God's Love Shows Through the Pain

I was asked to do something today that was not a fun or happy experience.  A family I am very close to asked me if I would take their dog, who was is bad shape, to the humane society to end his pain.  It was not a request I had to think twice about, but it was not an experience I wish to go through on a regular basis.
After it was all done I reflected a bit on the affect pets have on us.  Losing a beloved pet is like losing a family member in many ways, I will admit that.  Still, in many ways it is not.  I fear many people equate losing a pet to losing a human being, which is not something that is all together healthy.
Don't get me wrong, the love and devotion our pets show to us are great gifts from God.  If there is one thing I have been learning about God over the past few years it is that God's love is reflected on us in so many ways and we tend to forget how God really is a part of that sometimes.  The love of a pet is just a sliver, or even just a speck of the love God has for us, yet that simple sliver or speck means so much and can have such a profound affect on people.
So when this kind of loss comes, it's not a time to mourn as if a human were lost.  It's a time to thank God for the love that he showed us through the wonderful and unforgettable companionship of one of his own creations.
I know it does not exactly ease the pain of the loss at all, but keeping God as the focus of all things is always the best thing to do.

I'm gonna miss you Duke... you were a great dog.

Peace all

Thank You Everyone

Just wanted to drop a quick note of thanks to everyone for your prayers for my sister and our family.
My sister is doing better, after a few scary moments filled with prayers and tears on my part and the part of many others.  She is still in the ICU, and will be for a while I believe, but she is slowly improving everyday.  Her old self she will never be, but change is inevitable and with total trust in God, change is always good in some way.
Thank you all again.

Peace all