Dogs In Heaven
| TODAY: Share this poem of John Soos: To be of the earth is to know the restlessness of being a seed; the darkness of being planted; the struggle toward light; the pain of growth toward light; the joy of bursting and bearing fruit; the love of being food for someone; the scattering of your seeds; the decay of the seasons; the mystery of death; and the miracle of birth. |
Our dog Montana recently died. Montana was quite a dog. She was strong-willed, wily and beautiful. She loved to chase squirrels, to swim in the creek and to ignore us when we called for her. By no means was she a perfect dog, but we loved her just the same.
She became old, like all living creatures must, and we needed to have her euthanized. This was a very sad time in our house. The night before we took her to the veterinarian, she was very uncomfortable, panting and unable to walk. To bring her comfort, I played Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" for her. If this beautiful music can bring comfort to humans, couldn't it bring comfort to animals as well? (Doesn't music speak a universal language that all nationalities can understand? Alas, my discourse on the miracles of music must wait for another day.)
During her life, Montana was happiest outside. It only seemed fitting to bury her in the wild. As I placed her in the ground, it struck me how different she felt when there was no life in her. What happened to her vital essence? The body I held in my arms was not Montana; there was more to her than bones, muscles and fur.
I began to ponder what had happened to her spirit. We are taught that our spirits live with God after we die. But why would God only want to share eternity with humans? He created animals as well. And sometimes, dogs can be nicer than people. Dogs must certainly go to heaven too.
Unfortunately, I'm the sort of person who wants empirical evidence to support my faith. With my liberal arts background, I try to study physics to understand the origin of the universe, the origin of matter, etc. My discernment is very limited, and I know I should have stronger faith. I am trying; but in the meantime, I have found a fit with physics and faith that helps me sleep at night.
The Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy, once created, is not lost. What does this theory have to do with dogs and heaven?
Montana was composed of energy - I can attest to this. When I buried her, that energy was no longer present in her. Where did it go? Energy can't be destroyed; this would counter the Law of Conservation of Energy. So, her energy, her spirit, her vital essence must have gone somewhere. I believe it joined all the other energy forces of which living things are made in heaven with God!
What have I learned from my dog? I will try to live my life more like Montana lived hers. Montana didn't try to understand things her brain was incapable of comprehending; I will try to quit puzzling over life's big questions, as these are issues that the human brain may not be capable of comprehending. Instead, I will enjoy my runs outside, lie in the sun on warm spring days and sometimes bark at the neighbors who don't seem too friendly (because I'm not perfect, either).
— Kathy Hansen
Courtesy of The Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist