Calliope
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From Martha McLoughlin:
I was touched by Cynthia’s story of her brother’s death (Spring
2009) and the fact that we all have to move on and continue to enjoy
life’s positive side as we recover from our tragedies and traumas.
Cynthia’s writing on coping with loss made me recall a marvelous
day--April 21, 2004—when I named, met and began fostering Max after
agreeing to become a foster pet mom and bonding with Max like mother and
son resulted in sadness five weeks later when the specific breed rescue
group decided that they wanted someone else to adopt him because they
“felt he needed a fenced yard.” Even though I may adopt another dog in
the future, I’ll always think of Max as a “son,” and I’ll always think
of my departed pet schnauzers, Connie and Pistol, as “daughters.”
When I had an ultrasound and follow-up mammogram on the fifth
anniversary of meeting Max, I focused on Jesus, Max, Connie and Pistol.
When the radiologist and technician told me my results were perfectly
normal, I was grateful to God, and I credit the splendid results to the
positive spiritual presence of Jesus, Max, Pistol, and Connie.
We can recover from our losses when we focus on positive
memories of our loved ones. When I remember Max—how his short, cropped
tail wagged and how his face resembled a smiley faced teddy bear when he
first saw me—I feel like a woman doubly chosen for good things—chosen by
Max and chosen by Jesus. Thank God for happy memories.