by Linda Cobourn and Valerie Pilkington
EDITOR’S NOTE: Both Valerie and I lost beloved pets recently. Since we had similar reactions, I asked Valerie if we could Co-author this piece.
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praised and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13 NIV)
JUST IN TIME
Valerie was home just in time that Sunday, December 4. She saw her beloved pet, Rascal Skye, struggle towards her from his bed, his legs hardly able to hold him up. Gently, she scooped him up in her arms and sat with his furry body on her lap, cuddling and telling him that he was loved. She prayed for peace, for both Rascal and herself, because losing an animal–one of God’s creations–is hard. Along with the hollow space we know will occur, it causes us to realize the fragility of our earthly lives. Little Rascal, nine years old, passed quietly in Valerie’s arms.
Linda called out on her way down the stairs, “Sorry breakfast is late, Butterscotch! It’s a snow day from school!” She peeked into the kitchen on the morning of December 23, fully expecting to see the head of her orange cat peeking out of his box. But there was no little head. She turned toward the living room, and there lay her seventeen year old cat in his basket, already in the arms of Jesus.
WORDS OF THANKS
Despite their sorrow and their losses, both Valerie and Linda were able to praise God for the circumstances of these deaths. Valerie put it this way:
I was in shock and could not think of what to do. Thank God for friends like Patty Bailey, who ministers to people with her gentle spirit and compassion for all around her. In hindsight, I realized two things.
God is so good; he sustained Rascal Skye until I got home. I picked him up and prayed with him in my arms, asking Jesus to hold onto us. Within two minutes, he passed, in my arms. My 9 year old cat whom I loved dearly was gone. For now.
Secondly, I remembered, God created him, and me, and when I get to my Heavenly home, Rascal Skye and all my animals will meet me again. I really believe that ALL animals will be in heaven because God created them. If He did not want them around, he would not have created them.
Linda, too, was certain that Butterscotch was now in Heaven. When she called her son, Allen, down from his bedroom, she told him that their cat was now with Allen’s father, Ron, and enjoying the new and youthful body God had given to him. She had much to praise God for on that difficult day. Linda had this to say:
I should have been at work, but the weather had forced a snow day so I was home and found the cat and I am so grateful Allen did not find him by himself. I’d known for a few days that Butterscotch’s time with us was nearing the end; he’d been getting slower and sleeping a lot in the last few days. The night before, Allen and I had brought him into the living room with us. We cuddled him and told him we loved him; we fed him little snacks and told him what a good cat he had been. Eventually, he jumped down and ran back to his box in the kitchen. I wonder now if our messages of love–that he had fulfilled his mission as a cat–had been what he needed to hear. It’s like we gave him permission to leave us for Heaven.
Here on earth, our vision is limited. We cannot see all God has designed for us. When we get to Heaven we, our loved ones and our animals, will live in new bodies that will not age. We will no longer see “through a glass darkly” (I Corinthians 13:112, KJV), but we will see all the colors of the spectrum, every detail of God’s creation.
CREATION WILL BE AT PEACE
Valerie, whose musings as a musician leads her towards lyrics of music, shares these words from “Creation will be at peace”:
In the holy mountain of the Lord all war and strife will cease; in the holy mountain of the Lord creation will be at peace. The wolf will lie down with the lamb, the cow and bear will feed,
their young will play together; a little child will lead, a little child will lead.
In the holy mountain of the Lord all war and strife will cease;
In the holy mountain of the Lord creation will be at peace. The leopard and goat will graze, the lion will feed on straw. They will war no more, they will war no more; a child will lead them all, will lead them all.
In the holy mountain of the Lord all war and strife will cease; In the holy mountain of the Lord creation will be at peace.
Words by J. Paul Williams/Music by Anna Laura Page. © Copyright 1992
Here’s the link to the video so you can listen. Creation will be at peace
THE NAMING OF CATS
Linda, whose soul breathes poetry, wanted to share these words from TS Eliot:
The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
It isn’t just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I’m as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.
There is, of course, the name Adam gave when he named each creature God brought before him (Genesis 2:20).There is the name we, as the temporary family of a cat, bestow upon him. And, according to Eliot, there is a secret name known only to the Cat and His Creator. Perhaps that’s the reason a cat will suddenly stop in his tracks, cock his head to the side, and listen. God is calling his name!
Here’s the rest of TS Eliot’s poem.The Naming of Cats
As Valerie, Linda, and Allen all mourn the passing of their furry friends, they want to remind you that any separation from our loved ones is temporary. God has promised us we will be together again.
And he will know ALL our names.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. Psalm 36:6
