It’s now been a month since Butter passed away.  And I will admit that I have lost a lot of sleep worrying about her soul.  I know that some people don’t believe that animals have souls, but whatever…it doesn’t change how I feel.

I’ve already said that I struggle with my faith.  My Buddhist mother prays that Butter’s soul is reincarnated.  I take a little comfort in that, but the uncertainty nags at me because of my ambivalence.

Both our labs came with us when we moved to Rome, Italy.  January 17 is the holiday of Saint Antonio, (patron saint of pets) and on that day you could get your pets blessed at various locations through the city. The steps of Saint Eusebio Church in Piazza Vittorio was the most popular.  Yes, you can get your pets blessed in the Catholic Church.  Unfortunately, we never got your dogs blessed.

Although my spouse is a non-practicing Catholic, I’ve been asking him all sorts of questions since Butter died.  In particular, what the church says about pets in the afterlife.  The good news (probably the only good news in a while from the church) is that Pope Francis has stated that dogs and our other animal companions, as God’s creatures, go to Heaven.

It’s a bit of a relief, but the bad news is now I worry about where I’ll be.

So, it’s back to square one, struggling with faith and being good enough.