Month: October 2010

A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you.
~Irish Blessing

 

Hello everyone – My Mom thought we should let you all know that my sister Kirby died. She did pretty well for a long time, even after we started thinking it was going to be her time really soon. She had a great summer though, right next to me. Even though we called it the Summer of Lincoln, Kirbs got to do everything she wanted to do too. She hung out at the neighbors and enjoyed happy hour on the grass with us every night we were at the cabin. When you are old and sick like Kirbs, my Dad says there are no rules, so she got more treats than I could have ever imagined a dog could eat.  So even though we are pretty sad right now, we know that Kirby had a really good 4 1/2 years with us. She was 12 when we adopted her, so we really never thought we’d get to have her around so long. My Mom says it’s like this saying from Annie, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

Even though it was hard, my Mom says that she has no doubts at all that it was the right thing to do and that it was time. We were out of town, so we went to my Aunt Robyn’s vet. Me, my Mom, and my Aunt Robyn went with her. Kirby was just laying there peacefully with her head on my Mom’s lap. While we were waiting, it seemed like she almost fell asleep, but she hadn’t had much sleep much the night before because her cancer was really hurting her. She cried out a couple of times in her sleep, and that was real hard for all of us.  After the vet came in, I turned away because I didn’t want to watch it happen, but I had snuggled with her a little bit before the vet came in, and then I gave her a couple of licks after she died. That was my way of saying goodbye to our sweet old girl.

My Mom says that since all of the Tripawds people are sort of like family, she thought you would want to know. Even though Kirby isn’t a tripawd like I am, she was still a pretty cool old dog. I’m going to miss taking care of her, but I’m sure glad she isn’t hurting anymore. One thing I think we can all agree on is that CANCER TOTALLY SUCKS! Goodbye Kirbs, we’re all going to miss you.

Death a friend that alone can bring the peace his treasures cannot purchase, and remove the pain his physicians cannot cure. 

 ~Mortimer Collins

even though it’s October. My Dad found a lake right by our house, and it’s pretty cool, I must admit. Easy access. Not like the rocky shore at the cabin. Not that I’m complaining. My Dad and I have been doing tons of stuff together, because my Mom has been working ALL THE TIME. None of us like it much at all. The other day I heard my Mom tell my Dad that she thinks I like him best now because he and I are always hanging out together. We go to the driving range, and softball, and then afterwards, we’ll stop by the lake to take a dip and I’ll chase the ball for a while. In case you didn’t realize it, we’re athletes. I’m pretty popular at all those places. People LOVE to come pet me and tell me how great I am. With all the extra attention I’m getting these days, including the fact I’m a calendar dog, I am really starting to starting think that I just may be “all that”, like everyone says.

Those are manly, studly, things to do. I like them. Plus, I like hanging with my Dad, even though I miss my Mom.

After I heard her saying that about me not loving her as much, I decided we should spend some time together last weekend. Unfortunately, my Mom had been planning on making candles on Saturday. So, to prove my devotion, I hung out in the candle factory (a.k.a. my Dad’s shop) all day. This, I should mention, is not manly or studly. This is all girly and good smelling and foofy. I did it anyway, though. I figure if Fortis can get away with wearing a gardening hat, I can hang out with my Mom in a boy’s shop, while she makes candles. Sometimes you do things you really don’t want to for people that you care about. It’s like this saying my Mom told me once, “Sacrificing your happiness for the happiness of the one you love, is by far, the truest type of love.” Truth be told, even though I acted like I hated it, it really wasn’t so bad making candles. I figure it’s the least I can do after all she’s done for me.

Tonight my Dad and I have a softball game, where I’ll sit in the dugout and humbly accept attention while people sing my praises. Tonight, especially, I deserve it, because I’ve officially been a tripawd for exactly 7 months today. I’m pretty sure I heard my Dad say we were stopping for ice cream to celebrate.  I’m sort of hoping that we stop for beer…it seems way more macho than ice cream, but I’ll take either one.  I’m really feeling like I’ve managed to turn this whole amputation thing into a pretty good situation for myself.

It makes me realize that when Albert Einstein said, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity,” he knew what he was talking about. I guess that guy really was no dummy.