October 28, 2026
My dear friend is waiting right now. She and her husband are waiting for something they dread: the time to release their beloved animal companion from this life. This little dog is a living, breathing manifestation of love, affection, companionship, and meaning. He is woven into their family’s daily routines, laughter, activities, and just about everything they do. Deciding when to let him go touches everyone involved. It affects the heart, mind, and body. It is a life decision.
Life without this loving companion will be very different from the life they have known for the last fourteen years. Jackson was rescued during his first year of life. His presence, greetings, bark, antics, and all his wonderful—and sometimes even irritating—behaviors will be deeply missed. They are interwoven with the lives of my friend and her family.
Every day, we fill our tanks with love from familiar sources we can count on. We know who will give us the affirmation, acknowledgment, friendship, affection, companionship, warm touch, and love we need. We learn to cherish these people and animals. They become part of our intimate exchange of giving and receiving love—through which we feel whole, wanted, and needed and offer those same feelings to others.
Letting a cherished animal go is not like giving up an old car and replacing it with a newer one. When suffering can no longer be relieved, letting our beloved companion go can be a sacred act of love. It can be a gift they cannot give themselves: release from a body whose pain and suffering prevent them from having a meaningful quality of life.
While my friend waits, she is reflecting on years of happiness, love, and companionship. She remembers the little things Jackson did and the dear presence he has been—memories stored in the intimate spaces of her heart. She is giving thanks for this little personage who needed a “mommy” who also needed him. She is spending time with this embodiment of love, savoring each moment, each lick, and each look of deep trust as he, though in pain, gazes into her eyes.
As she waits for the time when Jackson will be relinquished to the kingdom from which he came, my friend is doing much spiritual work. She is reflecting and contemplating, and she is beginning the long process of grieving. Grief takes energy and spiritual courage. It asks us to face the loss of someone we need and to gather the strength to move forward without that dear one who reminds us of who we are in a way no one else could.
My friend must discern the day and time of this heartbreaking separation. I have been through that time of anguish and discernment many times with dear pets of ours. We all move through that space in our own way.
For my friend, this kind of waiting is a spiritual practice—it is a prayer. She is living in a prayer.
Spiritual Practice
How might your waiting include a spiritual practice? What would that practice be?
Inquiry
What thoughts, fears, or expectations might lead you to fill your time of waiting with frustration, anxiety, impatience, or anger? What can you consciously choose instead?
Prayer
Dear God, I pray wholeheartedly for my friend as she waits. Hold her tenderly as she prepares for the sacred act of letting go and placing her dear one in Your arms.
Amen
