Jenna had her second therapy dog visit today. Started out a little rough - I stepped on her toe going out the gate in the backyard. Then I took her to the clinic to have her toenails clipped and they quicked her and she yelped on every toe they clipped. Big baby. But then we arrived at the assisted living center. And she did very well. Started out pulling on the leash alot, but my friend and evaluator, Laurie, worked with us on that and very quickly Jenna was walking at my side very nicely. About halfway through the visit, Laurie asked me to walk Jenna down the hall, turn around, come back, stop, walk slow, walk fast and a few other things. I didn't realize at the time but she was giving her the therapy dog test. And she passed it. She just needs to go on one more visit and be evaluated with Laurie there and if she does ok, she will be certified!!! She really does like to be petted and to see everyone. But after about an hour, she was tired and ready to go home. As you can see by the picture, she slept the rest of the afternoon and evening. It's hard work being loved on and petted by so many people!!!
Tuesday Thea had her first ACCUPUNCTURE treatment! We were shown to a separate room away from the exam rooms with a couch, a little "water fountain" and soft relaxing music. Dr. Olson explained what she was going to do and what she was hoping to accomplish. She examined Thea's neck and looked at her x-rays. Her goal and my goal is to get Thea off of her pain medication and the prednisone and to be able to curl up when she sleeps again. She started off with a needle in the top of her head. This was the "calming" needle. After about 60 seconds, Thea sat down and you could tell she was already more relaxed. She then put six needles in different spots on her neck and one in the middle of her back. Then we were left alone for 15 minutes to relax. Thea did very well and was not upset at all. When Dr. Olson came back and took the needles out, she told me that Thea might sleep most of the day and not eat her dinner. Which is just what happened.
She has her next appointment next Tuesday. I feel encouraged by this treatment. Both my vets feel it will help. I am hoping it will take away the pain that I know Thea has. I also feel blessed that the Lord has provided this opportunity for her. There are not many veterinarians that are able to do this and to have one right here close is definitely a blessing.
"Thank you Lord for providing this opportunity to help Thea. Each day I have with her is a blessing for me and I thank you for all you have given me through the gift of her."
Spring is Here!!! It is still March but the trees and bushes are starting to bloom, the temperature is rising, birds are singing and I am thanking God for all the blessings He has given me. When I see the beauty of spring, I can't imagine how anyone could NOT believe in God. The beauty of the mountains here and the colors on the trees and bushes could only be there because God designed it and made it.
I find myself seeing everything in a new light during spring. I notice every little thing - the colors, the buds on trees, the birds singing and the many different types of birds, the bees are coming out now and even those pesky little ants are out again. The flowers will soon be coming up or will be planted, the azaleas will be blooming soon. Everything is just so beautiful in the spring. I have been taking my camera with me wherever I go so I can take that picture when I see it. But I have found some of the prettiest shots right in my own yard. The picture here is of the Bradford Pear tree in our front yard. It is full of white blooms now. Soon our yard will be full of color - pink and red azaleas, blue hydrangeas, purple clematis, and pink & white crapemyrtles. Only God could give us such beauty. And I thank Him for it and give Him all the glory and praise. "LET EVERYTHING THAT HAS BREATH, PRAISE THE LORD."
A while back I wrote how things in my life, especially my little "girls" were really taking their toll and I felt like I needed to let go but I could not. Well, today "the dam broke". I spent the entire drive to work crying and cried several times at work.
And you are thinking - what caused this? Well - I came extremely close today to losing Thea. I was getting ready to go to work and was going to take her with me as I always do. I was going to take a couple things to my car and then come back in and get her. She was sitting on the floor, Jenna was sleeping on her pillow and Tiki and Fancy were sleeping on the chair. I started outside and only got halfway to my car when I heard a dog scream. I put the things in my car and ran back to the house. When I got in the house Terri was up and we both looked around to see who was hurt. Jenna was standing up, Tiki and Thea were on the chair, and Fancy was on the couch. So we thought maybe Fancy got hurt. So we checked her over and she seemed fine. I went to get Thea and that's when I saw her neck. She had a gash on her neck about 1-1/2 inches long. It wasn't bleeding much but looked awful. The first thing I noticed was that it wasn't bleeding alot so it hadn't hit the jugular vein but it looked close. But I knew she was hurting. So I picked her up and we left for work. And that is when it broke loose - I cried and cried all the way to work.
After getting to work, she seemed ok but would not sit still - she kept pacing around my chair. When Dr. Jones arrived, she came over and looked at her neck and said - "Oh my!!! She needs stitches!!" I did not want to think it was that bad. She immediately took her to the treatment area and put her under anesthesia and put 4 stitches in her neck. While she was working on her - 3 people came out at different times to tell me what a lucky little girl she was. The cut was extremely close to her jugular vein and Dr. Jones was having a tough time sewing it cause she was so close to the vein. After the third person told me about it - I broke down again - realizing just how close I came to losing her. Then Dr. Jones came out and told me that if the cut had been even a millimeter deeper, it would have hit the vein and she probably would have bled to death. So - I guess you know what I did again - YEP - cried again.
Thea came out of the anesthesia quickly and was up and about in no time. She is doing ok tonight - I think she hurts a little. She is not crying but she is walking very gingerly. We are not sure exactly what happened - we were afraid it was a bite. But Dr. Jones said it was not a bite. We are thinking that either she bumped into Jenna on the floor or Jenna jumped up when I went out the door, and hit Thea with a toenail (which Dr. Jones said could have been the cause). Their skin is so thin it doesn't take much to tear. Whatever happened, we know it was an accident and Thea was again at the wrong place and wrong time. The poor little girl has had a rough week.
I am so thankful the Lord was watching over her today. I know someday I will lose her but I would not want it to be in an accident like this. Thank you Lord for keeping Thea safe today and watching over her. Thank you for being by my side as I dealt with this - I know you saw and felt every tear I cried. Please continue to give me strength and comfort. Amen.
March 10 - 3 years ago today, Mom, you left this earthly life to go be with Jesus and "dance with the angels". And how you loved to dance. Today brings back lots of different memories and emotions. The first of which is sadness - as I remember the pain I felt when I learned you had left us. I can still feel that pain. I miss you so much. But I tell myself to think of the words to the Mercy Me song (Homesick) - You are in a much better place. I feel sad at times knowing I cannot talk to you here and now. I miss that. I miss sharing my life with you and laughing at the good times we always had when we all got together. Then I feel guilt - why didn't I go back to see you earlier. I was waiting for summer, but should I have gone sooner?
Then I prayed. And God showed me all the OTHER memories and emotions that came from this day 3 years ago. I remember all of us kids together for the funeral - all the memories we shared that week. I remember how we all dealt with and handled all the funeral arrangements and legal stuff. No fighting - no problems. We all knew what you would have wanted and everything went so smoothly. I remember sitting around the kitchen table (our favorite family spot) - going through pictures and laughing at some and quietly remembering others. But most of all, God showed me how much the family came together and the LOVE we showed to each other in so many ways. I especially remember Larry holding me in his arms while I cried at the funeral home. Sometimes the love was shown in a hug, a look, a quiet moment together, an evening reminiscing with everyone. But the most important thing is that we have grown even closer since then.
So even though we have lost you here on earth Mom, you brought us closer together more than ever before (and we were close before), and I KNOW that you are happier than we could ever imagine and I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN IN HEAVEN!!! I LOVE YOU MOM!!
