She Is Missed

The water bucket was thrown out a week ago. It sat in the sunroom a month waiting for her to come take a drink. She never came. The water turned green and stagnant, but I couldn't throw it out. It seemed to whisper, "She will return." The food bowl in the barn was moved off the floor up to the cats' bench, but they didn't want to eat out of it. They knew it wasn't theirs.
#1 had a "tattoo" on his wrist the other day, '4-7-12'. "Why do you have that on your wrist?" I asked. He looked at me like I was speaking in tongues. "Well what do you think?! It was the day Kelly died." Yes, I sighed to myself, the day she left us, the day before Easter.
I have been losing chickens since Kelly left. Sunday we found out how. Some stray dogs were tormenting them and killing them. Kelly's markings of the property seem to have worn off, and now strange dogs appear to carry off my hens. I didn't know how much she meant to us, emotionally and physically, until she was gone.
I can't help but think this is symbolically like Jesus and his disciples. They didn't know what they had until he was gone. It was the day before Easter, and they were sad and disheartened. But unlike our dilemma, He returned. He gave them hope, refreshment, joy. Their strength was renewed and their commitment cemented forever. It makes me say,
⁷But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. ¹⁰I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. - Philippians 3:7-11
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I received text updates yesterday from the mom who took the boys to Raleigh. They did fine, and she sent me a phone picture of the three dressed  up in their suits. Such men already! I talked to #1 last evening and he seemed fine. He is assigned to the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources, probably because he was in Envirothon this year. Too bad they didn't put him the Dept. of Communications. Today he learns more about his job and also goes to the history museum. He and the other two boys are volunteering along with 7 GIRLS. My friend texted that #1 said he was happy with that arrangement. I bet!