Prayers, Raoul.

– ernie

Thanks Raoul. I am encouraged by knowing that no matter where we come from, that does not have to determine our future. I grew up ion a very poor and broken home and we regularly received welfare bags of groceries and all of our clothes came from used clothes barrels at Good Will and Salvation Army. I made a decision when I became a Christian not to let that background to determine my future.

Yes, some of the stories we will share in heaven will be a blessing and thankfully some of them we won’t have to share!

Lee

That’s a beautiful memory of your Mom. You must have been very close to her. God allowed you to witness that to give you an assurance that our life is so short and that heaven is waiting for you to be with her again.

Yes, in this life our world view may not be always the right one. No one can be dogmatic about who is right or wrong. My own seems to explain everything that goes on — the way people behave, why some suffer and some don’t, why greed, trauma or addiction deadens one’s conscience. To me this is all explained in the Bible. That book truly is the living word of God. How I wish others can see what I see. I’m sorry but that’s why the gospel is such a passion for me.

I’m sorry for your brother’s loss. I’m sure it’s the same loss you feel for your own dog, Cedric. Imperfect though he may have been, that dog loved you and your wife and he knew that you loved him too.

Yes, I believe you can say dogs go to heaven. No scripture verse actually says that but I tend to agree with this writer, Shelby Turner. Her conclusion:

Heaven is better than we know. Therefore, it is entirely possible, that because of the joy and happiness animals bring, God will bring them into eternity with us.

We won’t know until we get there whether or not our animals will be with us in heaven, but we can be assured that whether they are or not, we aren’t going to feel any lack or longing! God’s presence will be enough!

https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/do-dogs-go-to-heaven.html

TGIF Edward!

My Other Story: Lambda Pi Alpha

When I was in junior high school, I was part of a group of girls who were inseparable, doing just about everything together. One of us suggested that we were just like a college sorority, so we decided to create our very own sorority. We called ourselves Lambda Pi Alpha. We weren’t allowed to tell anyone what that stood for, but I believe the statute of limitations will allow me to break that rule, so I’ll disclose that it was “Loyal Pals Always.” We had regular meetings at each others’ homes, where refreshments were served and we’d sit around and talk. The few who knew anything about sex or reproduction would share their limited knowledge with the rest of us, as we’d utter phrases such as “Eeww, gross” or “Uh-uh – that can’t be right.” Once in a while someone would say “Well, I’m looking forward to it,” but for the most part our reactions were negative. Other than sharing information and misinformation, talking about boys, gossiping, giggling, and eating, we really didn’t accomplish much. We did talk occasionally about doing something philanthropic but I can’t remember that we ever did.

Lois McKinney
March 30, 2015

My Story: My Email Correspondent

Her name was Lois, the same as mine, and, when we were teenagers, she was one of my best friends. So when my husband and I attended a class reunion in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, we got together with Lois and Jim, her husband. Jim was in the class ahead of us, and I had known of him but he hadn’t known me. Every time my husband and I attended a reunion, we spent time with Lois and Jim, and we exchanged Christmas cards every year. After Lois died a number of years ago, the Christmas card exchange continued. Then, almost two years after my husband’s passing, Jim wrote a note on his Christmas card and included his email address. This was how our email relationship began.

I realized at the outset that I was in for a treat, knowing that Jim had been a newspaper writer and still occasionally wrote columns for the local newspaper, and he certainly doesn’t disappoint. His messages are full of reminiscent stories about our younger days, philosophical musings, testimonials of his faith, anecdotes and opinions. Each time I see his email address in my inbox, I get a twinge of excitement, wondering what he’ll regale me with next. I love reading his communications; likewise, he seems to enjoy what I write and doesn’t hesitate to tell me so.

A childhood friend invited me to visit her in West Virginia this past September and October, promising to drive to our hometown of Johnstown, where we could meet with Jim and another friend. The four of us met for lunch, and it was so nice having a face-to-face conversation with Jim after almost a year of email communications. When Jim and I found ourselves alone for a few minutes, he leaned in and gave me a kiss which, I must admit, was welcomed. In the first email I sent to Jim after my return home, I told him that I planned to write about my trip East for my writers’ group and said, “I have a dilemma: do I or do I not mention the kiss?” He was very forthcoming in his answer, so I don’t think he’ll mind if I quote him verbatim:

Dear soft-lips: You have to mention the kiss. It undoubtedly had to have been the shortest kiss in your illustrious kissing background with those with more than a passing interest in your life. I would like a second chance. I know I can do better. I truly was taken aback with the tenderness of that brief spontaneous exchange. Actually, on my part the “move” was not that unplanned. I had been thinking of such an exchange and pondered briefly discussing the possibility with you via email. I decided “no”– — better to let nature run its course.

Right after receiving this email, I took a 2 1/2–week trip. When I returned home, I found myself very busy and didn’t get around to emailing Jim until almost two months after I received his last email. I apologized profusely, assuring him that I thought of him often; nevertheless, I received no response. Then, conformity be damned, even though it was his turn to email me, I sent Jim an email on Christmas day. Still not having heard from him, I sent another email on January 14th. Okay, Jim, I get it – I made you wait almost two months for an email, but come on, I sent you three emails. Doesn’t that count for something?

My Email Correspondent 2

I decided to Google Jim to find out if he’d written any columns recently for the newspaper. There was nothing new written by Jim, but something written about him. According to his obituary, Jim “passed away peacefully the evening of January 6, 2016, as a consequence of heart failure,” after “being stricken” eight weeks prior. So he never received any of my last three emails, and he’ll never get that second chance to “do better.”

I always say: the internet gives us all sorts of information, some good and some bad. I’ll take the bad with the good, though, because without the internet I would not have formed a warm friendship with this very special man.

Lois McKinney
January 20, 2016

The night of my mother’s passing I spoke of all the relatives she’ll be seeing in heaven. She had been unable to speak for some time, but suddenly kept repeating I LOVE IT.

BTW my lonely brother in Seattle just lost his dog to cancer. Though he’s not particularly religious I went ahead telling him that you’ll meet again in heaven. Not sure if it helped, but the conversation helped me in confirming my belief in heaven…

Thanks for sharing your memories. Indeed, we are all graduating to a better life in greater numbers as we age. We can only hope that we see them again in heaven. God does put us in different situations — some of us born into rich families, some into poor, some into troubled families — but no matter where He places us, we still have to figure our way back to Him. Oh, the stories we will share one day in heaven.

I’m not surprised you had so many friends. Looking at the “trophies” you exhibited in your home I could tell you were a “wild one” 😉

You probably still are the life of the party. You and Hattie could have a fun day if you were released from the limitations of your physical bodies.

Of course I would love to read it. In fact, if you send it to me, I would love to put it in the comment box when I publish the article in Travelingboy so more people could enjoy it.

TGIF!

Lennon’s In My Life was inspired by his deceased, close friend, Stu Sutcliffe.