Rainbow Connections.

[captainsblog]

It's been a rough couple of weeks for a number of animal-loving friends of ours. It's seemed that each week, sometimes each day, has brought news of the failing and final goodbyes of a variety of furry friends.  By this morning, the total reached enough of a quantity for me to think about adding these various friends to prayer concerns in church. Sealing the deal was our guest preacher's sermon about the Luke-ian encounter between Jesus and the sisters Mary and Martha.  At the beginning of this most recent run of bad news was word from friends of ours in Boston- their calico littermates from close to 18 years ago both had to be put down within a few days of each other. Their names? Mary and Martha.

And so I offered these words in church, and later on Facebook, for all of them, and you, and us:

I was thinking of doing this anyway, but when I heard my friend Barbara preaching this morning about the story of Mary and Martha, I knew I had to do it today: I offered prayers for all of you who have been spending time at Rainbow Bridge lately: for peace and comfort for the animals and their companions, including Kristen's Boo, Donna's April, and, yes, Debbie's Mary and Martha. Also, soon but we pray not too soon, Eleanor and Ray's Tasha. Barbara not only acknowledged me but made them- and all of us- the heart of her pastoral prayer, for our four-legged families but also for us, who are not their owners but their friends:) — feeling blessed.

I've since heard from Kristen, and Donna, and Debbie, and several other travelers on the Rainbow Parkway, thanking me for the sentiment.  I've also seen hopeful evidence that Tasha may be taking a bit of a detour from that destination.

----

She's going on 14, and has had a noninvasive tumor on her butt for going on three years, but this past week really got me worrying about whether It Was Time.  At least three times late last week, I watched as Tasha was unable to climb the stairs back into the house from either the back yard or the garage, splaying on the steps and looking pained and helpless until a second effort (sometimes with my help, or Eleanor's) got her back into the house. I heard what seemed to be more, and more frequent, whines from her as she needed to go out more during the day, and she seemed to be panting a lot more when she was inside.  Worst, though, was a moment on Friday: I had to take a conference call at my desk at 11:30, which I'd had scheduled for 1 in the afternoon, and during the call, I heard her barks growing louder, more frequent and more urgent. But it was with a court, so there was nothing I could do. When I finally hung up, I went to let her out, and saw the puddle of pee by the back door and the hung-head look of shame on her face.  I gave her all the cuddles she could stand, tried to reassure her that it wasn't her fault, and worried about how often this scenario will repeat itself now.

As of today, though? That last answer is "none," and overall she seems in better health and spirits.  I wonder if she was just as done in by last week's heat wave as we were. Today, with the temps close to 20 degrees cooler and the humidity way down, she showed no trouble getting in and out, and hasn't had as many trips outside, much less any missed ones leading to accidents. At times today, she almost looked like she was prancing while coming up the stairs, as if to say, Ha ha, made ya look.

None of this will make her any younger, and we're still anticipating a ride on the Rainbow Express sooner rather than later- but the worst of the current corners seem to be past her, and we're hoping she'll enjoy the next several months as much as she's appreciated the previous dozen years of rescue that we've given her.