Sophie is 1,000 days past her terminal diagnosis date. 

Crazy, right? 1,000 more days than we thought we’d have with our furry love!  

Thousands of walks when we thought each may be our last.  

Thousands of cuddles when we thought of the time we’d have no more.  

Thousands of nose pokes.  

Thousands of puppy dog looks to remind us she’d like some attention.  

A thousand days of reminders that the plan sketched on my napkin is only a guide, and the upcoming path is not crystal clear or particularly ordered.  Our journey may be slick and smooth, until it’s not.  One day, it winds or u-turns or screeches to a halt with a roadblock or fades into a gravel road before it widens into a superhighway surrounded by a lush landscape.  Sophie Doggie taught me that detours don’t mean dead ends.  Heck, dead ends don’t even mean dead ends.  They are a call to faith, trust and giving up the illusion of control.  Even when our morning “walk” consisted of me carrying her from her bed, out the door, to the front lawn, where she stood still and sniffed for a couple minutes before I carried her back in, I trusted her tail wagging as a sign to keep going and keep moving on a path toward renewed health.  Here we are, a couple months later, with 2 daily walks around the block again.  Who knew?  Make the plan, but leave room to write in the margins of the original.  The twists and turns during these thousand days have led to challenges, surprises, unexpected joys, resilience and learning.  This journey has been gently fueled by her soft, furry cuddle.  How to choose the next step at each impasse?  When you feel the warmth of your heart as you make your decisions, you can bet that’s the right next step.  Let Love guide your one next step, and then the next. 

Lift your eyes, look around: you may notice some incredible tail-wagging moments.   

Wishing you Love and Miracles. xoxo