It’s precisely one week in the past to the hour that we put down our beloved candy canine Josie. I’m astonished by how a lot I miss her. She had been a day by day presence in our lives throughout our whole time at Pepperdine (10 1/2 years). My days would start together with her bounding out of our mattress and finish together with her leaping into our mattress as we settled down for the evening. In between, she was a full participant in our hectic lives — becoming a member of me for early morning tennis at Pepperdine and cardio and weight coaching in our bed room, and later for walks in our neighborhood, dinners at our dwelling with college students, and seashore outings. However my favourite time was the numerous hours she slept at my toes whereas I labored in our eating room — it was so comforting to have her close by.

I select to recollect the Josie within the photograph under, racing towards the setting solar, brimming with pleasure at what awaits her, assured that her “binky ball” will magically seem, at simply the correct spot and bouncing at simply the correct top for her to leap and catch it in her mouth, so she will be able to trot again to me pleased with her accomplishment and drop the binky ball at my toes so I can toss it many times and once more. The distinction now’s that Josie stored racing towards the setting solar, nonetheless brimming with pleasure at what awaited her. I take consolation in C.S. Lewis’s theology about canine and heaven, and hope that when my time involves race towards the setting solar, I’ll discover Josie awaiting me, with a shiny new binky ball at her toes, ready to renew the chase many times and once more.