A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak...

Ecclesiastes 3:1-7

Change is tough, but it's a part of life. I was forced to realize that when my parents pulled me away from my elementary school friends to go live in the middle of a ridiculously hot desert... and when, at 10 years old, it became clear that I'd never be able to hug my grandma again... and again, when I moved away for college. It was weird when I went home to visit, and "home" was suddenly a different house. Today is one of those moments. Today, I found out that the dog I grew up with has an aggressive malignant tumor. Since she is probably experiencing a great deal of pain, my family made the heart-wrenching decision to have her put to sleep. Tomorrow. Since I live hundreds of miles away from my family (and have for more than half a decade now), I guess it hasn't really sunk in yet. I can't begin to imagine Buffy's sweet little face not being there to greet me at the end of each long trip to my parents' house. It's truly the end of an era. Please keep my family in your prayers as we grieve over the loss of a dog who became like a part of our family.