Putting On A Brave Face
“Though we might have precious little…it’s still precious” ~ Neil Peart
Of late I’ve felt a bit like a tragic comic, always the bearer of bad news and this is apparently no exception. For the past couple of months our first greyhound, Chaser, has had a slight limp. It never really seemed to bother him and, as a former racing dog, the way he speeds around the backyard and his propensity for self injury, we simply chalked up his limp to a self-inflicted “sports” injury.
Having said that, this past Sunday evening, that all changed, as Chaser seemed to be unable to get comfortable, often panting and sitting up throughout the night, guaranteeing us both - zero sleep and a relatively bad attitude. So, I made a conscious decision to bring him into the vet Monday morning for an examination, thinking, “perhaps he’s sprained something”.
As I picked up the phone to contact the vet, I looked down at him and I noticed some (what I thought was) swelling in his ankle joint. It reminded me of when I tore the ligaments in my ankle, the swelling was somewhat “egg” shaped.
After a long morning and X-rays, this lump has turned out to be a osteosarcoma, basically a bone tumor and an aggressive type that will spread to his lungs and throughout his body. The prognosis is really not good as his life expectancy may be as little as a few months or six months at best. Treatment options were between medicate and comfort or amputate and recover. We’ve opted for medication, not wanting to put him through the difficult rehabilitation process. Though his final days may result in him becoming a “junkie”, he’ll at least be able to run, play and do what he most enjoys (in a state of relative euphoria).
Ordinarily this would be a difficult time, but considering we lost our beloved Gunnar just a few short months ago, it just makes our heart ache. We feel like Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day, repeating the same day over and over, except the Groundhog in this case is Freddy Kreuger. It’s emotionally tough, but we put on a brave face and move forward.
In the face of this tragic news we faced a dilemma, mope, groan and feel sorry for ourselves that yet another tragedy is waiting to befall us or cowboy up and love and cherish what is precious to us? We’ve opted for the latter and enjoy the time we have with him. As was Gunnar, Chaser is a part of our family and we love him like our child, he makes us laugh and such an easy going companion and his stoicism gives us strength.
It will be difficult, sad and tearful when his time comes, but unlike Gunnar, we know it’s coming and can give him a little extra special attention, care, a few extra cookies and lots of love.
Though tragic, hard and difficult, it’s times in our lives like this that need to remind us that the though we might have precious little…it’s still precious and we should honor all that God has provided.
Thanks to all for your kind words, prayers and thoughts. We do appreciate them.
What To Write? Help Me Out
It’s a question I struggle with week to week. “What happened that I feel is interesting, useful or intriguing enough that others might enjoy?”
As daily life goes by, we each have minor events, occurrences or little tidbits that we overlook and chalk up to “routine”, while those routine items may just be what others find fascinating about our lives or, at least, interesting enough to read about. Many times, as I sit down to write an entry, scan my tiny little brain for something…anything noteworthy and I try to view the entry from your vantage point, but more often than not, I fail miserably.
So, I’m in need of a little help from you…are you game? (This is the part where you nod your head in agreement and flash a fake smile because you aren’t sure what’s coming next)
Here’s the $64,000 question…What is it you would like to see more of on this blog? Your input is important here. I only ask that you be honest in your requests and don’t be shy, just keep it above the belt..this is a family blog.
It might be something simple like, “More photos”, “Funny YouTube Videos.”, “What’s it really like living in Texas?”, “Discovery Channel or History Channel?”, “Is your favorite word really ‘asshat’ ?” or it could be slightly more complex issues like, “What’s the fastest way to burn body fat?”, “How would you solve the mid-east problem?”, “Are you really smarter than a 5th Grader?” or “Your take on troposphere temperature anomalies.” But just try and confine your request to something within the broad general scope of what’s already been presented in this blog and I think we’ll all be happy.
I’ll take the top 5 requests and send you each a free 80GB Video iPod, fully loaded with 12,000 songs and “The Godfather” parts 1,2 and 3. Okay, not really but I will take all of your comments under advisement and do my best to give you more of what you want.
I appreciate the help and look forward to your input.