Right before turning-in last night, Brisket jumped up on the bed, her usual sleeping spot, burrowing a groove right next to me. As I was rubbing her belly, I felt this small bump. At first I thought it was a “nipple,” then I realized that it was more pronounced and toward the right of her lower abdomen. Sure enough the small, raised growth looked a little like a bug-bite but more mobile and squishy just under the skin.
Trying not to over-react, I was going to wait until after the weekend to have it evaluated. Of course, I could barely sleep all night. At least I wasn’t crying uncontrollably, anticipating the worst. Still I was worried, Staffies /Pit bulls/ mixes being prone to Mast Cell Tumors regardless of age. Brisket hadn't even turned five, after all. Her young age didn't really matter though as I learned the hard way with the late, great Diva Joplin, passing far too soon.
I managed to get a few hours of sleep before waking up to a sort of epiphany. Call me crazy, but it wasn’t the first time I had the feeling that George had talked to me in my dreams, calming my fears like he'd always done. Other than His influence, there was no reason for me to have awoken less stressed. In fact, my entire self-talk had change.
The advice was framed as a much needed lesson in "tough love." For some reason, I finally realized that George’s death would not protect me from other bad things happening. Life would go on—for better or worse. So rather than freaking-out, I needed to do the best thing for Brisket and me. Although waiting a few days was reasonable, I knew the lump wasn’t going anywhere after decades of experience with a variety of companion animals.
Early the next morning, I dropped-off Brisket at Lake Travis Animal Hospital to have her evaluated and to avoid ruminating over the unknown. A few hours later, Dr. Foster called me at home to say that the bump was a small cyst. Brisket needed a teeth cleaning, too, never having had one before. So Dr. Foster advised to remove the cyst during that procedure.
This story's moral is "all’s well that ends well," trite but true nonetheless. A random incident has taught me that there are indeed many things beyond our control. Life isn’t going to give me a break because George isn’t here anymore. I won't get an automatic pass for a “happily ever after." None of us will.
Thank you, God, for the good, the bad, and the ugly!
I watched The View many years ago when "Bitsy" (aka Elisabeth Hasselbeck) was a legend in her own mind. I just happened upon the most recent Bitsy encore after streaming the episode with Stacey Abrams.
Wow, what a contrast, with Stacey Abrams living in reality while Bitsy still game-playing with a bunch of like-minded cut-throats on a remote island, throwing each other under the proverbial bus to win at all costs.
As a Survivor alum, Bitsy is a player. Make no mistake; she's never been a victim. Regarding Rosie O'Donnell, Bits has always been a passive aggressive bully, picking on the fat, loud-mouth, lesbian --the weakest link. I don’t know the point "Little Bits" is currently trying to make by comparing O'Donnell's "girl-crush" to the #Metoo Movement except to stir-up controversy for her own gain and publicity at someone else's expense. To suggest that O'Donnell would have desired anything more than to be a mentor and friend is utter BS.
Worse, I don’t really understand the rest of the ladies at the table fawning all over La Bits? Not one of them has defended O'Donnell while Bitsy's homophobia is on full display, making something out of absolutely nothing to remain relevant and sell her vapid books? I can only hope "Little Bits" now an"influencer" has hired a ghost writer. Then again, I'm not buying what she's selling--never have, never will.
Perhaps rather than below-the-belt jabs at former colleagues who aren’t there to defend themselves, Bitsy could improve upon her own mediocrity. Unfortunately after over a decade as a quasi public figure, Bits is still struggling with vocabulary, for example. She uses “accelerating” rather than “excelling” when talking about her kids’ accomplishments.
And what does “Stand by your insinuations” mean anyway? Inquiring minds want to know. I've always thought "opinions" would have been a better word choice while screaming shrilly at O'Donnell during their final *ahem* "debate" on split screen no less. Love or hate her, O'Donnell has always been clearly opinionated, not "insinuated" (?).
Then again, I don't live in Bitsy-land. I've been voted-off. Praise Jesus!
Considering social media's response to today's headlines, many in an indignant uproar about public figures behaving badly turn a blind eye when members of the clergy are the perpetrators. Regardless of affiliation, abuse of religious power is the most dangerous and destructive.
In other words, it's not like the entertainment industry among others is pretending to be a paragon of virtue. Traditionally, "La-la land" doesn't have the best of reputations unless the rest of us common folk are living under a rock or something.
Yet one would think those representing “God” might be held to a higher standard. We ask priests and other clergy into our lives every day, establishing an intimate, lifetime relationship for better or worse. We trust them with our darkest secrets. We believe that they have our best interests at heart. We have faith they will lead us into the light not the darkness. Our love for them is unconditional. Our "hope springs eternal...," Alexander Pope.
Is it any wonder our children are afraid “to tell” when the devil is also "Our Father”? The fact that those of any clergy are rarely prosecuted is absolutely frightening much less disgusting. It’s not Jesus who protects them: it’s a system of enabling “disciples,” the very worst of heretics.
How can we expect Hollywood to clean up its act when those of the cloth avoid prosecution entirely in the name of all that is Holy?
