CHARLIE WENT TO HEAVEN TODAY!

CHARLIE WENT TO HEAVEN TODAY!

Charlie was my Yellow Lab.  His registered name was Charlie Montana – born on July 21, 2013, in Washington State.  He was my “wild” dog, always hyper, and slightly out of control.  I bought him, after losing my black lab, while I was visiting my daughter in Washington State, and then Charlie and I drove back to Arizona.  I had to stay two nights at hotels that would take dogs, on my way to Arizona. Somewhere in there Charlie picked up a parasite.  It was either a hook worm or round worm, but my vet said it was so contagious that I couldn’t take him out of my house or yard until tests showed he was clear of it.

Because Charlie couldn’t go anywhere, he didn’t go to puppy training at 3 months, when he was supposed to learn manners.  At six months, after tests showed he was healthy again, I enrolled him in puppy training, but it was too late.  He never did learn obedience.  I really tried, but I couldn’t teach him to not charge the door when someone rang the doorbell, or to quit barking, and quit trying to get into the front seat during drives.

One word describes Charlie.  Exuberance!  He was joyously unrestrained and enthusiastic.  He was uninhibitedly excited and full of youthful joy!  It was a joy and energy that Charlie couldn’t contain! No wonder I couldn’t train that out of him.  At the time I saw this trait as negative.  Now that Charlie is gone, and it is missing from my home, I see that this uninhibited joy for living is an incredible and rare trait.  “I’m sorry Charlie!  I should have rejoiced and shared your exuberance.  I wish I had rewarded you for it.”  Instead I gave up on training you, and we lived with that crazy, uncontrolled joy.  I see it now, miss it, and am so thankful for you, Charlie!  I asked God to have Shane meet you at the door to Heaven.  Mark 11:24 says “ Anything  we  ask,  believing,  is  granted.”    So, you are with Shane, and you both will meet me when I get there!  Thank You, God, for Your promises!

Charlie loved me unconditionally, even though he sometimes got yelled at.  When I went out of town and did not come home at night, Charlie had to take pills from the Vet to calm him down.  My son, Shane, used to dog-sit for me, and every morning he would give Charlie three calming pills in a tiny snack hot dog.  Every evening that I didn’t come home, Charlie got three more pills to calm him down.

Crystal Palmer has cleaned my house for 14 years.  She knew Shadow, who was my black lab, before Charlie.  Shadow was so calm and obedient that when I told her which stuffed animals she could play with, that “These are good toys,” and which were, “bad toys,” she would play only with the “good toys.”  Charlie was never an obedient dog – he missed that puppy training and never learned.  If I was home when Crystal cleaned, I would take Charlie into my office with me, so Crystal could clean in peace.  If I wasn’t home, Charlie tried to be right next to Crystal no matter whether she was dusting, vacuuming or mopping.  The bedroom doors lock, so she could clean the bedrooms, but Charlie was beside her everywhere else.  I just texted Crystal about Charlie, and she said, “I’m crying my eyes out . . . I really am going to miss him so much!”  Then she said, “Charlie’s running with Shadow and Shane now!”

When Shadow died, I wrote a book, that you can still order on Amazon.com, “Shadow and Tilly Go to Heaven” by Erma “Johnnie” Corbitt.  It lists every place in the Bible that shows God loves animals.  Now that Charlie has died, I feel he needs at least a mention that he has gone to Heaven. So, I will publish this.

Charlie wasn’t an obedient dog, but he loved me.  It wasn’t Charlie’s fault that he never learned obedience, it was my fault.  I could have kept on training and it would have eventually gotten through.  If a dog can earn points for love, no dog can surpass Charlie!  He loved me so much he had to be tranquilized when I went out of town.  Charlie also loved every person he met.  I give Charlie a huge commendation because CHARLIE LOVED!

Now Shane has six dogs with him in Heaven, and like Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, I can picture Shane running every day with Charlie, Shadow, Sadie, Dash, TC, and Chinook, without leashes, through the wonderful beauty of Heaven.

God wants every one of us to eventually live in Heaven with Him.  In Exodus, Chapter Three, the Bible tells us that God came  down  to the  earth.  God came down to earth and spoke to Moses out of a burning bush that never burned up. He told Moses to go to Pharaoh and say, “Let my people go!”  God’s people were in bondage and needed to be rescued by God.  At Christmas time 2,000 plus years ago, God  came  down to  earth  again, to rescue us who are in bondage to sin.  The baby born in that manger 2000 years ago, was born, to grow up and die on the cross to pay for your sins and mine.  The Baby Jesus was the first Christmas gift!  Many throughout the years have realized they need a Savior, and have simply spoken into the air, “God, I need a Savior, I’m sorry for the things I shouldn’t have said or done.  Please forgive me and come into my life.”  And God hears, instantly your sins are gone and forgiven – paid for at the Cross – and God sees you as sinless!  He comes into your life and you have His Presence.  None of us deserve this – it is another gift from God!  If you have never done this, give God a Christmas gift this year.  Believe Him and obey Him, because God loved you so much that God  came down!