We saw The Christmas Story on stage tonight. A nice feel-good stage production that followed the movie to perfection. The players put on a commendable performance and we came away delighted and in the Christmas Spirit.

Monday will be the Sheboygan County Writer's Club Christmas Party. I have been doing quite a bit of writing this month, but none of it is Christmasy. I will have to work on that.

WHY DOGS DON'T LIVE AS LONG AS PEOPLE

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane were all very attached to Belker and they were
hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family there were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt Shane could learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few
minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion.

We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me - I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, "Everybody is born so that they can learn how to live a good life - like loving everybody and being nice, right?" The four-year-old continued, "Well, animals already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

A friend sent me the above. I may have included it before, but Mother and I were talking about an article in the paper about a group that helps people who are mourning for their pets and my sister Dolores said that she probably could have benefited from such a group after her dog passed on. So I felt it was worth sharing again.

Mary

Have a nice Thursday and