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When the time came to give
our last gift of ???love??? to sweet Josey Lane, the pain we
felt was excruciating.? We had been so privileged to share
our lives with such a beautiful, smart, and loving Miniature
Schnauzer.
? The sun hadn??™t yet crested
the horizon when we made that final drive to the
veterinarian.? As we drove, I told her over and over how
much she was loved.? Trying to soothe her, I used words that
I knew she understood.? I assured her several times that
Grandma B. (my mother), Dana (my niece), and Maggie (the dog
she grew up with) would soon greet her.? And, that they
would be her caretakers until we all gathered together again
one day.
In the wee morning hours,
Josey had been in such distress that my husband, Jerry,
actually called and awakened our exceptional veterinarian.?
Dr. Conway scrambled out of bed and rushed to meet us.? The
clinic parking lot was vacant and eerie without the usual
assortment of cars.? Numb with sadness, I stepped out of the
car, and directly at my feet were three burnished copper
pennies!? I grabbed them up in an instant and clutched them
tightly.? I knew they were messages from Grandma B., Dana,
and Maggie proclaiming they were waiting for Josey.? I
dropped them into my pocket, aware they were also meant to
give me strength in the final moments with Josey.
Immediately upon bringing
Josey??™s ashes home, I gently placed the three coins in her
urn.? I??™m positive they were pennies from the angels that
now care for her, the same angels who helped me endure that
final goodbye.? I also know that one of those angels was a
lovely Black and Silver Schnauzer named Maggie.?
Since that sorrowful
morning, I seem to be caught in a continual cascade of
pennies.? Strangely, they aren??™t usually in the typical
locations that coins are found, such as parking lots.? One
morning a coin lay at the foot of my chair on
the covered patio!? With coffee in hand, I had gone outside
to enjoy a beautiful sunny morning.? The moment I sat down I
spied the penny sparkling in sunlight, and a coin had
not been there the evening before.
Another unusual ???penny
event??? occurred on a car trip several months after losing
Josey.? Shiloh, then our only Schnauzer, needed a potty
stop.? I mentioned to my husband that we had never stopped
here before, but that the grass was very nice.? He indicated
we had pulled off there once with Josey and Maggie.?
There was a waist-high cement wall that I drug my hand
along, as I walked with Shiloh on leash.? I felt something,
lifted my hand, and voila ??“ two shiny pennies!? Yes, Josey
and Maggie had meandered there, and I believe they were
setting the record straight.? Gotcha Mom, Dad is right!
I??™ve usually been in deep
thought about Josey when another coin appears, and it has
become a beautiful feeling.? I know that she is always
watching over me, just as I am so often thinking of her, and
each and every penny is saved and placed with her ashes.? No
doubt, on some occasions, Josey and Maggie conspire together
in surprising Mom with another penny.? After
all, Maggie had placed one at my feet the morning I said
goodbye to Josey.? Now that the two are reunited; I picture
them romping in clover and chasing copper-colored
butterflies at Rainbow Bridge, as they playfully plot their
next ???coin drop.???
?©2005
Kathleene S. Baker
Lnstrlady@aol.com
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do not forward without leaving Copyright information
attached.? Featured on Petwarmers by title:? Pennies
From Heaven
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