Rosemead Kiwanis Club
"Serving the Community Since 1945"
FAX OF
LIFE
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Rosemead Kiwanis Club "Serving the Community Since 1945" |
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FAX OF LIFE
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The Fax of Life
A weekly inspiration, courtesy of the Kiwanis Club of Scott's Valley
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of
cancer. I told the family we couldn't do
anything for Belker, and offered to perform the
euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their
home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me
they thought it would be good for the four-year
old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as
though Shane might learn something from the
experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my
throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane
seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last
time, that I wondered if he understood what was
going on.
Within a few
minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The
little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition
without any difficulty or confusion. We sat
together for a while after Belker's death,
wondering aloud about the hard fact that animal
lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had
been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."
Startled, we all
turned to him. What came out of his mouth next
stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting
explanation.
He said, "People
are born so that they can learn how to live a
good life - - like loving everybody all the time
and being nice, right?"
The four-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."
Live simply. Love
generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.
May you always have LOVE to share, HEALTH to spare and FRIENDS that care, a DOG or Cat to LOVE, and give thanks daily to God for his great gifts to us.
Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.
The Kiwanis Club of Scott's Valley is a community service club and meets at the Heavenly Café in Scott's Valley on Wednesdays at 7 am. You are welcome to join us anytime.
We do not charge anyone for receiving the "Fax;" however. if you have been encouraged in any way by the message, pass it on by saying something encouraging to someone else during the week.
Neither the Scott's Valley or Rosemead Kiwanis Club makes any representations as to the accuracy of words or actions attributed to named individuals; material selected for the Fax of Life comes from a variety of sources and is chosen based on its inspirational value as given.