Hidden Gems in Life’s Challenges

As I wrote last week, it’s been over a year since I last updated you on everything that’s been happening at Our Little House. On the surface, it has been a challenging year, for sure.For those of you who don’t follow along on our Living Large Facebook page, here’s the run down:

• We lost our Sweet Sade Sue, the loveable pit bull we literally saw being dumped on the side of the road on our way to our move here in 2007. Sade had to have her spleen removed due to a large bleeding mass in spring 2017. The vet said she didn’t see evidence the cancer had spread, but we knew it likely was still in her blood. By early spring 2018, we had a lump on her leg X-rayed and learned she had a mass in her lungs. For those of you who don’t believe dogs know a lot, you never met Sweet Sade Sue. She absolutely adored her photograph being taken and insisted on being in many shots that have appeared in both stories and our book about Our Little House. She was our official mascot.
• Two days later, we lost our Dakota “Boo” to thyroid cancer. Dakota’s battle was much longer and we were prepared. Still, having these losses so close together was a double shot to our hearts.
• We took in Arkie II, formerly known to us and introduced on the blog many years ago as Buddy. His elderly dog dad named him for his previous beagle. Unfortunately, Arkie’s human became seriously ill and wasn’t able to recover his strength enough to return home. We told him Arkie would have a home with us as long as we possibly could provide for him. Arkie is a senior and quite the handful, but a loveable and happy guy.
• Dexter is still doing great and although Abbi and Chloe are both aging, they seem to be in relatively good health for now. These events led me to stop referring to our “Fearsome 5” and I just now call them the “New Gang.”
• I reconnected with my spirituality in this past year, reaffirming what I know to be my truth and purpose in this life. While this is a good thing, it is also like a purging of the soul, a difficult process.
• My health issue has been hard on Dale. Our entire lives were upended in what seemed at one point a never-ending circle of illness, hospital and ER visits and medical bills (which resulted in us selling our beloved fishing boat). I couldn’t even cook and for those of you who have followed the blog for years, you know I enjoyed cooking (and eating). I’ve lost 70 pounds since July 2017. “Sunday Funday” afternoons were even dedicated to what we were going to cook up for dinner and a few lunches throughout the week.

All of this sounds pretty bleak (and I admit, much of this year has not been fun), there’s always things to be taken from challenges:

• I’ve learned to enjoy each moment (My new favorite saying is from the last line in the movie, A Dog’s Purpose: “Be. Here. Now.”
• Sweet Sade Sue did not suffer and we were both eternally grateful that both she and Dakota passed at home, so quietly that I did not even realize the moments it happened. As with all of the dogs and cats we have loved, we feel they gave us so much more than we ever thought possible.
• Arkie is teaching us new lessons in compassion, love and patience. Arkie’s dog dad is still providing for Arkie financially and that’s good for us, as we cannot afford to take on another dog right now. Arkie’s dad served our country proudly and is a retired colonel in the Navy. He asks about his dog regularly and of course, was concerned about Arkie’s fate. Bringing some measure of comfort while taking care of an admittedly difficult senior dog that likely couldn’t be placed elsewhere, is the least we can do to pay back this man’s service.
• There’s never ultimately a downside to reconnecting with one’s soul truths. My journey has been enhanced by connecting with my beloved aunt on a deeper level, as well as reconnecting with an old friend and making a couple of new ones. I expect this journey will continue as a life-long learning and healing experience.
• While we have our little moments and both of us still get frustrated at the loss of our “old life” and habits, I believe this crisis has made me and Dale stronger as individuals and as a couple. The commitment Dale has shown to my care during the worst of times has brought tears to my eyes more than once. We’ve also found new ways to enjoy our life.

So, even when things seem dark for long periods, there’s always the hidden gems of blessings in every situation. Another lesson of truly Living Large.

Although I’m still trying to find what gems might be hidden in those medical bills……

What lessons have you learned from hard times in your life?