Our Beloved Lilly

Our Sweet Dog, Lilly

Our sweet little dog, Lilly, died Saturday morning.

I am almost still too sad to write this.

Lilly was almost 11, and she had been a beloved member of our family for 9 years. Everyone who knows our family personally, knows Lilly was part of our family. We are all devastated and just heartbroken. She was a house dog, and wherever we were, Lilly was there too. She slept either under my bed (on top of my bed at the foot when she could still jump up there) or on Olivia's or Julie's bean bags in their rooms. Olivia's bean bag was covered with a blanket she had made. We wrapped Lilly in that blanket before we buried her.....outside the window beside our kitchen table. The children cut locks of her fur, and they removed three squares from the blanket. We spent an hour and a half petting her and telling her goodbye, and Jimmy led us in prayer....then we said our final goodbyes.

I never knew I would grieve that dog so much! Of course, we are all soberly reminded of how brief life is. How none of us know when this day will be our last, so we must make the most of every day, make the most of every opportunity. Express our love and thankfulness to our family every day. Death always puts things in the proper perspective. This has given us the chance to teach our children to draw comfort from the Lord. I have explained to them over and over again that God knows how much they are hurting. He loves them. He can comfort them. Jimmy led a song in our church service last night, Does Jesus Care?. And the answer is yes, He cares, I know He cares.

Yesterday Jimmy lovingly combed through over 10,000 pictures, selected, and had printed over 170....all of the pictures with Lilly in them. He put them in an album and gave it to the children last night. What an awesome and thoughtful gift.

I am not sure which is harder.....watching my husband and children grieve so deeply or the loss of Lilly itself.

I am really too sad to write anymore.