In late February, Mary and I said our goodbyes, finished packing up and headed to our new home in Virginia Beach. It’s been over 40 days since then, and we’ve mostly settled in, spent time getting to know our brothers and sisters in the church and started getting into new routines. We’re still excited about the new possibilities and more than ever see God’s hand in starting a new adventure for us.
We learned a lot during our move: the value of relationships, the benefits of purging old stuff to have a simpler life, and much more. However, I’d like to share about the biggest lesson I learned during our move: letting go and trusting God in everything.
It started with a time crunch: we found a house in Virginia Beach in September and closed on it in early November, but we were in no way ready to make the move and to put our house in Maryland up for sale. We were also facing the holidays and our son’s wedding (in January), then when we were gearing up to purge and pack, we both got the flu after Thanksgiving. We ended 2018 with very little packed and barely anything purged. I found myself having trouble sleeping at night and most days I had some anxiety about how we were going to get all of the things done that we needed to accomplish.
One of the major issues we faced was that for many reasons we would be unable to take our two dogs with us to the new house. The reality was that Mary has been allergic to them for a long time but endured the effects because they had become family in the 14 years since we brought them to our home.
I searched for a new home for them, first through friends, then by contacting every shelter I could find that would take older dogs. As the time neared for us to clean out the house, the options dwindled to a final one: I could take them to our county’s shelter of last resort, knowing that it’s not a “no-kill” shelter and that the dogs would be euthanized if not adopted, and adoption was very unlikely. I prayed, agonized and prayed some more before finally calling the shelter to make an appointment (required for dropping off the dogs).
The woman who answered told me that she knew this was difficult and didn’t want to make it worse, but the reality was that dogs who have had one owner and home for so long rarely do well at the shelter, would be unlikely to be adopted and after having a stressful month or so at the facility would face being euthanized. She recommended talking to my veterinarian and proactively euthanizing them. That way I would be able to know they passed peacefully and had good care and quality of life until the end.
I took the advice to heart. I had already made an appointment to get them any vaccinations and care needed in case we could find a shelter or new owner. At the appointment, I shared the news with the veterinarian, and he was clearly concerned and upset at the predicament. He started caring for my dogs about 13 years ago when he started at the practice, and these were some of the first animals under his care. We looked at some shelter websites, talked about options, and before the end of our time together, he remembered another client that earlier in the year had to put two older dogs to sleep. He said that she preferred older dogs, and asked if it would it be ok for him to give her my contact information. I said yes, but felt like it seemed unlikely. I was resigned to this being an impossible situation, and clearly, the stress had affected my faith.
In a few days, I received a text message from the woman, and we arranged a visit to see if my two dogs would get along with her one dog – an older dog that she brought home when her mother was no longer able to keep him. The visit went well, but the mom and daughter needed some time to talk with the dad, who was not able to be there for the visit, before making a final decision.
I talked to Mary and we prayed for a miracle: that the dogs would have a new home before our move. A week later, just before the start of our Sunday worship service, I got a text saying they would take the dogs! I immediately took a short prayer walk, thanking God for his blessing for the dogs and for answering my prayers. I don’t know how I would have been able to handle knowing that the dogs were euthanized while otherwise healthy and, though old, still full of life.
When we dropped the dogs off, it was bittersweet. In 14 years, the dogs had become family, and we had already decided that the transfer of owners would be final and that we also would not ask to see them again. On the other hand, we were full of joy knowing they would be cared for and loved. After leaving, Mary let me know something I didn’t pick up on originally: the daughter had special needs, and that older dogs tend to have a way of helping children like her.
In only a few months I went from agonizing over the situation, from enduring many sleepless nights and constant prayer to seeing the miracle of our dogs not only being cared for by a new loving family but also having a new purpose: giving a child a very special gift of love in return. A text we received a few weeks later assured us that the dogs had adjusted well and in fact, the daughter and dogs had become very attached.
This small miracle did a lot to build my faith and reaffirm that God will always take care of me, especially in situations that I think are impossible. By finding a new home for my dogs, God showed me that I need to rely on Him and trust that He is good and will meet all of my needs. This change of attitude helped me as we continued with our change-of-address journey, through setting a date for the move that seemed impossible, to getting into the new house a few days after that deadline and now finalizing the sale of our old house. Along the way, I’ve prayed about other impossible situations and seen God move in incredible ways to meet all of my needs.
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Philippians 4:19-20 (NIV)