There are some days that are so extraordinary that one must stop and wonder. This past Friday was one of those days.
So it was Good Friday according to the Christians. For me it was the day preceding Erev Shabbat of Shabbat Shira, a very significant day of the Jewish calendar. All of that is just interesting background but maybe on a cosmic level something was going on.
I woke up that morning with a plastic shield on my right eye, which had just had cataract surgery the day before. I could barely see due to the copious amounts of surgical tape that I had affixed there to make sure the shield did not move under my CPAP machine the night before.
I went to the eye doctor to have the shield removed and to have my renewed eye examined. All good. For the first time in over 50 years I can see out of my right eye without glasses. Hallelujah!
I came home and shortly thereafter called the South Jersey Regional Animal Shelter to inquire if a dog I had applied for was still available. She is, they said, but there is a family looking at another dog who also want to look at her. Deep breath. I must be philosophical about this. If this dog, who I think is meant to be my dog, is adopted by another family, then she really was not meant to be my dog.
We drive down to the shelter. When we get there I ask, “is Olive Oyl still available for adoption?” Yes, she is.
We meet her and inside I am saying “Yes!” as she snuggles up to my ankles. I know this is our new family dog.
So all of this is amazing in and of itself but not the point where wonder comes in. So in August 2023 our family lost our beautiful dog Eevee after almost 10 years. The grief hit us all hard, particularly my kids. Eevee was such a special girl. She was our “biker chick” huntress. She was so sweet with all of our family but let another dog or any other non-human creature come into her purview and she was a fierce warrior. Sadly, many a small rodent met its demise due to her extraordinary hunting skills. She was, like all of us, a unique blend of attributes—by turns cuddly and cute or fearsome predator.
What’s interesting is that in the time since her passing we wondered many times, do we get a new dog? is it too soon? is it ok? Does it mean we don’t love Eevee if we get a new dog?
We went to the shelters in our area on numerous occasions over the last year and a half. There were a couple of maybes but never the yes.
Until Friday. So, where the wonder comes in for me is this. When we had been looking for a dog before we got Eevee we also looked and looked. We went to the shelters near us many many times and even traveled to Philly as well. We ended up finding Eevee at what was then known as Cumberland County Animal Shelter.
Fast forward to April 18, 2025. Cumberland County Animal Shelter is now known as South Jersey Regional Animal Shelter. This is where we had to go back to to find our new family member. It was like coming full circle, as if Eevee was giving her blessing in this adoption.
We will never ever forget Eevee or love her any less now that Lily (formerly known as Olive Oyl) has joined our family. But it is as if Eevee is saying to us, it’s ok family, I know you loved me and still love me. I’m ok now but little Lily really needs a family and I sent you to her. Please take her home and take good care of her like you did with me.
Thank you Eevee for all that you did for us and for giving your blessing for adopting Lily.
Thank you Lily for trusting us to take care of you and becoming a new member of our family. We will do our best to give you a great life with lots of walkies and pets.
Thank you Universe for showing me that Life and Death, Joy and Sorrow are part of one seamless Circle.
Now if only I could remember this beautiful sentiment while I’m waiting on hold on a phone call while an AI assistant is not understanding what I need from customer service! The challenge is taking these lofty awarenesses that are apparent at these peak moments of life and incorporating them into the everyday, mundane activities. Thank you for the lofty and the mundane. May it always be so.
Eevee and Lily
Musings of a Jewish Mom 