Day 163

10/24/22

Nobody seems to have avoided the effects of Covid on their life. Nobody. We have had loved ones suffer during and after the virus and we also lost one very special man. Terry Overacker...you will always be in our hearts.

Our Goldens were also at a loss during the pandemic. Having all of our venues cancel our visits left Lilly and Ranger very confused. We would continue our walks down be the river, but people did not want to touch these two loving creatures. We would wave from a distance as I detoured away from the walkway, but my Therapy Dogs couldn't do what they do best...love, touch and be touched. It was a sad era for all of us.

When protocols seemed to loosen their reigns on society, we were still on hold from the hospital, senior communities and schools. However, our walks started to become a thing of joy for my two elders. They were not avoided and feared anymore. If anything, people seemed to connect with a ferocious need to be near the pups. Lilly and Ranger were, once again, doing what they love best...loving people.

Our own lives were altered during the worst of the pandemic. I cleaned, organized, wrote cards, did ZOOM visits, crocheted and walked dogs. We were lucky to have a big old house to wander around, but the time spent outside with the pups was very healing. When we would go on our jaunts, I felt hopeful. That hope has finally come to fruition with life returning to semi-normal.

Tonight, we met with two very dear friends who, due to the pandemic, commitments and other barriers, had been absent from our lives for a very long time! We met for dinner (I never take that for granted these days!) and exchanged birthday and Christmas gifts from the time apart. It was healing to the heart and soul.

The picture shows one of the gifts we received this evening. Our friend, Anita, lamented the fact that there was a small chip off one of the ears on the dogs. The statue, which looks SO much like Gus and Sam, is perfect with its small flaw...absolutely perfect. Gus has eyesight in only one eye, so the chip honors the spirit that allows him to move forward with "Gus"to! Believe me when I say his disability has not slowed him down one little bit!

I believe people can all be beautiful even with our imperfections. Some of those flaws can be seen, while others are captured within. Small cracks in our armor are simply signs of what our journey has left behind. Where the cracks have formed, there is often a strong bond holding the entirety together. They are reminders to all that, even though there are broken parts, the whole can be a beautiful thing indeed.

I love this statue. (I love the givers of the gift as well.) I love it because of its beauty, but also as a reminder that imperfections can make the entirety even more beautiful.