Joy In The Journey Radio
  • Home
  • Radio 4 LDS Singles
    • Live Broadcast
    • Recent Shows >
      • 14 Dec 22
      • 7 Dec 22
    • Archive 2022
    • Archive 2021
    • Archive 2020
    • Archive 2019
    • Archive 2018
  • LDS Singles Blog
  • Books
  • FAQ
  • Volunteer
  • Donate
  • Contact

continue the conversation

God will always be there

9/10/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Two days ago my mother’s cat died.  And it affected me more than I thought it would.

It’s been almost a year since my own beloved Tashi passed away.  That passing shocked me.  My dear friend of four years was suddenly gone, and with her went a piece of my heart.  God had led me to Tashi to help me through a very difficult time.  So when she died suddenly, her passing hit me very hard.

And her death wasn’t peaceful either.  She choked on her own vomit.

Tashi always had a vomiting problem.  When I adopted her, she vomited 2-3 times every single day.  Yet the vet could find nothing wrong with her.  Aside from the vomiting, Tashi showed every sign of being a very healthy, happy cat.

Picture
After a few months of cleaning after her, I questioned keeping her.  It was obvious why she was in the pound.  Who would want the burden of constantly cleaning up after this animal?

Not I.  But I’d made a commitment when I adopted the animal, and I intended to follow through.  I worked with Tashi for 11 months before she would then vomit only once every few days.  Considering her starting point when I adopted her, that’s quite the improvement.

Yet in the end it proved the death of her.  Grief paralyzed me for the first couple of days.  It was so hard waking up at night and not see her curled up on the bed.  I wanted to feel her furry face in mine in the morning checking to see if I was awake yet.  I would imagine I saw her sitting in her favorite window even though she wasn’t there.  I longed to see her look at me with anticipation as I came in the door.  After almost a year of separation, I still miss her.

At the time I couldn’t make sense of it.  Why would the Lord bless me only to let that same blessing leave me so suddenly?

Picture

Struggling with questions

Some believe everything happens for a reason.  I’m not one of those people.  I believe sometimes a guiding Hand does prompt events in our lives.  But I also believe that other times there’s no rhyme or reason.  Things just happen.  It’s part of living in a fallen world.

Yet the passing of my mother’s cat had me wondering.  A few days ago the cat began vomiting, much like my Tashi did.  Then she stopped eating and drank very little.  The vet said something had entered her kidneys and very quickly did a great deal of damage.

My mother had two options: She could hope a hospital stay would clean out the cat’s system, or she could put the cat down.  This cat had lived nine years, and given the current state of her kidneys, it wasn’t clear how much longer she would live even if the hospital stay worked.  After some consideration, my mother decided to end the cat’s life.

The vet ended the cat’s life by lethal injection.  Yesterday we had the funeral.  My father buried the animal in his back yard, not far from a bush under which the cat liked to lie on warm, sunny days.  How appropriate.  It’s also on the end of the yard opposite Tashi’s grave.  My mother’s cat never liked Tashi, so we always kept them apart.  Now even in death we still keep them separated.

Are events like these part of some grand master plan?  Does everything really happen for a reason?  Or is this just the result of living in a fallen world in which bad things just happen?

Lift where you stand

Picture
I’ll let you find your own answers.  I’m fine with mine.  What matters more is that God will always be there to support us.  He even prepares the way for support to come to us.  We are that way.  All we need to do is lift where we stand.  Then we can watch God perform miracles.

Having lost a beloved animal, I can support my mother as she experiences her own encounter with that grief.  Perhaps God allowed my Tashi to die last year so I could better support my mother now.

My mother is almost addicted to mango smoothies, so the night her cat died I bought her a mango smoothie.  It wasn’t much in itself, but it was a simple gesture that communicated my love and concern for her.

I know I’ll need to offer more support in the coming days.  And as I use my own negative experience to bring goodness into the life of someone I love, I know with more certainty that God can take all the awful situations in my life and turn them into jewels.

  The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
  To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
  To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. (Isaiah 61:1-3)
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    Howdy! I'm Lance, host of Joy in the Journey Radio. I've been blogging about LDS singles life since 2012, and since 2018 I've been producing a weekly Internet radio show and podcast to help LDS singles have  more joy in their journey and bring all Latter-day Saints together. Let's engage a conversation that will increase the faith of LDS singles and bring singles and marrieds together in a true unity of the faith.

    Comment

    Joy in the Journey Radio encourages the free discussion of ideas but reserves the right to remove and/or block comments which do not conform to LDS standards.

    Donate

    Joy in the Journey Radio offers many free resources to help LDS singles everywhere, but it certainly isn't free!  Help Joy in the Journey Radio in its mission to improve the lives of LDS singles by donating today.

    Posts by Month

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Categories

    All
    Adrian Ochoa
    Agency
    Assumptions
    Atonement
    Attitude
    Attraction
    Autopilot
    Balance
    Becky Craven
    Believe
    Best Life
    Bradley R Wilcox
    Camille N Johnson
    Change The Culture
    Changing LDS Singles Culture
    Christ
    Christmas
    Clark G Gilbert
    Confidence
    Conscious Choices
    Covenant Mindset
    Dale G Renlund
    Dallin H Oaks
    Dating
    David A Bednar
    Depression
    Dieter F Uchtdorf
    Discipleship
    Donald L Hallstrom
    D Todd Christofferson
    Face To Face
    Faith
    Family
    Family History
    Fear
    Filters
    Finances
    Focus Determines Reality
    Forgiveness
    Full Life: Body
    Full Life: Heart
    Full Life: Mind
    Full Life: Spirit
    Future
    Gary E Stevenson
    General Conference
    Gerrit W Gong
    Goals
    Gordon B Hinckley
    Gratitude
    Habits
    Happiness
    Hope
    Jack Gerard
    Jean Bingham
    Jeffrey R Holland
    John A McCune
    John C Pingree Jr
    Journey
    Joy
    Kristin M Lee
    Leaders
    Legacy
    Life Of Meaning
    Live In The Moment
    Marriage
    Marrieds
    Michael A Dunn
    Michelle Craig
    Miracles
    M Russell Ballard
    Natural Mindset
    Neil Andersen
    Opportunity
    Own Your Life
    Partner With The Lord
    Peace
    Personal Ministry
    Perspective
    Philosophy
    Proclamation On The Family
    Quentin L Cook
    Real
    Reformat And Reboot
    Relationships
    Ronald Rasband
    Russell M Nelson
    Sacrament
    Self Talk
    Self-talk
    Service
    Sharon Eubank
    Stories
    Support
    Surrender To Love
    Susan H Porter
    Taylor G Godoy
    Temple
    Thinking
    Thomas S Monson
    Trials
    Unity
    Valentine's Day
    Vision
    Walk By Faith
    Yoon Hwan Choi
    Zion

    RSS Feed

Offerings

Home
Radio 4 LDS Singles
LDS Singles Blog
Books
Speaking
Recipes
Home-centered Church

Production

About
Staff

Support

FAQ
Volunteer
Donate
Careers
Contact
Joy in the Journey Radio is a production
of Aspire Mountain Media LLC.
© 2014-2024 Aspire Mountain Media LLC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  • Home
  • Radio 4 LDS Singles
    • Live Broadcast
    • Recent Shows >
      • 14 Dec 22
      • 7 Dec 22
    • Archive 2022
    • Archive 2021
    • Archive 2020
    • Archive 2019
    • Archive 2018
  • LDS Singles Blog
  • Books
  • FAQ
  • Volunteer
  • Donate
  • Contact