Wednesday, January 21, 2009

We Can All Use An Inspiring Story

A beautiful friend of mine sent this to me via email. It is a story about a dog named Lucky. It is worth the read especially to any animal lovers out there.

Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky.' Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open, because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.

Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease....in fact, she was just sure it was fatal.

She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him. The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.

The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.

Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap. Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.

When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned! While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life. He had covered her with his love.

Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky? He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box, but Mary remains his greatest treasure.

Remember....live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing. And never forget....the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care for us.

If you see someone without a smile today give them one of yours!
Live simply.
Love seriously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

11 comments:

mythopolis said...

Sweet, Jodi...I am a big time animal lover and this story was so interesting. And your message comes through regarding the moral. Thanks. d

Bud Fisher said...

That is a great tale. Thanks for sharing it...

Debbie said...

thank you for sharing!

Coffee Slut said...

*sniff*

I hope you had a wonderful day, and that the pain is decreasing.
Hugs!

Anonymous said...

great story...reminds me of me and Bella right now. She depends on me so much. and I love her dearly...
thanks for sharing, and hope that you are feeling better.
BG

Scriber's Web said...

Aaaaw.... What a lovely story! Thanks for sharing with us my friend! Hope you are doing a little better!

Kitten said...

A friend of mine just went through a double mastectomy herself, and this made me think of her. And Lucky made me think of my girls, too, and how they comfort me when I most need it.

Amber said...

what a terrifically heartwarming tale :o)

Staci said...

Never underestimate the ability of a dog to "understand" what it happening to his friend. Great story...thanks for sharing.

Love your blog's new look!!

Joyful Shepherd said...

Beautiful.

Stephanie said...

This is truly a touching story. Thank you so much for sharing. I think that I am going to re-use it. It is beautiful!