got before leaving the house was heartbreaking. It was like she was saying, "You're...

Since our arrival on campus, Abby, my husband's Seeing Eye Dog, has been making friends. I have been walking with Ray around campus so he and Abby can learn the way. The plan was for Ray to meet me after class, to attend chapel and lunch. We did not know ahead of time that the class time would run much later than anticipated and that it would be followed by chapel. I called Ray and told him and he and Abby set out, unassisted, to make their way to chapel to join me. Ray said that Abby got so excited when she realized that they were going for a walk that she started to bounce, almost skipping along the way to chapel. She was in her glory as a Seeing Eye Dog, helping Ray get around campus. At the evening picnic, she was "off duty" and could be petted by any and all. She loved it. She even made friends with another student's pug, Bella. The difference in size didn't bother either one of them as they sniffed, licked, tails wagging the whole time. Perhaps we ha ve some...