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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 29, 2019)
10 Wednesday, May 29, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Scottie Wisdom&Faith Jean Russell Nave Will my Scottie dogs go to Heaven? <If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.= 4 Will Rogers If you have ever loved and lost a Scottie or any other pet you can undoubt- edly understand Will Rogers9 quotation. The pain you felt about the loss of that pet had a foundation in the idea that you didn9t expect to ever see it again. More than four years ago I was given a diagnoses of stage-four breast cancer. While driving home after that doctor9s appointment all I could think about was how terrible it would be for my husband, my son, and my Scotties if I couldn9t be there to share their love and joy. Fortunately, all three doc- tors were wrong. The cancer had not metastasized as they thought. But that initial diag- noses did change my life. I9ve spent the years since on a quest for a deeper under- standing of God. I began by going back to books I loved when I was young and searching for mean- ing. Classics like <Mere Christianity= by C.S. Lewis, <The Prophet= by Kahlil Gibran and, of course, the Holy Bible became my daily reading. I then added books on near-death experiences, reincarnation, and a host of metaphysical and spiritual topics. The book <Life Before Life= by Jim B. Tucker, M.D. was an eye-opener. For more than 40 years the University of Virginia has been research- ing over 4,000 cases of chil- dren who spontaneously began speaking about having lived before. Many have given specific names, places and times of their before-life experiences that have been verified by the University9s research. When I finished the book I had a whole new per- spective on life and death. My Scotties mean the world to me. As my faith in a higher Spirit has deepened and as I9ve learned more about the wonders of the unseen world, one thing has begun to jell in my mind. Our pets will be there in life- after-life. How can that be true? Pets have a spirit but not a soul. Having a spirit means they have God-given life. We humans have a spirit and a soul, which means we have God-given eternal life. From Egypt to China to the Americas, horses, dogs and cats have been found in ancient graves. Clearly, we are not the only people who have loved our pets. A close reading of many of the sayings of Jesus Christ tells me that we will even- tually attain the height and depth of spiritual learning that He had and be able to create miracles. That means to me that somewhere, some- time, somehow in life after death each of us will have the God-given capability to re- materialize the spirits of our lost pet friends. We will get to drink up again that won- derful unselfish love they gave us here on earth. Confirming this thought is what some of the children have said to Jim B. Tucker9s researchers. Some have remembered bits of the time before they returned to earth, and they remembered having their pets in that heavenly dimension. Doesn9t it make sense? Our pets are some of the most unselfish, loving creatures we know. If God is Love, our pets9 love comes from Him. A loving God must under- stand the depth of our love for our pets. Jesus reminded us that His love is far greater than ours. It makes sense, then, that a loving God will let us rejoin those loving spir- its in another time and place. I don9t know if I9m cor- rect, but this is what my search shows me. What do you think? PHOTO PROVIDED East of the Cascades Quilters held a crafty retreat at Lake Creek Lodge. Quilting guild enjoys retreat By Sue Stafford Correspondent <The community spirit glowed at our retreat& The projects were beautiful and diverse,= said quilter Susan DeGroat of the East of the Cascades Quilters9 Guild, as she described their recent retreat at Lake Creek Lodge. Cece Montgomery, who had attended seven such retreats while living in California, enlisted the help of DeGraot and Barbara Bowman to organize the May 14-16 retreat in Camp Sherman. <The best part of the retreat for me was spending time with so many talented ladies, sewing, creating, and eating. It was truly wonder- ful to be able to get to know them in such a small and fun environment,= said Bowman, who moved to Sisters a year ago with her husband. Bowman said she went to one meeting of the EOC quil- ters and <was hooked.= The ladies were extremely wel- coming, and she felt, <I had found my place.= DeGroat, who has been an EOC member for about a year, enjoyed many facets of the retreat. When asked what she enjoyed most, she responded, <Developing friendships. Learning and being inspired by all the tal- ented women. Three days of laughter, and long walks in nature! Sorry, but I can9t just pick one. It was delight- ful from the moment we arrived!= Everyone worked on their own projects, from a wall hanging as a gift for a rela- tive, to a quilt for the quil- ter9s own home, to a number of Challenge Quilts for the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show in July. <It was great to have feedback from all of my new friends,= said Bowman. Montgomery was very pleased with the response to her retreat idea. <On the sec- ond day when I was asked when the next one would be, I knew that I had succeeded.= <Sisters is such a quilt- ing community with lots of classes and a wonderful shop, The Stitchin9 Post,= said Montgomery. <Having two retreats a year is just icing on the cake for us.= Bowman added, <I9m looking forward to more quilting without all of our daily interruptions and, of course, just enjoying these wonderful amazing women!= The attendees all had such fun that they brain- stormed 31 suggestions for future retreats. The next one is scheduled for November 5-7 next fall at Lake Creek Lodge, and plans are for two retreats a year. METAL ROOFING & SIDING COFFEEHOUSE Be Together. Enjoy Fika. Coffee • Tea Baked Goods Light breakfast & lunch Your #1 Line of Defense Against Wildfi res & Falling Embers • ROOFING • SIDING • INTERIOR RidgelineMetal.com 541-588-0311 201 E. Sun Ranch Dr., Mon-Sat 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. 1305 SE Lake Rd., Redmond 541-548-7044 Your local choice for quality product and service since 1986!