Beyond Special

It’s been a tough couple of months. It’s been a time of unexpected, tough day to day choices, struggling with problems, priorities, business, even my residence. But mostly, it’s been tough to see my hunting partner slowly declining, becoming weaker and weaker, trying so hard to cope with unfixable damn Osteo Sarcoma.  It breaks my heart, watching him all day every day, knowing there is nothing I can do to stop it.  It certainly doesn’t help that everything in our house is up or down a flight of stairs.  It absolutely pains me to see him limp around.  I just can’t bear it.  But like a champ, he gimps on up those stairs.  Or down.  And then he sleeps.  Life seems to be all about just trying to get through a day with minimal strain on my poor boy.

Thank the Gods for the many friends that are here for me.  How comforting to know I matter to them on good days, and bad days. How wonderful to share good times and laughter, hard times and tears, always feel cared about. They are so thoughtful, and I so appreciate their genuine touching exchanges with Buddy. I am so lucky to have the caring friends I do.  And he is one spoiled dog…which is as it should be.

Just when I thought my circle couldn’t possibly be more abundent, I was given the most amazing gift for my birthday ever.

Actually, the amazing gift appeared just after the last traumatizing event in my life:  March of 2013, when I received the news about Mike Strandlunds unexpected death in the Philippines.  As I sat in a frenzy of panic attack grief at the end of the driveway of the home he and I shared for 10 years, a hard, sharp pain in the heart suddenly struck me and the next thing I knew, I was in the driveway of a most cherished friend I’d been estranged from for many years.

I promise it’s true what they say that true friendship, true bonds last forever no matter what.  No judging, no questions, no “WTF”…that girl took me into her arms and comforted me in my horrific sobbing grief as though we’d never been apart.

Now, here I am, over a year later, simply overwhelmed by her incredible act of generosity on my birthday.  Buddy, the girls and I will be spending much of the remainder of the summer “on the lake”.   She and I just pulled my Toy Hauler up to her lake property.  It still seems to be to be somewhat of a dream.

It’s been a hard day of work, weed whipping, analyzing, backing, and leveling. And of course, what would an adventure be without something going wrong with my Toy Hauler?  So yes—I will have to tow it to Bemidji Monday to see why the fridge doesn’t work after just 16 months.

But it’s been a great birthday.  We made some dinner, enjoyed a few adult beverages, took Buddy for a very short walk, and now I am sitting here, cradling my good boy, looking out at the big waters of Leech Lake, so grateful for this special opportunity.  He lifts his head high, smelling the woods, the water, the grouse, then lays back down falling into deep, dog dream sleep. What a grand, glamorous way for our outdoors family to spend the remainder of his time together.  What an appropriate place to grieve for him after he is gone.

Throughout life, people pass through our worlds, touching us in different ways.  Some connect and stay, some simply pause, play for a while, and go.  There are people who, despite being present, actually were never there.  And then, once in a great while, if a person’s lucky, they may be graced with some who are beyond special.

Clearly I have been graced.  The depth and strength of unconditional love and friendship is astounding to experience.  Once again, the recipient of heartfelt selfless giving beyond my wildest dreams, realizing and reinforcing, how much I have to be thankful for in this life.