Sometimes life hits you with unexpected events that leave a void in your soul... this is the case of the passing of our little dog, "Sandy", last July 27, 2023 at quarter past three in the morning, in the flower of life, after a sudden, accelerated and fatal illness.

Sandy for our family was not just a pet, for us Sandy had become another member of the family, a very intelligent "little person" who only needed to speak (in fact we always called him Sandy Lagares and Mir)... with his expression he told us everything... he loved us, he gave us affection, tenderness, company, he was an alarm clock (even late at night ????), he hunted flies and bees, he would trapdoor, run away... and even find wild boars in the hedge... he certainly also helped my children to be more responsible and contributed his "little bit" to better cohesion, integrity and family unity... his loss therefore becomes difficult to bear and, although he was a small Breton dog, it becomes difficult to believe that behind that simple animal there was not a touch of spirituality.

Often, when we encounter unexpected events, I entrust myself to the Lord and just say: "what happened was for a reason, but I trust in You"... yes, I suppose it was for a higher reason, far from ours range, often incomprehensible, a reason that makes me think!

Today, in this sad hour I ask myself, if there could be any reason why the Lord took Sandy away in midlife... and yes, I found several:

The first is that, sometimes and because of the daily mess, we weren't there enough for him when he asked us the most. We can't change this anymore, and I'm very sorry, but we need to take advantage of the learning that this lesson gives us... we need to learn to unpack from the acceleration of today's world and be able to devote valuable time to those that we have closer, to those who love us and love us the most, because sharing time is giving life, sharing time is an act of love, because whoever shares time shares his soul!

The second is that Sandy was a little dog who made himself loved wherever he went, he was playful and opened up to everyone, he had no malice at all... he was an innocent soul, he had a big and open heart... and I wonder: how many times do we harden our hearts because of meaningless misunderstandings? How many times do we close our lives to newcomers without giving them a chance? I only wish that this generosity of spirit that Sandy showed us would serve as a model for our vital work!

... and the last thing is that the Lord takes us when we are ripe... he takes us when we are the best flower in the garden (no gardener thinks of cutting the ugliest flowers)... and in Sandy was the best flower in our garden!

Now Sandy is gone, but he will always remain in our hearts... and I am sure that when we take our "Last Journey" we will meet him again playing with the Prince of Peace... bon voyage my friend ( eeeep and be careful with the little angels... don't hit them, because even though they have wings they're not little birds!!)