Thanks, Ashley

It's been so good to have the good news of Ashley's improving health to boost our thoughts and prayer. I believe it's the combination--the incredibly powerful mix of everyone's different ways of loving and hoping and praying and doing---all directed at Ashley's healing, that is having a wonderful positive effect. Let's keep it up! We cannot get lazy. Let's all keep praying. We will just have to keep being a force for healing together. For Ashley.

Last night our dog, Reilley, who was a gift from Ashley six years ago (her cat, Batman, almost blinded him, so she had to find him a safe home), got sick. We spent a terrible night watching him act paranoid, refuse to eat, run in circles, tremble, etc. etc. After much research, I was thinking that Reilley was having a hallucinogenic reaction (a bad trip?). I found a Hickory nut he had chewed which was mouldy. Or maybe it was mushrooms. Anyway, the symptoms were there.This morning there seemed to be some improvement, so even though Reilley had not slept all night, I took the kids to church. As I was leaving church, I fell apart--we'll blame it on a moving sermon and a sleepless night--and called Ashley. My friend, with Sunny and Al in tow, came by after Sunny's soccer game to give me comfort and advice.

I just want to say THANKS to Ash for teaching me to love an animal and helping me understand what my grandmother meant when she said that more dogs were going to heaven than people. And thank, Ashley, for bringing Reilley into our lives, and for coming over to check him out.

Thank you, God, for love. For the love of friends who bring wholeness and laughter into our lives. For the love of our families and especially of our children, for the love of our pets who give us tireless and selfless devotion, and for your love. We pray knowing that we are just a speck, yet we are part of a beautiful interconnected world that you declared GOOD. We thank you for a beautiful day of worship, soccer and healing. Please continue to heal Reilley and Ashley. We ask that you continue to shrink the tumors and clear her lungs. Bless Ashley, Al and Sunny tonight and give them rest.
Amen

ps. I bet Jesus healed some animals too. The gospel writers just forgot to record it.