Surrounded by Death

The 3rd death on our property in about 2 weeks happened today. Plus…

Beginning at the beginning –

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Death #1 – our last guinea pig. The boys said she committed suicide. She kept going under her water bottle and pushing up on it, getting wet. They’d move her out. She’d go back and do it again. She died a couple hours later. Interrupted one of our first days back at lessons with an unexpected funeral and burial.

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Death #2 – even more traumatic. A few days later, I turned on the car and started to back out. Heard a horrible clunking in the engine, and turned the car off. Thought a tool had been left under the hood or something. Got the boys to come look. Opened the hood. Fur went flying. A stray kitten had tried to find a warm place. It was taking its last breaths when we found it. Couldn’t throw it in the trash, the garbage men had just come that day. Didn’t want to dig a deep enough hole. Called the pound to come get it.

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Death #3 – today. Young squirrel coming down the tree. Black lab jumping up the tree. There was running for them and calling dog. But not quick enough. Squirrel in dog’s mouth. Interception, but too late. Dog chained. Squirrel suffering. Boys and pellet gun mercifully end its misery.

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Just as I was ready to type up our latest death sagas, I get a call. Boys coming home from hunting. “Bring the little boys to daughter’s house, so they can watch.” 30 doves to clean. (Guess they didn’t want to bring them here around the dog.) Just what I did NOT want to watch. Boys tearing wings off dead birds and …

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I’ve seen about all the dead things I care to in a while.

Thanks be to God that though I’m surrounded by death in this fallen, decaying world, He has come to give us LIFE and that abundantly and eternally! “Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?”