I enjoy listening to music while I write, and I’ve been listening to my I Heart Radio station for Hozier lately. “Take Me To Church” is an amazing song, btw, but it was actually a different song that caught my attention recently. 

A line from and Iron & Wine song, Such Great Heights, had one line that really stuck with me and got me thinking. 

What was the line? 

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking everyone has it better than you. Most likely, they’re struggling with the same things you are and being a source of support rather than someone else trying to tear a person down will make a difference in your life and theirs. 

My daughter has been asking for a dog since she was old enough to say the words. She’s eight now…so that’s a lot of, “Can I have a puppy?” requests over the years. 

Finally, we broke down and decided it was time to get a dog. Our kids are 8 and 11, old enough to help out and take care of a dog. So we went to the local shelter after having perused the list of dogs online and headed out to see our top picks. Turns out that the two we liked most were both in quarantine, one for biting people and one for being “aggressive toward people.”

On to plan B. 

We ended up settling on this 2 year old brown shepherd mix. Poor thing did not want to be a pet. At all. We tried everything to keep her in the yard, but she escaped everything. She was also terrified of just about everything. She hated coming in the house, had no clue how to play with kids other than trying to tear their clothes apart and bite at their arms, and she chewed up whatever she could get her teeth on. After a month, we finally have to give up and take her back to the shelter.

Round two. 

After our first experience, we decided what we needed was a puppy that we could train and have grow up as part of the family. So, here’s our new puppy, Finn. The shelter said he was a lab/retriever mix, but he looks more like a boxer to us.

We adore Finn, but for anyone thinking about getting a puppy, I have just a few words of wisdom to help prepare you.

1. Puppy teeth biting you feels like a dozen tiny needles stabbing into your flesh. They are seriously sharp! Good thing they’re only nibbling.

2. Puppy claws are equally sharp! Between the claws and the teeth, I look like I’ve been in a cat fight recently. Oh, and FYI, puppy claws aren’t all the same color. I thought that was neat 🙂

3. Puppies make lots of messes, but it’s totally worth it for us to have a dog that actually likes us and wants to be part of the family.

4. If you thought you were done baby-proofing your house, think again. Shoes have to up off the ground, cords and wires hidden, odds and ends can’t be left on the floor to be chewed on.

5. Puppies find a favorite spot, and it’s forever theirs alone. Bye-bye gaming chair.

6. Puppies haven’t quite gotten the hang of doing their business and not stepping in it immediately after. Consequently, they get a little smelly, which is a problem if the shelter just neutered him and you can’t bathe them for seven days.

7. Walking on a leash is not a skill puppies have without training. Poor Finn had no clue what was going on when we put a collar and leash on. Baby steps.

8. Puppies don’t like to be alone, especially at night. Poor baby cries when we have to kennel him at night, and whines if he’s not in a room with someone else. Luckily my daughter doesn’t mind keeping him company.

9. Puppies are super clumsy. It’s pretty cute to watch 🙂 Even little steps can sending them tumbling onto their noses.

10. Puppies sleep a lot, and sometimes in strange positions! Finn is also a pretty light sleeper, so the poor guy gets woken up a lot.

Clearly every dog is different, and finding the right one for your family isn’t easy. We’re loving our new puppy, though, and it looks like this is going to be a great fit! 

Tell me about your pets!

It’s hard to believe it’s already that time again, but Thanksgiving it right around the corner. Next week, in fact. Am I ready for it? No. 

So, the plan?

Good luck to everyone getting ready for the holidays! Good luck to me, anyway. You all might be a little more put together than I am 😉

 Usually my Monday posts are writing related, but today I wanted to take a minute to share with you some of the events of last week. 

On Monday afternoon I was called away from work by my dad by news that my Grandma Esther, who had fallen the week before and fractured her pelvis, had coded when her heart stopped, but had been resuscitated. She had a do not resuscitate order in place, but because the paperwork hadn’t been converted to the newer digital charts, she was revived, but had not regained consciousness. It was touch and go over the next twenty-four hours while she regained consciousness briefly but her body continued to decline. On Tuesday afternoon, she passed away and joined my Grandpa Ivan in the eternities.

I loved my grandma dearly, and being with her the last few hours of her life is something I will never forget. Even though it was incredibly difficult to watch her suffer and be in pain when I couldn’t do anything to help her, I felt comforted knowing she was surrounded by family and that those who couldn’t be there were praying for her.

In the last three years, we’ve had four funerals between my family and my husband’s. It’s difficult to say goodbye to family members that have given so much love in their lives, but my grandma’s passing was especially difficult for me.

My grandparents moved in next door to us when I was seven years old. From that point on, they were a constant fixture in my life. They were the loves of each other’s lives. Everyone who saw them together knew that. The couldn’t have made it through seventy years of marriage if they weren’t. They were such an example of what a marriage should be.

My grandpa told us stories of his days in the military, operating a VFW outpost in Colorado, becoming the mayor of the little town of Oat Creek, and helping to get the bridge repaired after a huge flood nearly destroyed the town. My grandma would sit quietly and let him tell the stories, but she lived through every single one of those events with him, and it wasn’t always easily.

While my grandpa was overseas, she worked and raised her children largely on her own. She showed

her amazing strength through years of trials, never complaining and always lending a hand to those in need even when they had very little themselves. Accepting help was difficult for both my grandparents, but giving it was second nature. They affected everyone they met for the better.

As I was growing up, she was my role model. Even at thirty years old, she’s still the person I want to be when I grow up. I’ve never known a stronger, more resilient, more giving, loving or more determined person. There was nothing she couldn’t do, no difficulty she couldn’t overcome…all without complaint. At ninety years old and after years of battling leukemia, she was still living in her own home, taking care of the neighborhood dogs that would wait on her porch for treats and love every day. She refused to move in with my dad and let him care for her the last few years because she didn’t want to be a burden to him. She wasn’t stubborn–she didn’t like that word much–but she was determined. She wanted to live her life on her own terms, and she did.

Esther Mae Shrum was an amazing woman. I wish everyone could have known her. Her influence in my life helped guide me as a child, and will continue to guide for the rest of my life. She was one of those people that you didn’t forget after meeting them, and I hope I can one day be like her.