Day 1402

It has been an outside day with the sun shining and warm temperatures hinting at the promise of spring. Gus and the pups had a wonderful “romp” with the “older Golden,” making sure Charlie and Hank were treated with kindness and consideration. It was a joy to watch. The older golden went inside while the puppies stayed out to meet a friend who dropped by. This lady (my “puzzle supplier”) is not just any friend but one of the most resolute, strongest, and most accepting people I have ever met. She has battled an extremely challenging disease for years and beaten the odds again and again. She never seems to have any self-pity or fear. She is a rock.

We are all thrown into that role at some point. Some of us handle that stress better than others while we navigate the choppy waters. My friend’s attitude and mantra might just be…”You do what you have to do.”

There have been times on my own journey when I have put one foot in front of the other while blocking the distant view ahead. If you can take baby steps and jump through the next hoop, that feeling of accomplishment might be small, but mighty. Looking over your shoulder, it feels good to have made any forward movement at all! More hoops, more forward movement, more “doing what you have to do” and finally, you have reached a goal of sorts.

For my friend, it would seem that her entire life has been that way. Perhaps, that is why I have NEVER heard one complaint or murmur of self-pity. What a rock indeed!

As we watched the puppies, they decided to dig a BIG hole in the fern bed. They were having the time of their lives! Eventually, after a long hug, my friend headed to church and I faced two DIRTY DOGS. I lured them in for a bath and never once stopped smiling. My friend would say, “It’s just a little dirt…do what you have to do.”

Words to live by!