Sadness Hits Like a Stone

My wife went to say goodbye to one of her friends last night. Ruth had been my wife's friend for less than a year, but my wife cared for her very much. They met at the dog park, each walking her own dog. My wife was led by the Spirit to talk to Ruth and she is glad that she listened. Ruth needed a friend.

Ruth's dog, Honey, was a Golden Retriever who was in pain. She was old and had medical issues. No amount of surgery was going to help her, and the poor dog's days were numbered. Ruth had done everything she could to keep Honey going, but it was a losing battle. Enter my wife, the assistant to Saint Assissi (that is what we call her), the patron saint of animals. She offers words of advice to Ruth and the two become friends.

Timing is not something that God wants us to understand about him. Honey was in her golden years and in pain. Ruth wanted her to live on, but knew that it was wrong to let an animal suffer. Ruth was also almost out of Seminary(why do Divinity students have it so hard with faith?) , getting ready to take a couple of mission trips and then move back to NY state within 6 months. My wife would be there for her (well, Ruth and Honey) and then both Ruth and Honey would leave my wife. No, Ruth did not die but she did make the decision to put Honey down and the vet (who is not a Christian, but is very moral) said it was the right thing to do. God was allowing Ruth to make a hard choice, and my wife was part of that equation.

I am positive that God put my wife into Ruth's life for a reason. Ruth had a lot of issues that my wife was perfectly suited to help with. The problem with Honey, Ruth's questioning her faith and her attitude of not sharing (which was completely reversed by God!) were the biggest. My wife got Ruth to assist the church in moving a family that is a bit less fortunate that Ruth is (she is used to the finer things in life most of the time. Her townhome cost more than our house), helped her through Honey's eutheniasia, and helped Ruth distribute almost all her possesions to those who could use them when she decided to move back to NY. Ruth was kind to me through my wife, by giving her 2 huge Italian book cases for my office.

Ruth told my wife that her mission trips were tough. She saw so much poverty, she cried. The same thing happened when my wife went to Matamoros, Mexico. That is one poor city. My wife cried for hours after she returned.

Ruth leaves (for good) to NY state today. She met with my wife and our Golden-Boxer mix, Maggie Mae for a few hours last night. Ruth gave my wife a 1 lb bag of Guatamalan coffee (from her last mission trip) and the two talked and said their goodbyes. My wife came home upset. She does not handle goodbyes very well, especially extended ones. She is going to miss Ruth.

My wife does not have a lot of close friends, but the few she has had tend to move away to other states, so my wife cannot see them as much as she likes. Yes, there is e-mail and phone, but for my wife that is just not the same. Her closest friends have moved to Minnesota, Indiana, and Alabama.

My wife loves her friends almost as much as she loves Jesus. When those friends are not close to her physically, she hurts. You should have seen how upset she was when I told her we were moving from NC to TX 4 years ago. If looks could kill... :-)

I know my wife will manage, but she clearly is hurting now. I hope she remembers that Jesus is the best friend she ever will have, and he never leaves.