Our Dog Crossed the Rainbow Bridge Last Monday - So Sad!

Dear Abby Dabs,

We are so sorry you dislocated your shoulder January of 2017 and that you were in pain for a couple years. You were so tough and stubborn and we just wanted to have as much time with you as possible. It was so hard to watch you not be able to enjoy so many of the things you used to be able to do. Yet, you were a trooper and still wanted to please us! When you finally reached the place where you could not longer get up or walk through the house even, we knew it was time to say goodbye. Tell Mr. Moe and Manny Boy we miss them too and say "hello" to them for us. We know they would be ready to greet you as you cross the Rainbow Bridge.

I came home from work early Monday and we spent the day remembering all the joy you brought us during the ten years we had you.  You were the best dog we could have ever had and are so grateful to God for bringing you into our lives.  We rode through State Rd. park on the way home from saying goodbye to you, then did the Snow Rd. walk even playing the crossing game in your honor and then we went to Fernhill park strolling down memory lane with happy thoughts of you.   We looked at all the pictures of you we had on the computer and our videos as well.  It was fun looking back over you life with us.


Dear Mom and Dad,

I love you both very much.  Dad, I love you most because of all the time you spent with me and always encouraging me to walk with you and giving me lots of treats--even when mom thought it was too much.  I especially loved our walk to Bartells every day for lots of years where I got treats from Beth and Linelle.  It was really fun doing double high five with Beth and then going on through the park and around Parma High School on the way home.  Thanks for all the porch time with you, too.  I especially liked seeing all my loose fur flying away when you brushed me out there!

When I was hurt, you always carried me around whenever necessary without one complaint.  You both gave me a happy life and a wonderful home!  I even liked Spunky Doodle and Manny Boy even though they were cats.   You even laid with me on the floor when I could not longer get up on the couch or my chair even when it was so uncomfortable for you.  You are a great dad--best I could ever have hoped for!

Mom, thank you for your great belly rubs and hip massages and for giving me the Metacam with breakfast every morning to help me cope with my arthritis.  Also, thanks for the radiation treatments you took me to for a while there when I was still going for walks.  It did help a lot.  I loved all the time you took with me teaching me those neat tricks too.  It was fun!   I know it was your idea to let me visit the nursing homes and I really liked that!  It was fun making friends with the residents and brightening their day.  I especially remember Marlene, Ginney, Apple and Olga because they always had treats for me!

Sorry I barked during the night in my last days, waking you up.  Thank you for bringing the water to me so I did not have to get up and walk over to the bowl.  I am so grateful you rescued me and I was able to live with you for so many years!  I will remember you always and watch over you.  I thought I was a goner when I was attacked by two dogs on our evening walk in Jan. of 2012, but your prayers and faith pulled me through.  I knew I just couldn't give up because there were more good times to have.  After all, I made a full recovery and count the 7 years I lived after that as bonus!  I lived to be 105 in dog years, not too bad!  Don't be heartbroken for too long--enjoy life as long as you can and make the most of every day!  Arf!  Arf!

Thanks to all our friends who sent us condolences and sympathy.  It is comforting and appreciated!

Check out Abby's videos on YouTube at:  Abby's Video Playlist

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Missing Manny Boy - He Was a Wonderful Cat!

Mother's Day was sad for us this year because we made the difficult decision to let our very affectionate cat, Manny, cross the Rainbow Bridge.  He had several health issues develop in the last year or so and things just kept getting worse.  I could see him losing weight before my eyes!  His eating was up and down but the last couple days he couldn't keep anything down and quit trying even on Sunday.  It was very sad, but I know in my heart it was the right thing to do.  I did not want him to die alone or get so bad that he couldn't even stand anymore so I had a lot of quality time with him laying on me on the couch before church, while I watched a movie and the Indians game.  We said our farewells at home and then we took him around 4:00 p.m. to the vet to be put out of his misery.

I knew I'd miss him a lot, but boy, this morning was even worse than I expected because morning was our special time together.  He followed me everywhere!  It felt strange not getting food for him this morning and not petting him while he rolled around the bathroom floor waiting for me.  I missed him while had my devotions and exercised up in the den.  He would always be near by and I'd pet him while I exercised, but not this morning.  Then he used to climb on my lap while I ate my breakfast, letting me pet him some more but not this morning.  If I'd go on the computer, he would either climb up and share the chair with me or lay on my lap.  If I'd lay on the couch, up he'd come or if I sat in a chair reading a book, he would lay on my lap.

I told Spunky Doodle she's going to have to step up now and let me pet her more now that Manny is gone.  She is doing a good job so far and is at the floor next to me.  I'm sure she misses him too!

Manny brought us much joy during the nine years we had him and he will always have a special place in our hearts(we got him when he was 3 from a friend who was unable to keep him). He really did become "Mr. Nice Nice" as I predicted he would even though we got off to a rocky start: See "Bringing in a New Cat."

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Just Sayin' - I Think We Should Be Humane to Humans Too!

I just finished reading Inside the O'Briens this week and although I generally did not enjoy this book, I did learn a lot about Huntington's Disease and how families are affected by it.  It was thought provoking which inspired me to write this post.

When Joe, a Boston cop with a loving wife and four grown children, (some of whom still live at home), suffers from lack of balance, slurred speech, angry outbursts, random jumping and fidgeting and not even being aware he is doing it, he tries his best to keep his job and get a decent pension to provide for his wife after he is gone.  Unfortunately, he has to quit early and will only get about 1/3 of his pension.  He finds out from a lawyer that unless he divorces Rosie, she won't get anything because it will all go to pay for the assisted living place he most likely will end up in like his mother did.

I must say, I agree with Joe's thinking when he considered killing himself.  Here is an excerpt from page 268 that really rings true to me (Yaz was Joe's little dog that died recently):

Joe thinks of Yaz.  He lived a good, full life.  And then, when his quality of life drained away, they didn't make him suffer.  Yaz's end was peaceful and dignified, fast and painless.  Five seconds after the vet's injection, he was gone.

It was the humane thing to do.  Joe takes note of the word human in humane, and yet that kind of "human" compassion is reserved only for animals, not for people.  There is no five-second injection option for Joe.  Doctors aren't allowed to be humane with humans.  Joe and everyone like him will be expected to suffer and suck it up, to endure zero quality of life while being a burden to everyone held dear until the bitter, gruesome end. 

We all hope we never get to the place where we can't take care of ourselves, but many do.  I just think it would be nice to have the option of a lethal injection to speed up the inevitable and spare all the pain and suffering.

In the book, Joe did not commit suicide.  His daughter, Katie, changed his mind with the following words from page 273:

We don't know anyone else with HD.  You're the only example we have.  We're going to learn how to live and die with HD from you, Dad. . . . .  We don't know what's right and wrong when it comes to HD.  But whatever you do, that's the advice you're giving us.

What do you think about this?

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In Memory of Mr. Moe

Our Mr. Moe died on New Year's Eve, Dec. 31, 2007.  We made our donation to the Parma Animal Shelter in his memory a couple days ago and my husband wore the tie with his picture on it that I made for him..  Moe was our first cat and very special to us both.  We adopted him when he was 8 years old.  He survived Fatty Liver Disease and lived with us for seven years.  Spunky Doodle worked very hard to win him over when she moved in with us, but eventually did.  I remember staying up with Moe that last night of his life, finally going to bed at midnight.  He was still breathing when I left him lying on the couch, but he died before dawn.  We got Manny Boy five months after Moe died.   

How do you honor your pets who have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge?

On another note, I am ending this year with a heavy heart because the husband of a long-time friend of mine went home to be with the Lord last week.  I can only imagine the grief she must be dealing with and I feel bad that I didn't make it to the funeral home yesterday to see her.  I know of two other ladies at our church who have fathers struggling in the hospital at this time.   

Related posts to Moe:
 Our Precious Miracle Cat
 Sweet Dreams
 Our Happy Reunion
We Still Miss You, Moe

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7 Friday Fragments (blogging, life, death, sports)

Friday Fragments is hosted by Half Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post to give Mrs. 4444 a break for the summer. Here we go:

Broken Cell Phone

Hubby's cell phone broke, but had replacement coverage on it which we paid $4.00 a month for. It still cost us $25 to replace it (just a basic phone--no texting, no pictures, no internet access). I asked how much an upgrade would be and the service rep at Great Call said $75. So, I'm thinking we should have just not did the replacement coverage and put that money towards an upgrade instead. The next day I canceled the monthly "replacement coverage." They said without that it would have cost $50 to replace it. At least they are waiving the shipping and handling fee. In the meantime, hubby is borrowing my phone--I miss it.

Travis Benjamin

This Browns wide receiver/punt returner is very fast! He had 179 yards on punt returns in Last week's game which broke the Browns record formerly held by Metcalf. Said he learned to run fast by chasing rabbits in Florida and now that he shared his rabbit story, his teammates nicknamed him "the Rabbit"! Read more about it: Benjamin Built Speed by Chasing Rabbits.

Funeral

Glad I happened to look at Facebook yesterday morning because my cousin posted that my Aunt Jolene died with a link to her obituary. The funeral is tomorrow so I am planning on going. Funerals are like family reunions for my family--it's the only time we get together. She was 78 and died of Lymphoma.

Blogger Trouble

Don't know what's up with Blogger, but I tried changing my weekly quote on my blog but it wouldn't save it. Finally, I just deleted it and tried adding it from scratch instead of editing it, but that didn't save either. The verse I was going to change it to is "Our God is in heaven. He does what he wants."--Psalm 115:3 (ICB)

Skunk

On my way to work, walking to the bus stop, I saw a skunk! It was little but I didn't stop to take its picture. I warned a dog walker not to go that way because a skunk was in one of the front yards so she thanked me and kept going straight.

Quiet Time

I am enjoying Beth Moore's "David--Seeking a Heart Like His" so much! I am learning a lot and every day finding new verses to mark in my Bible that pop out at me. Starting off my day with an hour with my Lord which seems like 15 minutes is so precious and wonderful. I highly recommend this Bible study and encourage you to check out my Sunday Sharing posts from this starting in September. (Just use the search box or the archive list at the left of my blog to find them.)

New Place

Gerard gets to see his new work place today which I seem more excited about than him. He's a bit nervous about going a different route than usual--he is a creature of habit but I know he'll be fine! It's actually much easier to get to than where he works now!

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9 Friday Fragments from a Wife and Husband

Friday Fragments is hosted my Half-Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. Here we go:

My Leg Pain Update

My pain is almost gone, whew! I find if I don't sit too long it's better. Some days I didn't even have any! I am happy to report I can now put my socks on standing up again, do my morning exercises pain free and was even able to run for the bus coming home from work Wednesday with no pain! Yay! Praise the Lord. Sometimes I do still need an Advil to sleep good at night. It seems I feel it most when I'm in bed now.

Funniest Post of the Week

I love to laugh and I thought Mama Sick's post, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, is hilarious. I laughed so hard that my hubby came to see what was so funny. It's a conversation with her 6-yr-old son about drawing her portrait.

Birthday Surprise

Monday my wonderful husband turns 60 and boy is he going to be surprised! I can hardly wait.


Here's Things Gerard Learned This Week:

Restaurants

It pays to apply to restaurant web sites--I got four free offers from Denny's, Perkins, Arby's and Eat and Park--Yum! Yum!

Larry Hangman

Larry Hangman passed away (Karen didn't even know who he was, do you?) I loved watching him as J.R. on "Dallas." He was a great actor!

Black Friday Shopping

I still love to shop on Black Friday early in the morning even if my shopping bag did bust open! Bath and Body Works was the most crowded store in the mall!

Happy Sunday

I like being a greeter at our church; didn't think I would like it as much as I do. I enjoy greeting people as the come and wishing them a Happy Sunday (I'm still waiting for my official greeter name tag.

Awesome Saturdays

Both Ohio State and Notre Dame went 12-0 which made me very happy--my Saturdays were awesome! Sad to see the season end.

Audio Book of the Week

Cold Ice by Tess Gerritsen was the audio book I looked forward to listening to all week. It's a thriller that I highly recommend. Click the link to see my review and find out more about it.

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Saying Good-Bye To Our Friend, Sadie

Sadie on One of Her Strolls

We will all miss Sadie very much because we enjoyed joining her on her Sadie Day strolls.  Just look at the big smile!  Sadie was always a very happy dog but recently was diagnosed with Cancer and lost her appetite and became lethargic.  She let her humans know it was time for her to go to the rainbow bridge and they are very sad, but know that it was the right time to let her go.

In honor of my doggie friend, I had a great time at the park today and made lots of people smile along the way.  Right before we left, I was surrounded with lots of little kids who were getting ready to play soccer but took time to pet me all up.   I wish I could share pictures with you, but my mom did not bring the camera along today.  She is not as good about sharing my walks as Sharla was about taking pictures of Sadie's strolls.  I will really miss Sadie's funny jokes too and her lovely Ha-roo-roo laugh!   Although I am not as big as Sadie, I think I look very much like her and will try to follow in her footsteps of being a great wolfie to my cat sisfurs and also enjoying every day with a big smile.

Our sincere condolences go out to Sadie's parents and grandparents as well as to Angel and Isabella who all will miss Sadie very, very much.  Have a great romp on the other side of the the Rainbow Bridge, Sadie.  Woof!  Woof! 

Here's the link to Sadie's Saying Goodbye post if you haven't seen it yet. Sadie had many friends in the Blogosphere and will be greatly missed.  We all feel like we know her!

(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)

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6 Things We Learned This 7th Week of 2012 (scrub, technology, marriage, death)

Friday Fragments is hosted my Half-Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. We like to share what we've learned each week.

1. Cereal

   
   Gerard's new favorite cereal is KRAVE. He found a coupon for it so decided to give it a try because it sounded good. It's little squares of crisp multi-grain outside with real chocolate inside. He loves it and eats it for supper and also snacks on it dry right out of the box.  There's a double chocolate kind too.

2. Scrub

   We just buy hand lotion, but at my Women of Wonder (W.O.W.) meeting I learned that some people actually make what is called a "scrub" to put on rough skin to soften it. At the meeting, we mixed some brown sugar and oil and some chocolate together to make a concoction for a scrub. This was foreign to me, but I wasn't the only one. Do you make scrubs?

3. QR Codes

   I never heard of a QR code until I read Cracking The Code over at Half-Past Kissin' Time last Saturday. There is a site where you can make one. Apparently it's some kind of app for the smartphone which takes you to a website. Go read the post to learn more about it.

4. Bedroom Closet

   My husband told me he'd like the bedroom closet for his stuff. I thought that was a reasonable request because at the time I had my wardrobe and shared the closet too. I moved my coats and jackets that I had in the computer room closet to the front entry way closet and then the dresses, blazers and sweaters I had in my bedroom closet to the computer room closet. No problem.

5. Two Deaths

   It's always sad to learn of famous people dying that we like and feel as though we know. This past week Whitney Houston died and it was all over the news and Twitter and blogs, but I saw this video posted by one of my friends on Facebook and want to share it because it expresses my feelings to a degree about how we show partiality to the famous. All life is valuable. My first thought after "How sad" when someone dies is "I wonder if they knew Jesus." 



6. Energy Saver

   I learned that DirectTV now has an energy saver setting for the cable box that after four hours of inactivity, the cable box shuts off. To turn it back on, all I need to do is press that "info" button and the show comes right on. Someone needs to tell the customer service reps and the technicians there about this. When I called they acted like something was wrong with my box and told me to run a system test. Duh!

 (50 cents per legitimate comment goes to Caroline's Kids Pet Rescue for February in honor of cat appreciation month!)

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What Should Be On Your Bucket List?

A person never knows how much time they have here on this Earth. People can be fine one day and boom! Gone! I am attending a funeral for a young mother (33) who had a seizure, went into a come for a little over a week and went to be with the Lord leaving behind her grieving husband and two little children. Over at the Duck & Wheel With String, I read of another couple this week to got run over and killed while going for a walk like they always did.

The number one thing is to consider where you would spend eternity if you died and receive God's Son, Jesus, as your personal Savior. This is definitely not something to put off. If you don't believe the Bible to be the word of God, just pray that God would show you and give you the faith to believe. After that, I'd say start tackling that "Bucket List" of yours and don't wait. You never know if you'll even have a tomorrow so make the most of each day God gives you!

I took this little fun quiz to see what I should do before I die and here is my result:

You Should Write a Book

You may not feel like you could write a book, but you actually have a lot to say. Just let it flow! You already live in your own little world. You may as well introduce everyone else to it. It's likely that you feel like you have a lot of baggage you'd like to unload, and writing can be cathartic. By writing a book, you would feel a huge sense of accomplishment. And you'd have a legacy to leave behind. I did it! It was cathartic and I did get a great sense of accomplishment from it.

Take the quiz:What Should Be On Your Bucket List?

If you take the quiz, share your result in the comments. What is it you need to do before you die?

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6 Ways To Cope With Death Of A Pet

Any pet owner knows that one of the saddest things in life is the loss of a pet. I've been through this experience with birds, dogs and cats. We get attached to our pets and love them so much that they do become a very real member of our family. Even though they are not human, they do have personality and routines that we become accustomed to and miss when they are gone. Here are some things that I thought I'd share that have helped me when I faced this situation and maybe it will help someone else too. I certainly hope so.

1) Take pictures of them while they are alive. I enjoy seeing pictures of my pets. It stirs up happy memories for me and I like remembering them. It's important to put these pictures where you will see them. In fact, I chose a couple of the better pictures and had them blown up to poster size, framed them and hung them in my home. I did this while my pets were still alive (to show them how much I love them).

2) Take some video of them in action. Video is especially nice because it includes sound as well and when I watch a video of the first day we brought my first cat, Moe, home it's like reliving that fun day all over again.

3) Write about them. For me, the first thing I did after my cat died was to write a blog post about him. It helped me memorialize him and it was helpful to share my pain with others. There are actually websites dedicated to pet memorials. One I used that is free is: Memories of Our Pets. Here's a post I wrote about Moe: We Still Miss You Moe.

4) Get Another Pet. Give yourself a little time, but then get another pet. It won't be exactly the same as the one you lost, but there are many homeless animals in shelters waiting for a good home and now you have the opportunity to help another one. We waited 4 1/2 months before getting Manny after Moe died and I'm so happy we did. Manny is a great cat too and although we had a rough start, he is affectionate and has a great time playing with our other cat, Spunky Doodle. Spunky came in as a kitten and Moe was very angry about that at first, but they became friends after some time and Spunky missed him when he died. Spunky was happy when we brought in Manny and they quickly bonded.

5) Bury the pet close by. When our Dickie Bird and Moe died, we buried them in our backyard and every spring we plant flowers where we buried them, referring to the spots as Dickie Bird's garden" and "Moe's garden.." We also bought a grave marker for Moe from PetSmart for his garden. Sometimes this is not possible, but if it is, I suggest you do it.

6) Maybe you couldn't save your pet, but you can make donations to shelters or sanctuaries that will save others. I was devastated when three of my dad's cats, Sweet Thing, Sylvester and Softie, outlived my dad and I couldn't take them in for various reasons and had to have them euthanized. They were so important to him and I knew this was a huge concern for him that his cats would be taken care of if he died before they did. I felt like I let him down but two had feline aids so couldn't be with other cats and the other all black one was sickly and had claws so I couldn't bring it into my home with my declawed cats. I couldn't save these cats but by making a monthly donation to Caroline's Kids Pet Rescue, I am able to help save others. This is a cat sanctuary that takes in all types of cats including feral, those with feline aids, and elderly cats, in a home without confining them to cages. It's too bad I didn't know about this place before putting down my cats because they would have taken them.

What things have helped you cope with the loss of a pet?

Inspiration for this post came from reading the post about Mufasa at Cat Tales.

Don't Tell Me God Doesn't Exist--He's My Joy and Strength!!

God is so good! The morning I discovered my dad was dead on my way to work two years ago today, I had a very special devotional time that morning. Both my cats joined me which was very unusual. Usually, it would just be Spunky Doodle up on the table while I would read my Bible but that day, Gerard brought Moe up too and Moe stayed on my lap and let me pet him as well which NEVER happened before! At that point, I was expecting a nice happy Friday donut at work but then just an hour later, my world crashed.

I used to always stop by my dad's on the way to work, to visit a little bit with him and his cats. He'd be up and have the door unlocked for me. When it got there, the door was locked which triggered a bad feeling. I used my key and went in and all the lights were out. I looked for dad. I found him on the bathroom floor in front of the toilet with his head on the tub, dead. It was awful. It was the day I knew would come some time, not then! Not this soon! He was 89 and had lived a very good life, and died on his terms--at home, on his own. That's the way he wanted it.

When I went upstairs to feed and take care of his cats for him that day, they too acted strangely, as though they knew something was wrong. Normally, they came running to the kitchen and couldn't get the Whiskas fast enough. That morning, they just laid in their beds under the table. I cried with his cats. We shared our sorrow. Then everything got really crazy. It's a morning I'll probably never forget--the worst day of my life!

I wrote a little more about the other things that happened that day on my other blog, "My Funny Dad, Harry" which I won't repeat here. If you'd like to hear more, check out . Just a week later, during my quiet time, I decided to write a book about him in his memory. This is a excerpt from my journal just a week later:

I know this is all coming from the Lord, because I never planned on doing anything like this, but boy, I know I can do it. First thing I did was look up the reference of that verse in Micah that I want to include in my book. It is Micah 6:8, but as I was trying to find Micah, a verse in Nahum just “popped” out at me. Nahum 1:7: The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in Him.

Through the next few months, God was strengthening me and helping me through the difficult tasks that had to be done. I saw first hand how good God is. I took off that whole week from work and after that, only went in two days a week for about six weeks so I could focus on getting the house cleaned out and began my book right away. How God helped me through this time is included in my book as well.

I wanted to write it while everything was fresh so the emotions would come through and I believe they did. I wrote from my heart and was determined to get it published before the end of the year, which I did. I don't generally promote my book on this blog, but today is the second anniversary of my dad's death so this is naturally on my mind. He was a wonderful father and husband, a truly amazing man who I want the world to know. Here is the link if you'd like to order it: www.outskirtspress.com/myfunnydadharry. By the way, if you are a blogger and read my book, please let me know and I'll add your blog link to my list of readers.

We Still Miss You, Moe!

We got Moe from the Parma Animal Shelter June of 2000 at approximately 8 years old. He was a great cat as you can see from these pictures.

Moe and Gerard liked reading together!

Ain't I cute?

A rare occasion, Moe on Karen's lap.

Moe playing with the feather on the string in his younger days.

Moe was a nice, soft pillow. He didn't usually mind me resting my head on him.

I never saw another cat with exactly his markings. Some were close,

but none had the black on the nose like Moe did.

Moe liked to lay on the newspaper right under Gerard's nose!

Here's a good shot of Moe, he was such a nice cat!

Here's Moe lying under our bedroom dresser.

Here's Moe being a bit playful, hiding under Buddy Bear.

Moe lived to be 15 1/2. He survived fatty liver disease which he had when we first got him and later developed a thyroid problem. I had methomizole (I called it ear goop) that I had to put on his ears alternately every night. We both still miss Moe. He died during the night of New Year's Eve 2008 and is buried in our back yard. We use his picture as our screen saver on our computer from time to time.

Moe was a very good cat. He never got into any mischief at all but didn't much like to be held and was not a lap cat. We missed him and Spunky seemed to be a bit lonely without him so in May, when a friend of mine had to get rid of her cat, we decided to take it. That was Manny who is a great mancat and although the beginning was rough, he is now our "Mr. Nice Nice."

Loss of A Son--Very Sad

We had a very sad thing happen. The parents of one of the boys in my Sunday School lost their second oldest son in a truck-bicycle accident Friday night. We went to the viewing last night. The hours were from 3-8 p.m. and we got there at 6 p.m. right after I got home from work. The line was out the door and the half the length of the parking lot which resulted in almost a two hour wait. What a long day that must have been for this nice family!

Their son just graduated from high school two years ago and was riding his bike to work when he got hit by a truck. He was taken to the emergency room at the hospital but died later that evening although many people were praying for him. The good thing was that the family was there with him and they are comforted to know they'll see him again in heaven. Still, it's a very hard thing to cope with. Everyone feels so bad for them. Fortunately, this entire family are born-again Christians and have a lot of support from friends from their church. The funeral was held at Parma Heights Baptist Church today, but I didn't take off work to go because I'm taking off four days next week.

When I heard about this, it immediately reminded me of the book my husband and I just finished reading. It was titled "Mistaken Identity" about a family losing their college age daughter in an auto accident, but then not even knowing it until five months later because she was mistakenly identified as someone else and the girl who was in the hospital that they thought was their daughter, really wasn't! They were both Christian families involved in that incident too, and it showed how their faith helped them through it and how many people showed them kindness during that difficult time. It was nonfiction written by both families involved in the mixup.

Death of loved ones is very sad anytime, but I think even more so when it happens so unexpectedly. We need to look at each day we have as a gift from God and really make the most of it by living for Him. No matter if we live to 90 or 7, life is short compared to all eternity and what we do with Jesus now determines how we will spend eternity. Romans 10:13 says, For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.