Saying Goodbye Again

Photo above: (From last July) Smokey trying out our new baby seat we had bought for Beatrice before she was born, with Elijah's baby doll.

Tonight I had made plans to cook a special meal for Brandon in honor of his completing his current Latin course. (He took his final exam Thursday. I have to put in a cheer for my husband here, because he found a way to do his Latin course even working two jobs, and did it in a way that didnt take a way from family time... and still got all A's!)
Our dinner never came to be, however, because just before Brandon arrived home I found our cat Smokey lying badly injured on the driveway. I tried to stay calm in front of Elijah, but I knew Brandon would need to get him to the vet right away. It turns out Smokey had multiple injuries and would have needed at least two surgeries and had only a chance of recovery, not to mention a long and painful healing process if he did make it. We were willing to try whatever it took, but after prayerfully considering everything and talking with the vets, we felt it was better to go ahead and say goodbye to Smokey.
This was a hard thing to do. Once again I am thankful for my husband here. I did not even want to look at Smokey up close when he was hurt (because it was so sad), and Brandon took care of getting him into a box and driving him to the emergency vet. I was also glad he could make the final decision about what course of action to take with Smokey, because I would have had a much harder time deciding what to do.
I appreciate Leila's mother praying for us to have wisdom in making that decision. It is such a hard, sad postition to be in.
We will miss Smokey. I feel some comfort because I do think it is pretty likely that animals go to heaven. If you want to know why I think so, read C.S. Lewis's section on Animal Suffering in "The Problem of Pain." I think so for other reasons as well, but I like what he says on it. Its a fantastic book anyway.
P.S. I think we will probably end up keeping Jack Frost insinde all the time now. Even though we are back from the road and on a good bit of land, it seems like dogs are a problem around here. I think J.F. will do fine, because he is very young and likes the house anyway.