My dad lost all three of his dogs in the past few months and this dog loving man was without a canine best friend for the first time in decades. He asked my mother daily for a new dog but she needed a little break from dog hair and all that comes with these furry friends. But…he asked anyway…every day! So when I chatted with my sisters it was clear to me that getting dad a new puppy for Father’s Day was going to be the perfect gift. It didn’t take much convincing to get mom on the same page so this became, according to my dad, THE BEST Father’s Day gift he’s ever received! Thankfully our cousins in Peoria, IL breed the top Brittany spaniels in the country and they just happened to have a beautiful litter ready 8 days before Father’s Day and had one available for me to purchase!! Providence? Synchronicity? God’s timing? Luck? Call it what you want…but my dad is now the proud owner of this gorgeous male Brittany puppy he named Gunner. Thanks to Dogwood Brittanys this daddy of mine now has his hands and heart full! Thanks also to my family who pitched in and made it financially possible!
Then onward to my favorite Illinois working farm where Wendy and Rich hosted me for a night and treated me to the freshest farm food and goat milk, unbelievable strawberries, and I got to see and learn about the goings on at this organic farm where a dog, cat, goats, chickens and sheep have the best lives and fruits, flowers, herbs and vegetables get to grow in the richest Illinois soil with kindness and love spoken into their very DNA! This is a slice of Heaven on earth for me to bask in the garden and barn with Wendy as we share life and perpetuate a sweet friendship with spoken and unspoken understanding. I love that our goodbye always ends with a hug that is filled with longing for the next time.
The next several days I rejoiced in the fact that my body is capable of such physical activity as hiking and mountain biking because I got to venture to northern Wisconsin where my mountain biking coach and friend, AKA my shred sister, Brenda lives. I met Brenda on a Facebook page called Mountain Biking Ladies a couple years ago and she became one of my greatest sources of encouragement during my cancer journey. Because coaching is her life, I fully believed in myself as I did my first gravity style mountain biking with her last week!! Her coaching company For The Love Of Bikes is something everyone who owns a mountain bike should check out!! We also hiked new glorious Wisconsin trails and fished at her private lake where we relaxed in the quiet paradise of Harrison Hills near Tomahawk, WI.
Then back to Rockford, IL for a couple nights to see my family a bit longer. Lys and I rode twice, and I had a few short but cherished conversations with nieces, Aunt Ro, sisters and my beloved parents! I got to puppy sit that energetic bundle of love too!! This may not be the year for an award winning flower garden with Gunner as the guardian, but it sure made me smile to see the innocent curiosity of a 9 week old puppy!!
After a long drive back home to Ohio, I was thankful to sleep in my own bed again after a week and spend a day with my hubby. He bought me a surprise gift that I recently shared that I was interested in having!!! Now my woods will get cleaned up and I’m going to have some good dirty fun!!
God is so good to me. I have beautiful family and friends and I’m a rich woman.
I know my days may be numbered, but then again aren’t we all walking around with an unknown limited amount of days? I choose to be grateful for this past week and today and right now. Every second of life is a gift.
