Saying Good-Bye to Mutt

 In case I haven't mentioned it before, we live on a farm. We raise chickens and our daughter has horses. We never eat our chickens. They stay here until they are old and they die of old age. While I realize that most people would think it's silly not to eat your chickens, we just can't do it. We know them. We raise them from little chicks. We care for them every single day. We would not be able to eat them because we know them. Each little personality.

They have a good life here. They have a good sized hen house to live in and they are free to roam the yard all day long. This morning we had to say good-bye to Mutt. She was an old hen- somewhere between 9-10 years old, maybe older. We also have younger chickens. We just got a new batch of pullets last fall, so they are almost a year old. But we also have other hens of varying ages from previous batches of chicks. As mentioned already, they stay here until they get old and die from old age. Even when they quit laying eggs. They are then considered retired and live out the rest of their natural lives, happily eating bugs, enjoying fresh air and sunshine, and roaming free. 

We've been through it before. An old hen will be just fine one day and then the next day, she is gone. We know the signs of a hen whose time has come. We made Mutt comfortable and we loved on her. We cried and said our thank you's for all the eggs she's blessed us with while she was with us. We told her how much we loved her. And then she was gone.

Mutt, along with the rest of the hens, was a source of joy for us. Chickens are quite funny little critters and we love to watch them during the day. They have made us laugh so many times. When we come out of the house, no matter what time of day, whether in the morning when it's time to feed them, whether we are out to gather the eggs... it doesn't matter to them. As soon as they see us they all come running to greet us. It never gets old, to watch an entire flock of chickens come running to see you. 

Mutt will no longer be among them 😢. This last week she's had cantaloupe fresh from the garden to share with her flock mates. She's had cucumbers, just as fresh. She's had garden corn from the cob. I'm glad that she didn't miss the garden bounty because chickens absolutely love cantaloupe. We will miss Mutt. I hate death. I just hate it. We hate to say good-bye to our beloved critters. Sadly, it's a part of life. I know that many people don't believe that animals go to heaven, but they are still important to God. He knows when every single one of His creatures breathes its last breath. I personally believe that if our critters are important to us and we love them, that they are important to Jesus too. So, I believe that behind my mansion in heaven there is a barn and a hen house. Inside my barn are my four horses that I have loved and chickens that we had to say good-bye to are in the hen house. Inside my mansion are my dogs. I haven't had many dogs, so there are two dogs there right now. 

We know, according to the Word, that Jesus has horses, so why would He not have other critters in heaven? Critters are a part of His creation. He took pleasure in creating them. Why would He not have them around Him in heaven? Mutt is now residing in the hen house in my backyard behind my mansion. We will miss her here, but I have no doubt that she is quickly making friends with Pony Boy, Poco, Promise, and Lilly. She is basking in the light of God's Son instead of sunshine. We love you Mutt. Enjoy heaven and hang out with Jesus.