The Lord Takes Bud Home

The Lord blessed us with "Bud", a handsome male Netherland Dwarf rabbit, who came to live with us on 28 June 2008. Last Lord's Day, in the early hours of 29 September 2013, the Lord took him back to be with Himself. When Bud first came to live with us, he was called "Bunny Bo", but he quickly became "Bud" within only a short time ... and it suited him well. He was definitely "Bud". For regular readers of this blog, you may recall that it was only 9 months ago to the day, that the Lord took "Honey" to be with Him. It has been a year of great sadness for my wife and I, as we greatly love the blessings from God, and parting with them is heart-wrenching. Yet while we are exceedingly sorrowful, we still rejoice in the life that God gave us with Bud, and as I have said before, we do live with the hope of being reunited with him in the new earth, which is spoken of in Revelation 21.

Bud Sitting In The Glorious Sunshine Of Our Back Garden!

Only "Daisy" survives from our little family of three rabbits, and she was Bud's bonded mate. Bud and Daisy always followed each other around, exploring the garden or coming into the lounge for "mummy and daddy loving" with their heads tightly placed together so that they could both receive a stroking and tickles from my wife and I. My wife and I are both concerned at how the loss of Bud will affect Daisy, but she appears to be coping for the time being, but it has only been just over the day since Bud died. Daisy was present when Bud passed away, and my wife said that Daisy had one moment of licking Bud before he finally died. Regretfully, I had been too exhausted to stay with him any longer, but my wife did manage to stay with him until the end. I was so grateful that she was there for him, and I am sure he knew how much I loved him ... and still do!

Bud (right) With His Bonded Mate, Daisy (Left).

A couple of month's ago, Bud had started showing difficulties in eating due to teeth problems. (This is exactly the same problem that affected Honey.) However, after an operation at the vets, he came home again and quickly recovered and began to eat again. Both my wife and I had been greatly relieved at the time because Bud was around 6-7 years old and operations are risky at the best of times. Then, only about 2 weeks ago, he started having difficulties again, and when taken to the vets, we were told that he had further teeth problems and had to have another operation. As he had bounced back from the first operation, I was hoping this would be just one more simple step for him to come through. Sadly, he never bounced back from the second operation, and he stopped eating altogether after coming home. All the while he continued to drink a little, I had hope, but I had great anguish being told and having to feed him with a syringe. It soon became obvious that he simply did not want to eat, and the stress it caused to him and me was terrible to endure.

On Saturday, 28 September, Bud even started to refuse water. My wife and I took him to the emergency vets that afternoon, where he had more injections, but over the course of the evening he grew more and more weak, until he simply could not carry on any longer. My wife reports that he made a last trip to his hutch, where Daisy had her last contact with him, and he died in his hutch as my wife stroked him. The moment I heard my wife moving around downstairs (although totally exhausted, I still could not sleep), I got up and met her coming upstairs and she broke the news. That was only yesterday, but it seems like such a long time ago now ... and yet the pain is still very new.

Bud Enjoying a Run Around The Garden!

I share this with the world because I want to show the depth of God's love, and the beauty of His creation, and one way He expresses His love among many ways. If you know the joy of which I speak with respect to a loving pet, then you know what I speak. The loss of Bud leaves the house a little more emptier once again. And as my wife and I have not yet been blessed with children, the loss of our pets appears more poignant. More pictures of Bud found here.

Mummy and Daddy Will Miss You Bud, Until We Meet Again In The New Earth!

From Revelation 21: "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son."

These verses came to me today from the Gospel of John: "14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 14:5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."