Saturday, February 17, 2024

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Tonight's picture was taken in February of 2008. That weekend we took Mattie to a local mill and walked around. I can read Mattie's face in this photo! He clearly did not want to stand still and pose for a photo. He most likely wanted to walk and run around, to check things out. For the most part Mattie put up with my need to capture moments in time, but then there were days like this..... when he just wanted to be free and independent from requests. 

Quote of the day: The world would be a nicer place if everyone had the ability to love as unconditionally as a dog. ~ M.K. Clinton

Before my parents moved to Virginia, every September 8th (the anniversary of Mattie's death) Sunny and I would visit Mattie's memorial paver at the hospital where he received his cancer treatment. From there, we would then walk to visit Mattie's memorial brick at the church which held Mattie's funeral (not far from the hospital). Sunny was a constant companion and though he typically liked to walk and explore, he understood somehow that these visits were important and was very calm and patient. 

Sunny was pictured with his two front paws on Mattie's paver!  

For the last week, I have had a migraine that is off the charts. Today, this intense head pain was combined with nerve pain. Literally the slightest touch of my head and face were painful. This type of nerve pain is called allodynia. 

Given all that I have to manage, I must work through this pain. I spent a good portion of the day figuring out finances and working on paying bills. Since this hasn't been a task that I have typically done in my adult life, I have had a significant learning curve. Which adds to my already full plate of stress. In between tasks, I put together homemade turkey soup. In December, I made turkey broth from our Christmas turkey. I froze it and today, I cut up fresh vegetables into the broth and produced a truly wonderful soup. 

At 2:30pm, I got my parents moving and in the car. I took them out for frozen yogurt. This is a good diversion for all of us. We get out, see people, get away from the house, and have a treat together. I believe diversions are vital in life, they are the only way to survive stress, trauma, and the tragedies of life. I learned this first hand right after Mattie died, and for me, it is the only strategy that works.