Celebrating the life of Jules (Ronnie Two Scoops)

Although I’m deeply hurting at the moment, I felt it was important to share and celebrate the life of Jules (Ronnie Two Scoops — His Kennel Club Name), who brought such joy into my life and to the hermitage. I thought the best way to celebrate his life was for me to post some of the pictures that were taken throughout his 8 years of life.

The cover picture to this article was painted by the artist Paul Doyle and is available at Sally Mitchell Arts Fine Arts in Tuxford Notts. Paul is an amazing artist and I am grateful that he allowed us to his picture for this article.

Personally I believe that animals do have a soul, perhaps not the same as us but a soul nevertheless, otherwise there would be no reason whatsoever for God to say to us “And the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the life breath returns to God who gave it.” So we will meet and play again in God’s green pasture. Theologically my stance is as follows: as soon as theologians concluded that our flesh would join our souls in heavenly reward, the door was also opened for animals to enter into paradise. After all, animals have bodies and flesh just as we humans do. Some thinkers argued that just as human bodies would be transformed for salvation, animal bodies, too, will be redeemed and changed to enjoy an afterlife. For these theologians, God is prepared to save His whole creation – plants and animals — and we will all enjoy the next life together.

This prayer I dedicate to you. Thank you for sharing a part of your life with me. I am grateful for all the lessons you gave me, for your constant love and caring presence, your loyalty, your smiles and the joy you gave me, and for your cheeky persuasive stare. You’ve been a great teacher to me and you will live forever within my heart and soul! I ask that God the Father watch over you until the day that we will play together again. I miss you friend.

Dear Jules

Saint Roch, God healed you for divine intervention through a dog, which allowed you to survive a terrible disease. Thanks to this, you understand the love a person has for animals and you have received the gift to protect them and treat them. I beg you to surround Jules with your loving embrace as he can no longer remain with us. I cannot see him suffer any longer and that’s why I come humbly to you, to ask you to help Jules. Amen

In sorrow and in grief we gather to bid farewell to our much loved friend and companion, Jules (Ronnie Two Scoops) and to return his remains to the earth from whence the Creator calls forth all living things. We are also here to unite through the love and wisdom with which Jules enriched us through his participation in our lives. Even at this moment as sorrow fill our hearts, let us give thanks to God for the blessings He so generously gave us.”

Almighty and eternal Father, we stand before you in sadness, torn with grief. We take comfort in knowing as our Creator, you know what is in our hearts. We know that as God and as man, your Beloved Son knows, feels and understands the depth of our feeling this day. We know that You, Almighty God, who knows when a sparrow falls, are ever so close to us when one whom we have loved so dearly is taken from our midst. We know that our grief is but a mere shadow of Your grief whenever one of your children chooses sin, and we are renewed in our determination to turn our sorrow into joy, just as a repentant sinner brings rejoicing to your heavenly angels. Even as we struggle to come to terms with and to understand this, in obedience and love we raise our faces to You in simple thankfulness and gratitude for the life that You gave us for safekeeping and companionship. We ask that You send the Holy Spirit as Comforter in our grief and Counsellor as we grow to understand how, through sharing the life of Jules You have revealed something of Yourself to us.  We thank you and we ask for this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.