One day last week, at two thirty in the morning, our dog Sophie walked into the night. . She has not returned and I don't think she will. I think she called it quits.

     A few years ago a lot of people were concerned that Jesus' bones had been found. It is my understanding they believed finding His bones would prove He was never resurrected. Their faith would be destroyed. There were many others who hoped this were true so that all our Easter "foolishness" could be put behind us. Easter could become fully the Easter bunnies. Both opinions served the same belief: Jesus' bones equals no Resurrection.

     I don't agree. God can do anything. Jesus was resurrected on God's terms, not ours. No resurrection rules were laid down.  The only formula for us is to take in the Scripture about the event and then by faith alone believe that he lives.or not.

     Which means I am okay if we someday find Jesus' bones, but I don't feel the same way with Sophie's; I especially don't want to find her bones somewhere close to the house. It would indicate I might have saved her had I only looked in the right place.

     If my theory is correct that Sophie walked into the woods to die, it brought to mind our own right to die. From her standpoint, and a lot of humans agree, "live free or die," includes free from disease and hurt.

     Whether or not I find Sophie's bones, God can bring her back to life. I think God will when the time is right. Dogs will be in heaven. Even if she deliberately walked into the woods, she will be there.  Sophie did not know the meaning of suicide. She lived in the present and the present hurt. Many humans have been in that position, and from those who watched and/or experienced suffering, hospice was born. This could not have been if we had no concept of future.

     Knowing there is a future, makes us work towards a better one. Last year I worked at Hospice House in Concord, New Hampshire. It was put together to make the transition from this life to the next comforting. Palliative care treats suffering as a disease; a disease that can be held at bay until death comes. As a result, people experience learning that rarely comes during any other time of life.

If Sophie did in fact walk off into the woods to die, I believe she did so out of fear and frustration. She did so because she only knew of the now. Without the concept of a future, fear and frustration would rule us and assisted suicide would long ago have overwhelmed us. But some have chosen life; a life with palliative love and care; a time of waiting and learning.

     Maybe Sophie's choice will always be one of the best ways out for dogs. They figure there is nothing more to learn and our palliative care for them is limited. Not so with us: Palliative care has advanced enough to enable us to unlock secrets about ourselves only available when faced with dying. Death becomes more of what we want it to be; part of life.

     Sophie's brother's gift was unconditional love. Sophie's gift has always been Sophie's independence. She walked to a different drummer.

     I will forever remember Sophie's choices and Mulder's unconditional love. Two dogs, sixteen years of life and memories; now sad bliss; suffering bliss; but bliss nevertheless. Is this not what Christ crucified means to Christians? No bones about it.