In Memoriam

 Oct. 22, 1998 - April 7, 2011

My in-laws' 12-year old companion animal, "Wally," was euthanized yesterday in Wappingers Falls. I was able to be with Mary and Mike and Wally as the caring staff of the Veterinary Specialty Center of the Hudson Valley fulfilled the Scrivers' decision to end his life. They learned that his pains over the past couple of weeks were caused by a fast-moving liver cancer with abdominal bleeding, and he could not be healed medically nor kept pain-free. Our family is grieving.

The rector of Grace Church North, Berkeley, CA, (where "animal friends are welcome at services and social events") preached on All Souls' Sunday, 2002:

Pope John Paul II shocked the world...when he pronounced that animals in fact, do have souls and that they enjoy the reward of heaven, even as we do... Most of the world thought the old man had gone completely off his rocker, but I don't know a single animal lover who thought so. His words resonated with something deep down that we know to be true.

And yet, we are still embarrassed to admit it, aren't we? Many of us are closer to our dogs and cats than we are to members of our families, and yet, when a pet dies, for some reason we think it is inappropriate or silly to make a public memorial, to acknowledge our grief to the world, or to ask for guidance or even comfort....

Photo of Wally, from Rebeca Denny

Your pets are your family. When a family member dies, the grief is terrible, no matter how many legs your family member possesses. Graveside rituals, memorial services, even Requiem masses are entirely appropriate. Public grieving is a deep human need, and it is not diminished simply because the being we are grieving for is not human....

This morning, as we celebrate the memorial feast for the dead..., I invite you to also list the names of those dearly departed that go out with a little more hair than the rest of us.... After all that they have given to us, they deserve no less. Let us pray

God of all creatures, hope and end of every being, we bring before thee this morning the memories of all those whom we love that have gone to their reward, human and animal. Help make us mindful of our rightful place in this creation, that we are the kindred of every creature, and lords over none. May we be encouraged by the great cloud of witnesses which have gone before us, may they remember us and pray for us even as we remember them, and keep them in our own prayers. Make us one with thee and with thy whole creation, that we may exercise our responsibility to care for one another, and to build the Community of God in our midst. For we ask this in the name of him whose body contains every manner of man and beast, even Jesus Christ, in whom we live, and move, and have our being. Amen.

To that I would add my "Amen!"

--Jack Lohr, Interim Pastor