God’s love and presence are manifested in many ways in our lives. Here is a tribute to His presence in the form of a four-legged creature. This came from a friend of mine who just lost her dog, Sheilah Grace Murphy.
Last night I said good bye to my faithful best friend of ten and half years, Sheilah Grace Murphy. It was a very sudden and sad night. She had a wonderful afternoon enjoying the snow and eating lunch with me. We shoveled the driveway and she watched me intently cook chili, waiting for a little taste. I gave her a great little marrow bone, kissed her good bye and went off to teach my yoga class. I got a call around 5:30 telling me to call home. Just by accident my daughter had come by the house to pick something up. She found Sheilah sick and not able to get up so she called the vet and she was rushed to the ER. Once I got there they had scanned her belly and found multiple tumors in her abdomen and her heart had a sack of fluid around it. We were able to spend some time in a private room with her before they put her to sleep. For some of you who didn't know, my dad "Murph", named her while in the hospital before he went ahead. I know he was there to take her home and that she is now keeping him company. If you ever want to know the definition for Love it was Sheilah Grace.
I was so glad to be with her. I told her I would never let her go alone and that I would be there to hold her hand. Her eyes looked at me and we both knew that we would see each other in some other lifetime. She was my rock in all the hard times I had in my forties-who ever said the forties was fabulous was a lie! But with her by my side, every day was wonderful. Getting up in the morning and seeing her zest for life made me get out of bed, even when I thought I couldn't. She held my heart and licked my tears through my Dad's death, my Mom's death, my breast cancer, my knee surgery, my broken foot, my broken marriage, my broken heart. Through it all she taught me to carry on, to dwell in the now and not linger in the future and the past. She taught me to play and to love. She kept me in shape, even when I didn't want to. I was never alone and even now I know she is with me. As you know Dog is God spelled backward. She will be with me forever, in my heart and soul and I will miss her immensely.
So now I am on to the 50's. I am so looking forward to making them fabulous! I am sure she has gone ahead to make sure that happens. I will miss nuzzling my face into her warm and soft chest, I will miss her snoring and barking-she had such a great bark. I will miss her snuggling with me in the morning. I will miss her bringing her babies to me. I will miss her... period.
One day God will bring into my life another dog to love, but for now I will dwell in the wonder of a companion that completed me.
In the midst of all of this, I know that GOD IS IN CONTROL.
Love to ALL my friends who shared in loving my beloved Shea - Kelly