There
is an old saying that all dogs go to heaven. Quite frankly, I’m not sure if I
want to go there if this is not true. We all have our lines in the sand about
what would make our bliss eternal. Some are quite base; others quite noble.
There
is another saying that “if you want a friend in Washington, buy a dog.” Sixteen
years ago, I made a very good friend. I don’t know whether she chose me or I
chose her, but fate brought us together. I asked the litter of fluffy
Pomeranians, “Which one of you is Trixie?” She knocked her siblings down and
came running.
The
day after I picked her up from the breeder, we journeyed to Atlanta as I began
my theological studies. She was my road dog.
I
have a history of clinical depression. The prospect of moving to a new city
sight-unseen to pursue a profession fraught with existential peril was
anxiety-inducing. My physician recommended that I buy a dog. She was just what
I needed. Every good and perfect gift is
from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not
change like shifting shadows (James 1:17). I must say that I never sank
into despair while I had Trixie as she made it her bounden duty to bring me joy.
She
greeted me when I came home with the demeanor of an ecstatic encounter with the
divine. She let me rub her head when I felt down. She made me think of someone
other than myself consistently. She co-hosted parties with me. Family
gatherings were not the same without her. She made everyone love her and loved
them in return. When we were leaving Atlanta to move back to DC, my neighbors of
three years bid her a fond farewell. Many of them didn’t even know my name.
Trixie
departed this life June 28, 2013 after a long bout with heart disease. I
thought I was the only one who recognized the void she left behind. The
expressions of comfort and recollection of tender memories from others have
been nothing short of amazing.
I
felt silly at times about how much I indulged her, but make no apology for my
grief. A neighbor inquired why a dog’s passing received more outpouring of love
than most people. Yet, Proverbs 3:19
says: The righteous care for the needs of
their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.
Yet,
the same neighbor remarked “Even in departing she shines!” There was something
transcendent about Trixie. I began to notice it after she chewed by bible as a
pup akin to how Ezekiel ate the scroll (Ezekiel 3:3). She was a good judge of character and quite
the prognosticator.
I
have every confidence that I am going to see her again.
I also said to myself, “As
for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.
Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate
awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath;
humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. All go to the
same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. Who knows if the human spirit rises upward
and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?” (Ecclesiastes 3:18-21).
