Johnny K and I are still consolidating houses, and I am sitting with our Yellow Lab Ginger at the country house. Her heart is slowly giving out on her and yet her sweet personality and former strength are keeping it beating, even as her muscles waste away and she barely eats. She needs help to stand sometimes. I am able to give her home made dog biscuits, made by her Grandma Gina, and it is about the only thing she still looks at with anticipation. She is such a lovely girl.
Ginger was just able to eat 2 little biscuit cookies. As she crunched down on the second one I went looking for something in the Johnny K stocked pantry for me. Let's see... There was Paprika. And a lovely jar of cinnamon... Oh! Look, tucked way back and up high there is a jar of Nutella! All I need is a spoon! And it does not expire until October! Of 2003. Exiting the pantry I see the remaining paper wrapped bread loaf from Sundays dinner, hiding behind the pot of garlic. It was an artisan bread loaf from the Giant grocery store. It is coated with sunflower seeds and flax seeds. It was yummy on Sunday, stale on Tuesday. Stale bread makes the best toast. I sliced some for the toaster. Got the butter out. Waited for the toaster bell to ding. Three small oval slices later, I could have eaten a fourth! It was just so delicious! So where I thought I was lacking, and had nothing, I actually had something wonderful. I had gone to look for better things, not even seeing that a potential best thing was right on the counter. Sometimes events make us look again at what we have, and appreciate it with new eyes. We have been appreciating each day with Ginger that way, too. I have been watching the depth of love my husband has for his dog, and how he takes care of her. She has been with him longer than I have known him. He is sad but still enjoying her smaller life as it winds down. He has wonderful memories of her bigger life when she was strong. He has told me she has counted on him and he cannot let her down. You can see why I married him. I put the heel of the bread back in the paper bag and while I close it up I notice what it is called. Simply Enjoy Multigrain Loaf. Delicious bread that comes with life advice. Simply Enjoy. I have done that all morning. Sitting with Ginger, taking her briefly outside on this gorgeous day, reading, making toast. Nothing exciting and yet when I think about my morning it has been so enjoyable. Simply enjoy. I am happy to be reminded just how simple joy can be.
1 Comment
Emily Brough
5/6/2014 10:41:40 am
Oh how sweet she is. A sweet sweet angel. Love her.
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