Nash's Update

Hi, this is Nash, stepping in to give you an update on what is going on at our house, since my mom is busy all the time.

Things changed a lot starting a few months ago. We got a new pack member. He's a little person. We call him Cooper. As an older pack member, it is my responsibility to help take care of him. So I do what dogs are supposed to do: I lick his hands and face when he is crying, and I bark loudly to scare the birds and squirrels away that are in our yard, as well as people or dogs walking down the street. I get in trouble for both of these things. My mom and dad don't seem to understand that these things are my job, so I have to do them quickly, when they're not looking. It's worth the risk of getting in trouble to do what any good dog would do.

Then the people all went away for a long time. My dad came home at night, and my mom stopped in from time to time, and sometimes other people came over to let us out, but Dasha and I got really lonely. We didn't understand what was going on. People kept saying Cooper was sick, but I thought if he was, he needed to be here so I could take care of him. Finally, they all came home again and we were all happy, until a few weeks later. . .

Then my dog sister Dasha went away. I don't understand where she went, but I know my mommy was very sad. And I was sad too. I still am. I miss her. I've never been the only dog member of the pack before, but Mom and Dad say we can't get another dog right now. They're too busy.

So, I'm learning to accept this new way of life. Little Cooper is getting big and starting to do things like pull my hair (my mommy understands this problem because he does it to her too). The other day he rolled over. (I don't know why they think that's such a big deal; I do it all the time, and they don't cheer for me!) Dad says soon he will be big enough to play with me. They also say he will be throwing lots of food on the floor. I'm looking forward to that! And really, things aren't quite as crazy as they were when he first joined our pack, so I get a little more attention now. Sometimes we even go for walks, just mom and me, while Daddy stays home with Cooper, or sometimes the whole family goes together. I love walks!

So I'm adjusting. Things aren't like they used to be, but they are still good, just in different ways. We dogs are pretty resilient.

So that's what's going on. I'll try to stop in from time to time to keep you posted about any new developments.

Your friend,

Nash

Heaven is for Real

I just finished reading this book about a young boy who apparently took a quick trip to heaven while battling a serious illness. He came back and began to tell his parents some pretty amazing things. His descriptions were Scripturally accurate (far beyond the knowledge a child his age would have had), and he told of family members he met who had died before he was born that he had never even known about.

One funny part was when his dad has trouble keeping him from darting out into parking lots. Dad points to a dead animal and reminds him that he could be run over like the animal was. The little boy says that would be okay -- then he would get to go back to heaven. The dad laments: what do you do with a child who has no fear of death?

I have always been a bit skeptical about books like this, but this one is pretty convincing. For Christians, it is comforting to remind us that not only will we go to heaven ourselves, but we will also see our loved ones again (and yes, even our dogs, he says). He stresses that people HAVE to "have Jesus in their heart" to go there. This could potentially be a great evangelism tool for non-Christians.

The book is easy and quick to read and I think it would be enjoyable for almost anyone.