Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me About Life, Loss, and Grace

When television sports director and writer Burchett (When Bad Christians Happen to Good People) and his wife, Joni, learned that their Labrador retriever, Hannah, had cancer, they chose a treatment that would give them as much time as possible with the dog, who had been their best friend through Joni’s own cancer diagnosis. Burchett also started journaling, and the end result is a collection of thoughts on a life of faith in Christ learned through Hannah and her eventual successor. Beginning each short chapter with a journal entry about his canine companion, Burchett also draws on biblical passages, observations about how dogs approach life, and a few well-chosen quotations to reflect on what a life of faith looks like. Specific subjects include being present in the moment, freedom, trust, and learning one’s name and identity. As Burchett notes, his is no universal spirituality, but specifically Christian. Burchett’s lessons mined from loss will resonate, reminding readers of the trust and simplicity dogs model. Agent: Don Jacobson, D.C. Jacobson and Associates. (Feb.)