The Final Journey

Years ago, I wrote my first book about my difficult but beloved Carolina Dog, Honeybun. The book was astonishingly successful, the number 1 dog book on Amazon for months following release. It caught the attention of a Carolina Dog Group on Facebook, and they reached out to me. I became fast friends with a group of strangers, united by our love of this amazing breed of ancient dogs.

One of those friends, Carrie, had a particularly lovable Carolina Dog. Poppy was the delight of Carrie’s life and a constant source of despair. Poppy was forever digging out of her spacious backyard to go and explore the world around her. Carrie would build increasingly massive barricades hoping to outwit Poppy...always to fail. Poppy got out of EVERY barricade. Concrete, wire, trenches, pallets stacked 4 high against the fence, electric collar...you name it, Poppy escaped it. Her escapades were an endless source of laughter for me and I even wrote a children’s book about her.

Poppy had an indefatigable wanderlust. She could not be contained.

When Poppy met an untimely death, Carrie was bereft. For all her trouble, Poppy was loved beyond measure. I know the feeling. My Honeybun was the same way. In fact, that is true of most of those I love deeply. For all their trouble, they are MORE than worth it. I guess in fact, Jesus says the same about us. All we have to do is look at what He suffered on the cross to pay a penalty He didn’t owe for crimes He didn’t commit. We did. He suffered terribly for the troubles we caused...but obviously believed we were worth it.

Anyway, Carrie had Poppy cremated and grieved her absence terribly. Then she came up with a brilliant idea. She contacted friends all over the nation who knew Poppy and loved her. She would split the ashes among all these friends, and asked that we bring Poppy to a special place for her final journey. She would  finally be unrestricted. She would be free to roam far and wide.

I received my little packet of ashes a couple of days ago but it was too windy to scatter them where I knew Poppy would want to be released. Also, I had come down with a knock-me-out killer cold. I felt wretched. However, yesterday, the weather report was for low winds and a nice hot day with no storms in sight. I knew, sick or not, this was the day Poppy and I were going kayaking.

I went to my favorite launch site. I shared the entire adventure on Facebook Live with Poppy’s Final Journey group. We set off in my kayak for a beautiful island that I kayak by all the time. I knew that was where Poppy would love to run free. She enjoyed swimming and she loved people. People were just a short swim from the island, and critters galore populated the island. 

I circled the island till I found the perfect spot to release Poppy. She would have a great view of the open river, and even a large Great Blue Heron rookery just off the tip of her island. 

I had not really prepared a send-off speech, but spoke off the cuff since I knew Carrie would be watching. Surprising myself, I choked up at the end, and spent much of the rest of my kayaking trip wiping away tears.

Carrie calls it Poppy’s final journey...but I actually like to think of it more as the beginning of her greatest journey. I hate death, but that is because I can only see it from my earthly perspective. All I can grasp with my senses is LOSS. Unbearable LOSS.

But the Bible reminds us that Jesus died to set us free forever from the penalty of death, of separation from God. Death will usher believers instantly into the presence of our Creator. All eternity awaits us. Infinite love. Release from the burdens of our mortal, failing bodies. No more constraints of Time, or Space, or Sin. We will be finally free, released to be who we were always intended to be.

Now I understand some people may challenge me on the theology of dogs in heaven. Don’t bother writing comments on that. There is no doubt there are animals in heaven, and actually, I can support why I believe dogs will be in heaven as well. But this is not a point worth fighting over since it is not critical to our salvation. So just dwell on the deeper meaning of your relationship with your creator.

Later, as Carrie watched the video of Poppy’s ashes floating away, she said, “Thank you so much. My heart feels lighter. I shall forever call that "Poppy's island.”

And so shall I now. When I kayak by, I will think of Poppy and her exciting new world with no more fences. There will be no more yearning for what is outside her boundaries. Eternity with God will be her home...as it will be Carrie’s...and mine. I pray it will be yours as well.

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Isaiah 11:6-9 NIV

[6] The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. [7] The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. [8] The infant will play near the cobra's den, the young child will put its hand into the viper's nest. [9] They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.