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Since my dog, Sheena, contracted breast cancer in June, 2011, and we'd been taking walks together, I noticed little gifts of nature from God on almost every walk. I think He sent them to make the pain of knowing I'd soon lose her more bearable. She died on November 27, 2011, and I still see these gifts. I'll post them here for all to enjoy. Some posts may include pictures. If you're in a similar situation with a pet or a family member and want to post gifts like mine or just talk, please, feel free. Please, have your dog spayed or neutered to avoid the heartache my family has been through. I think God was teaching me about “living in the moment,” being thankful to Him, and maybe to not think about the future so much.


Monday, January 2, 2012

On December 19, 2011, at about 6:30 am, I was on my way to substitute at a high school in another city. I drive on pretty country roads to get there and see much beautiful scenery on the 30-minute drive. This morning, it was dark, the sun just telling me it would come up soon. After a left turn onto the road where a herd of fat black cows graze and rest, I soon saw a clump of trees not far away. I noticed every limb of one huge tree was decorated with many huge black leaves, evenly spaced all over the limbs, as if someone had tastefully arranged the ornaments just for me to see.A beautiful sight in itself against the dark blue sky. All the other trees were bare. Suddenly, the ornaments flew outward in all directions away from the limbs and the tree grew rapidly in size. I watched in astonishment as it kept growing, only it wasn't the tree growing. Sleek black crows had slept wing-to-wing in the tree that night and my driving by awoke them. Breathtakingly, as if of one mind, they'd flown straight out of the tree in a black cloud and wheeled around in the sky, swooping down just feet from me, and rising back into the sky. They soon flew to the ground to enjoy some corn left in the freshly-harvested field nearby. I said, "Thank you, God, for this beautiful sight!" and I cried and my grief was lifted for a time.

9 comments:

  1. What a lovely gift, Sandy. God sends the best, doesn't He? I had a beautiful little jeweled hummingbird who visited with me as I drank my coffee on my patio every morning during chemo. I swear, he stayed longer on the worst days, waiting for me to notice and appreciate before lifting off into the sky on a musical chime. My mood always lifted along with him.

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  2. Sandy, my heart bleeds for your pain. I always suffer when I know a beloved pet has to be put down. My gorgeous Sabre, a sable & white collie, several years ago, and I spent the night together, with me talking to him, and his beautiful eyes soaking all my soothing and cooing in.

    One of the best memories I have w/Sabre is when my hubby & I were taking a walk on our property. Back in the woods, Sabre suddenly spotted something and took off to it. "It" was a fawn who stood there and "endured" Sabre's tame sniffings and gentle investigation. It was a lovely scene to see two of God's creatures friendly: a wild deer and a tame dog. Neither one seemingly afraid or angry at the other.

    Thanks for the above post.

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  3. What a beautiful memory with your Sabre! The fawn and Sabre's time together was a beautiful little gift from God. I imagine you miss him very much. My last night with Sheena I had to sleep in a chair near her for a time, but she kept looking up to me then letting her head fall back. I had to get up and hold her and am glad I did.

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  4. Oh Mackenzie, that was another little gift of nature from God! I love hummers. I had one hover around a bush right by my office window several times this summer. I don't know what it was drinking from the bush, the flowers were gone, but it always drank from the junction of the leaves with the branch. Sparrows come and peck there, too. The hummer came back several times after Sheena's diagnosis. Birds are my other love in the animal kingdom.

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  5. Thank you for sharing your story. That pic of Shena is adorable. I like the way you worded it, "Gifts of nature from God." When our all-black cat, Trigger, passed away it was hard. I imagined her in a gentle forest area where she could run free of pain, play hide and seek, hunt, scratch and rub to her heart's content. One day dad called from the Lake and said, "She's here. We've seen Trigger's ghost." At first it was a disbielievable shock, but I still found some peace thinking she was in a good place to romp after all. It's been a few years, but once in a while dad and mom would mention seeing the all-white cat among the tall trees. This past fall I spotted her myself. She was there and two blinks later, she wasn't. I laughed and I cried. She always did believe she was our family watchdog, all 10-1/2 lbs. of her. After my realistic side warred with my want-to-believe-side, I believe God granted Trigger her wild heart's desire. And I am grateful.

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  6. What a touching post. We've had to put several pets down over the years, and I'm always the one who holds them until it's over.

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  7. Beautiful gift; great start -- good luck & God's blessing on your blog.
    PamT

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  8. It's amazing the beauty God places around us.

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  9. GREAT kick off to your blog!! Love the post, Sandy - God bless!!

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