Good Friday, April 10th, 2009
The Legend of the Dogwood TreeIn Jesus time, the dogwood grew
To a stately size and a lovely hue.
'Twas strong and firm, it's branches interwoven
For the cross of Christ it's timbers were chosen.
Seeing the distress at this use of their wood
Christ made a promise which still holds good:
"Never again shall the dogwood grow
Large enough to be used so.
Slender and twisted, it shall be
With blossoms like the cross for all to see.
As blood stains the petals marked in brown
The blossom's center wears a thorny crown.
All who see it will remember Me
Crucified on a cross from the dogwood tree.
Cherished and protected this tree shall be
A reminder to all of My agony."
~ Author Unknown ~
I just wanted to share this beautiful poem since it goes along with my other post about the dogwood tree. What a beautiful promise it signifies for us!
"Good Friday"...A Special Bunny Tucker and I had to do a little searching to find these sweet pictures, but we were determined to share them with you. While we were living in Kuwait, we found a special bunny, and what made this little bunny so special was the fact that we found him on Good Friday. So, we thought that was the perfect name for him...and, we called him "Friday".
John had taken Tucker for a walk that afternoon and just happened to see this little bunny all alone in the sandlot where we would often take Tucker. When John came back inside he told me about him, and I insisted that we go back out to see if he was still there. The bunny was still there all alone so we looked at each other, and I'm sure John knew just what I was thinking. "We can't just leave him here", I said. I was worried that some of those scary cats would get him or some other animal. And, we were rather sure that this little bunny had probably escaped from a cage nearby. The bunnies were not usually for pets either so I didn't want to just leave him there, as I was sure he was probably destined to be someone's dinner. I couldn't stand the thought of such!
So, we scooped up that little bundle of fur and headed home with him. He and Tucker quickly became friends, and they were so cute eying each other and playing. You can see that Tucker was watching over Friday...kinda like his big brother! And, that is just what he acted like with him! haha Tucker would walk along as Friday hopped about...Friday would look at Tucker as though to make sure he was coming...they were buddies! The sweet little friendship that developed between them was really something. Tucker would stand at Friday's cage as though he wanted him to come out to play, and he seemed so protective of him. It was a special bond!
Friday's big eyes were so inquisitive...as though he was just waiting to see what mischief he could get into with Tucker. We had such fun watching them play together!
How could you resist this cute face...and, those ears!! :)
We loved this little bunny so...who would have ever thought we would have become the family to a Kuwaiti bunny?!! When we were in Germany, we looked out our patio door to find a large bunny sitting on the patio on Easter morning....I felt like it was a sign...a sweet little sign from God letting us know that He was with us even though we were far away from our family during that special holiday. So, when we found "Friday" on Good Friday, I knew it was another sweet sign. It's the little things, I tell you!!...And, sometimes they come in all shapes and sizes..some even furry! :) God's surprises...they can be sweet, they can be fun, and they can even be little white bunnies!
We were very sad to find out that Friday had an infection. He was not acting like himself one day so we took him to the vet. The vet did everything he could at his office and sent us home with medicine to give to Friday throughout the night. John and I took turns holding him in our hands and rubbing his little tummy (per the doctor's orders). The doctor said he had probably been sick for a while. While holding him I realized that he had stopped breathing so I held him up to John so he could listen to his little heart. He looked at me and said, "A~M, I think he is gone.". I held Friday up to him again and said, "No, maybe he's just breathing lightly...check again." We both knew that he had passed away, and even as I sit here today and share this story with you I get teary eyed. I hope God will one day bless us with babies because I have no doubt that my sweet John will make the best daddy! He was so gentle and loving even to that little bunny we found in the sandlot, treating him as though he had been a part of our home forever. Back when I realized Friday was not acting right I called John at work and told him we needed to get him to the vet. John left the office to come home so he could take us. Yes, he's over 6 feet tall, strong, intelligent, caring, and my true king of our castle...and, he has the biggest heart, too! With big tears streaming down my face that night as I held little Friday in my hands, John looked down at me, smiled, and said "A~M, we can be thankful that we had this time with Friday and were able to give him what was probably the best part of his life." And, at that moment I realized that although we had fallen for a little bunny named Friday...well, we had also been given the opportunity to be a part of something so much bigger...and, to experience it together.
Tucker was so sad when he went to look in Friday's cage and did not see him there. He came to me several times the next day as I was working at the computer. He would look at me, look back to Friday's cage and whimper as if to say, "Where is my friend...where did my "Friday" go?". It was really sad to see him look so lonely. I had read that sometimes the only way to help another pet to understand about the loss of another is to let them smell the other one after they have passed. Tucker could not seem to understand what had happened to Friday so I decided to do this before we took Friday away. Tucker smelled of his little face, looked up at me, and just sat calmly beside me. It was then that he seemed to understand...it was then that he seemed to know it was all ok because our sweet Friday had gone onto Heaven.
I hope your life is filled with sweet furry blessings, too!
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