Good-bye to a Great Friend

Hello friends and family,

This is a VERY late announcement, but as a family we just have not had the heart to share this with everyone back home as of yet. This past week we had a night free and decided to watch a 'light' movie that was on TV, the hit 'Marley and Me.' UMMM, not light at ALL. It's a great movie about a couple who bring a dog into their lives and follows their life journey and friendship with the animal. In our first year of marriage, we decided to bring a dog into our world and adopted a blond, Golden Retriever puppy, naming him 'Lance.' Lance quickly became a beloved member of our family, and we shared many adventures with him. He was big, happy, WILD, and very loving. Lance developed some anxieties over the years and had a couple problems here and there, but was a great fit for our family. We wondered how he would do with Kieren in his world, but he loved her and enjoyed her, even though it meant MUCH more time in the backyard. Kieren's first REAL laugh-attack came by watching Lance run around during a walk and her first word was 'doggie.' She still loves dogs and it's all because of Lance.

When we moved to South Africa, we truly battled with what to do with Lance and found him what we hoped would be a perfect fit with a generous youth group family. Months later we learned Lance's anxieties and fears overwhelmed him and he had a bad episode with the family's other dog and son. The family consulted a dog specialist and were advised that their only choice was to put him to sleep. The mother and son decided to take Lance themselves to say goodbye; so special and beautiful. We were heartbroken about this obviously, but not surprised, and very sad that our friends had to say our goodbyes. We are at total peace about it, but sad that our friend is no longer in this world. We had some moments of grief and good-bye as we watched 'Marley and Me' this week and I thought it was time to share the news. We are thankful to have had Lance as a great family pet and family member, and love that Kieren will always have a special fondness for dogs because of him.

Lots of love,
Sarah