Walking Austin to the Rainbow Bridge

We have another hole in our family again today.  Just two months after saying goodbye to Sadie we had to say goodbye to Austin.  He woke us early this morning and cried out.  We got him up in bed, but he was very lethargic. We kept him up there for an hour, giving him lots of love. When Gloria put him down he didn't seem to be able to use his back legs.  He woke us again a couple hours later and we put him up in bed with us again.  We knew that is was time to let him go.  Once the vet was open we called and they said we could bring him in immediately.  One of the doctors delayed her surgery schedule to help us let him go.

Yesterday he was walking around, eating, just being our lovable cuddle-bug. Last night I was sitting on the couch rubbing Gloria's feet and he came around the side of my chair and just put his chin up on the seat. He was looking for Daddy to get some attention.

He has left a hole in our lives, a whole that will not quickly heal.  We miss you Austin.

Austin came to us as a stray who had been micro-chipped, but the previous owner did not want him back when contacted. He had one eye damaged from trauma, but the other one was fine.  We took him in as a foster at first, but he quickly found a spot in our laps and in our lives. Since adopting him he has lost a battle with glaucoma and gone blind in the other eye and had to have it removed after it became infected while battling the glaucoma. But he adapted quickly and we learned that his hearing was not totally gone like we had thought.  And we had plenty of evidence that his nose still worked.  And there were still times he would beat me down the hall to the bedroom at night - he knew the routine, the kids get treats before we go to bed.  He'd be down the hall and on my side of the bed when I walked into the bedroom.

I was at a funeral yesterday and the preached said something I've never considered before.  He started with the bible verse "Joy comes with the morning;" and continued with "but the morning starts in darkness."  "The morning starts with darkness" - a comforting and profound and simple statement.  We are in darkness in our sorrow over losing Austin. But in this darkness is the promise of morning and joy.  We will hold on to each other in the darkness and wait for the promise of light.

Gloria and I thank everyone for their kind thoughts, prayers, and condolences.