Dear Church family and our Many Friends,
Beloved office staff beagle Murphy died this afternoon at home after a brief but devastating illness. For the last 11 years Murphy has spent nearly every work day and every Sunday morning traipsing between meetings, sleeping under conference tables and consoling the hurts of those who came for pastoral visits to his office couch.
Two weeks ago we noticed that he wasn’t feeling as well as usual. Tests ultimately confirmed lymphosarcoma, which led this weekend to liver, kidney, gall bladder and pancreatic failure. He was able to come to church one last time on Sunday on my first day back, and he was so glad to get to say hello to all to his Union Church family. He truly did love to come to work! Sadly, things progressed rapidly after that and today we made the difficult decision to end his suffering. He was able to be home, and even enjoy a little sun on the fields he roamed so often. He and I said goodbye on the same couch where we first met all those years ago.
There are so many of you to thank for your loving thoughts and prayers. I know he felt them and Diana and I have, too. I also appreciate your care of him over the many years of his life with special thanks to his two favorite aunts: Megan Purcell, who first found and brought him to us, and Barb Smith, whom he loved as his favorite dog-sitter and confidant until his very last days.
Scripture is silent on the issue of dogs and other pets, and the love they bring us. But surely it is often our animals who teach us most about constant love, forgiveness, and unfailing mercy. We might indeed learn from them how to be better humans to each other in these core Gospel hopes. So with deep gratitude for all the furry apostles, I give thanks to God for Murphy and all he brought to me. He will be as missed as he was loved. And that was a very great deal, indeed.
In sorrow and gratitude,
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