Day 575
There are some days when the Goldens and I limp home...fulfillment in our hearts, but emotionally exhausted. Today was one of those days.
Lilly and I spent time at Walker and then Ranger joined me for the Mercy run. Our interactions were meaningful, memorable and heartfelt. On this day, there did not seem to be one connection that did not involve the emotions.
We visited a sweet lady who was headed for heart surgery on Thursday. She admitted to being frightened. She mentioned that she needed to be home for Christmas to make the dinner and plan the holiday. I glanced at her husband and immediately knew she was the glue holding the family together. As she petted our big guy's head, I gently talked about the amazing team at Mercy and shared success stories galore. Then, I asked about her family. There were two daughters who would need much guidance if they were to prepare a dinner upon her return. Smiling, I said, "Well, I have heard a few excuses for getting out of making a family dinner, but heart surgery takes the cake!" We were all laughing by the time Ranger and I headed out the door with promises to check in next week on 4 Heart.
Then there was a request to visit a lady who burst into tears when we walked into her room. She was emotional with her response and kept repeating, "Oh! A dog! I can't believe it!" Ranger did not disappoint! While she dried her tears, our Therapy Dog just rested his big head in her lap until it was time to go. When we left, there were smiles all around!
The list goes on and on. Each encounter needed reassurance and love.
Finally, we started to head up to our PHP classroom to spend the hour talking about the advantages of animals in our lives. At the elevators, a nurse from Sister Kenney ran up to us. She was out of breath as she said, "We have a patient who has a gift for Ranger. Do you have time to come downstairs to see her?" Of course we did! Even if we were a few minutes late for the Partial Hospitalization Program, we could not refuse. Walking through the physical therapy equipment, we finally found our gift-giver. She began to cry and thanked us over and over as she handed Ranger a tennis ball. It was such a special moment for everyone there! (Once Ranger had the tennis ball in his possession, he seemed to be looking for the lake for a game of "RETRIEVER"!) We finally left with everyone smiling...even through the tears.
Returning home, Ranger joined Lilly on the couch and immediately shut his eyes to snooze as I looked on. These two marvels don't even know how they changed the world for so many today. They simply love without any expectations of reward. What beautiful souls and I get to watch the magic!
