One year ago today…

I was getting dropped off at the vet to have yet another body part removed. I never did find out what happened to my skull when they cut it out. I heard my Mom ask for it, but the doctor just laughed at her. She was serious, but he didn’t seem to think so. Anyway, it’s gone.

So is my leg. We didn’t get that back either. Not so much as the metal plates from my TPLO. She really wanted those.

Good riddance, I suppose. By the time they hacked it off, it was mostly giving me grief anyway. First the knee surgery, then the cancer. If I’m being honest, I really don’t miss it.

Anyway, my Mom made this video of me to commemorate the past twelve months. In case you forgot, when this whole chapter started, my Dad said we we were going to go to our cabin every moment possible to celebrate the Summer of Lincoln. He would have never believed that summer would slide into fall which turned into winter which has now pretty much melted into spring.  We just keep taking things one day at a time.  My Mom has lots of quotes to keep my spirits up.  One of them is by Mary Anne Radmacher and my Mom says it reminds her of me… “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”

One year ago today everything seemed really grim. Today seems pretty great. It turns out that we are all a lot stronger than we ever thought possible. We’ve learned that strength can be found in many places.

I’m still here and I’m still fighting. My Mom told me this saying once, and even though some may say Dr. Seuss isn’t really a philosopher, we like his message as much as any of those other writers – he said, “I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”

As long as I walk (or hop) this earth, I’m going to keep wagging and keep swimming, but most of all, I’m going to keep on swinging. My Mom says I just don’t have any quit in me. She’s right, I hope.

Also, I apologize for how long the video is. My Mom gets pretty carried away when it comes to showing me off.