I'll Wait

I read a story in the new AARP newsletter about a man in New Orleans the days following Katrina. Sixty nine year old Thomas Reed lived alone with his small dachshund Weezie. They weathered the vicious storm and when the levee was breached, they moved from floor to floor upwards until they settled in the attic and on the roof where they stayed for five days surviving off of Vienna sausages and bags of Chee Wees.
According to the AARP Bulletin, his stay could have been much shorter as a rescue team came to take him to safety on the second day but they refused to take his dog and Reed would not leave Weezie behind. "This little dog is my family," he pleaded "there is no way I could leave her."
When I read these words I got a lump in my throat that made it difficult to breathe.
Sadly this is not an isolated incident and there were those who were injured and did have to leave their beloved pets to fend for themselves. Many, many didn't make it alive.
I couldn't help but think - what if that had been Jilda and I. This much I can promise you-- if I was stuck on a roof with rising water and rescuers said "OK lady, you can bring the dogs or your husband." She'd look at me quickly and say "good luck honey. I'll send the boat back for you."
According to this article, the events in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast has changed national policy regarding pets. In the event of another disaster, plans have been made as to how to help evacuate the pets. I agree with this whole heartedly.
Someone sent me an email about Heaven and it involved a man and his dog. I'll post it below because it seems relevant now.
Heaven
A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.
After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.
When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.
When he was close enough, he called out, “Excuse me, where are we?”
“This is Heaven, sir,” the man answered.
“Wow! Would you happen to have some water?” the man asked.
“Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up.” The man gestured, and the gate began to open.
“Can my friend,” gesturing toward his dog, “come in, too?” the traveler asked.
“I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.”
The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.
After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.
“Excuse me!” he called to the man. “Do you have any water?”
“Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in.”
“How about my friend here?” the traveler gestured to the dog.
“There should be a bowl by the pump.”
They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.
The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, as he gave some to the dog.
When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree. “What do you call this place?” the traveler asked.
“This is Heaven,” he answered.
“Well, that's confusing,” the traveler said. “The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.”
“Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's Hell.”
“Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?”
“No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.”