Chronic Pain and What it Actually is....

 

Chronic pain (any pain lasting over 6 weeks) actually rewires your brain.

How does pain go from acute to chronic?

The nervous system is plastic which means it picks up habits easily. Pain is one of those habits. The more the nervous system practices activating a certain symptom, the easier it becomes to activating it again and again (it's kind of like the more sugar we eat the more our bodies will crave sugar).

It's having an overactive nervous system that effects neuropathways, your amygdala, and your brain rewires itself to experiencing chronic pain.

The brain has a memory for pain pathways.

The more a type of pain occurs, the easier it becomes for the brain to replicate this pain regardless if there is a reason for it. You may still experience pain long after your body is actually healed.

It's called pain memory.

That is why amputees, for example, experience pain in limbs that no longer exist.

The brain never forgets how to create a certain sensation. When pain is chronic, over time your brain keeps track and it becomes more fearful of anything that could be a threat for your pain.

This hypersensitivity is unversial in chronic pain sufferers.

Things that use to feel enjoyable like walking, exercising, or even sitting, may now feel unbearable.

Your brain begins to fear these physical activities, weather patterns, etc.

It's a protective over reaction.

It's kind of like a child that has had an incident with an overly excited dog. The dog jumps on him and knocks him over and it scares the child. Now, every time this kid sees this particular dog, he runs from it. The dog thinks the child is playing so he chases the kid. This puts more fear in the child.

As time goes on, the child now learns to fear other dogs. His fear of that one dog turns into fear of all dogs.

This is similar to what happens when we spend a long time in pain.

Our brain starts to perceive normal activities as dangerous and your brain then brings on pain when actually nothing has happened to trigger that pain.

It is possible to relieve this pain though. I am learning and reading about how we can re-wire our brains so our learned neuropathways that are causing our real pain, alter themselves and rewire themselves to stop the chronic pain cycle.

I know it's a lot to wrap your mind around but if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Our brain is incredible as well as our nervous system and they work together when it comes to chronic pain, learned behaviors, and how all of this works together when it comes to the pain we experience in our bodies.

I am trying to give purpose to my pain so I will keep sharing research for those that want to read it.

Surviving Puppyhood - Shark bites & Milestones to help every pet parent

Puppies.

 

They are cute right! Everyone loves puppies!

 

They are balls of soft fluff with baby sweet breath that we want to jar up and their bellies – Oh the puppy bellies! Puppies bring out the best in us when we see one or visit a friend with a new furry family member. We’ve all seen the pictures of the kids rolling around with puppies on the floor, licking, giving kissies, and the child bursting with laughter and happy squeals. Puppies just make us happy.

 

What we usually don’t talk about is the other side of puppyhood which can catch many off guard, even sending owners straight to the shelter to drop off their new bundle of bites.

 

Puppies are what I like to refer to as baby sharks.

 

Not so much like the joyfully irritating colored sharks in that famous song that gets stuck in your head for days but, more like small shark biting fur terrorists that make us wonder if we should own stock in Band-Aid or if we will ever make it to the other side of zoomie-ville where the bites are soft and the toys stay whole.

 

Let me introduce our baby shark, Louie.

 This month Louie has a birthday and he will be 1. 

It’s been a long year. J Not only because of Covid-19 but because we have been living with jaws and claws for 12 months. Don’t get me wrong - We love our Lou Lou. He’s an absolute delight and we love him very much. From his frantic kisses every time you enter the room to his entire body wiggle when he gets excited; He’s a sweetheart that adds so much joy to our pack.

 

But he’s been the hardest puppy we’ve ever had.

 

In our defense, we are 6 years older than our last puppy and our last one, Sammy Lammington, was a breeze. Sammy’s idea of fun is relaxing in the sun next to his favorite person (me). He would rather binge watch The Handmaid’s Tale snuggling with his person rather than chase bunnies or squirrels and he’s the perfect dog except for the occasional poop eating adventure. Cue the poop burps – it’s disgusting.

 

This time puppyhood seems so much harder than our last two. 

 

We got Louie in 2020 during Covid-19. We knew we wanted to get another dog after losing our heart dog Max in 2019. We are a two dog kinda family and since we were quarantined, we thought it was probably the best time to get another dog since we were going to have the time to invest and ultimately heal from the shark attacks.

 

My husband and I were open to rescuing a puppy and are big supporters of NBRAN and other rescue groups. We filled out an application and had a home visit from NBRAN to make sure our home would be suitable and we were waiting for the right puppy to come our way. During that time, the breeder Sammy came from reached out to let us know they were having a litter that was related to our Sammy so after praying about it, we decided we’d get one of Sammy’s nephews.

 

They are related by blood but that is where the similarities end.

 

Louie was the only boy born among 6 sisters and he was ours. We were counting down the days (literally) until we could meet him and we were so excited to add him to our pack. We drove to Illinois to pick him up and were smitten from the very beginning. He does this thing where he rubs himself against you like he’s trying to dry you off; it’s his way of showing affection. He wiggles his entire body of sheer joy when he sees you and adds fast and furious kisses which are his specialty.

 

But as amazing and sweet as he is, he’s a baby shark.

 

First off, he puts everything in his mouth! 

I know! I know! 

Don't they all?! Well. we actually never had this problem with our other two (I think we were just lucky with them) so the fact that he is a literal vacuum cleaner has been difficult for us. I am constantly bending over to do the mom-choking-finger-sweep to pull something out of his mouth. He eats everything! This behavior, although normal for puppies since they explore the world with their mouths, can be annoying and frustrating.

Louie is also very inquisitive. He likes to check everything out and is like a nosy neighbor. He wants to know what you are doing and how he can help. This would be sweet if it was actually helpful. Simply carrying the laundry in my arms is a safety hazard because he’s directly under my feet jumping up trying to see what he can rip savagely from my hands. Someone call OSHA – I can’t get any work done!

 

Next, let’s talk puppy teeth and nails. First, puppy teeth are like sharp pointed needles that jab into your skin and draw blood. Puppies have shark teeth and they know how to use them. Their claws are like Velociraptors. They will dig them into your skin and tear your flesh leaving you bloodied, scarred, and crying. It is even worse when your puppy acts like you are water-boarding him when you try to clip his nails. It can be a freak show for some puppies and their poor owners.

I mean look at those needle teeth! 

Quick! Here is a cute picture of our sweet Lou Lou and Sammy so you can see it’s not all bad! :) 

Our experience with Louie was different than what we expected and although it was difficult, we wouldn’t trade him for anything. In his defense, I was in the middle of writing a book when we brought him home so writing and editing my book while I had a 3 month old puppy running around proved to be quite difficult.

 

That is on me.

 

Not baby shark.

 

But I did want to share some “life rafts” that may help other puppy parents that feel like they are drowning and to help them get through the shark attack phase of puppyhood.  I wanted to give some hope to those going through the tough stages to let them know it does get better and to let you know you aren’t alone.

 

When I was feeling overwhelmed early on in puppyhood, one of the things that really helped me was breaking things down into milestones. As puppies grow, they will achieve milestones as they grow and these achievements will certainly make our lives easier too. From sleeping through the night, to potty training and teething – these are milestones that every pet parent needs to survive. They can be overwhelming at times so it really helped me to focus on one milestone at a time and then celebrate when Louie (and we) achieved them.

 

Below are a few milestones that I focused on and celebrated with Louie.

 

I broke them down and added tips under each one to try and help pet parents. These aren’t all of them but they are certainly the milestones I focused on during the “survival phase”.

 

Puppy milestones are:

·         Sleeping

·         Potty training

·         Biting

·         Losing teeth

·         Nail & grooming

·         Leaving alone

 

Sleeping Milestone

1. Establish a routine – Dogs are very routine and their sleeping patterns are no different. Your puppy will likely get into a routine with napping during the day and getting them to sleep through the night will be no different. Routines are good. If you are crating your puppy, having a set bed time during puppyhood will get their bodies and minds trained for sleep.
2. Potty breaks – Puppies are usually not able to hold their potty for more than a few hours at a time. Make sure you are aware of how much they are drinking prior to bed and then for the first few weeks, be aware you may have a middle of the night potty break. It’s not because they are trying to ruin your beauty sleep. Their bodies are growing and they need extra potty breaks.
3. When crating your puppy, do not place them in a large crate thinking that the more room they have the better. Use your crate divider so they have just enough room to turn around. This will help with potty training because dogs don’t like to pee where they lay. The more room they have, they are likely to pick a corner and make it their pee spot. As they grow and their bladder gets stronger, the bigger their space can be in their crate.
4. As always, never put your puppy or dog in a crate with their collar on. It is a choking hazard. We know from experience with our dog Max and thankfully we were home to save him.

 

 

Potting Training Milestone

1. Expect accidents – Accidents are going to happen. Just expect them. Remember you were in diapers for years! Be thankful puppies don’t take that long to train.
2. Don’t wait – Do not wait for your puppy to go to the door. They won’t. You need to train them. When you are home, take your dog out every 30 minutes to go potty whether they tell you they have to go or not. They need to associate outside with going potty. 
3. Take them out on a leash - Do not play outside while you are potty training. Puppies need to know outside is for potty. Playing outside can come later.
4. Repeat the words “Potty” (or whatever words you want to use) when you go outside. Just like their names, they will eventually learn what potty means.
5. Reward. Reward. Reward. Don’t be afraid to cheer, use your excited voice, and give treats when your puppy goes potty outside. You want them to see this is what is expected of them and reward them for it.
6.  Don’t use harsh punishment – When (not if) your puppy has an accident inside, tell them no and immediately take them outside, repeating your potty word of choice. When they go outside, reward.
7. Carpet cleaner – If you have carpet, just invest in a carpet cleaner. It takes the stress and pressure off the accidents and it will clean your carpets well. Don’t worry. This milestone comes sooner rather than later. You will get through it.
8. Consistency, understanding, and patience are key when potty training.

 

Biting/ Shark Attacks

1. Puppy mouths – Remember that your puppy discovers the world through their mouths. Picking things up, chewing on you and other things is how they learn.
2. Bandaids – Buy some. You will need them.
3. Ouch! – Sometimes all it takes is a loud “ouch!” screamed in order to let your puppy know that is unwanted behavior. This is what worked for us with Louie.
4. Time out – If the “ouch” doesn’t work, you can ignore the behavior. Get up and walk away from the puppy. If needed, put them in their crate for a timeout to calm down.
5. Spray bottle – Some dogs love the spray bottle while others do not like being sprayed. Find out what works for your puppy. Louie does not like being sprayed.
6. Alternate chew toy – If your puppy won’t stop chewing on you, make sure to have a toy near by and switch out your flesh for a puppy toy. Showing them what can and can’t be chewed on is important to train them what is appropriate.

 

 Losing Teeth

1. Puppies start losing teeth between 4-6 months. This is a huge milestone and will help with the unwanted chewing and negative chewing behavior.
2. Their teeth hurt – Try to remember their teeth and gums get sore during this milestone so giving things for them to chew on that will give comfort is a great idea. Wet a clean sock and place it in the freezer. Once frozen, set it out on the counter to soften a little and then let your puppy to chew on it. Make sure this is done supervised so the sock is not swallowed or shredded, but the cold will provide comfort. Frozen fruits and frozen bagels are also great options. Just make sure to supervise your pet at all times.
3. Puppies often lose teeth and you won’t even know it. You may see teeth on the ground or even blood on toys after they have been chewing. This is all normal and will stop once all of their permanent teeth come in (around 6-7 months old).

 

 Nails and Grooming

1. Start young – Start clipping your puppy’s nails with a human nail clipper. This will work while their nails are thin and small. Once they get older, their nails will get thicker and you will need to move on to a dremmel. We recommend a dremmel over clippers. It’s too easy to hit your puppy’s quick with clippers and once you hit their quick and it hurts your puppy, they may not want you to touch their nails again. 
2. Exposure therapy – If your puppy (or older dog) won’t let you cut their nails or groom them, they may need exposure therapy. Exposure therapy is simply exposing them to the sounds of the dremmel/clippers while not actually doing anything. Let them smell the tools, turn them on and set them next to your puppy, and give positive reinforcement. Make happy sounds and give treats to show your puppy those tools are associated with good things. It may take months but it will be well worth it. We know from experience with Louie because he would act like we were murdering him when we’d try to cut his nails. Exposure therapy completely changed things for him (and for us!).

 

Leaving alone

1.  Leaving them alone - Leave your puppy alone in a controlled fenced in area while you do other things. Puppies need to know it’s ok to be left alone and that you will come back. Pick an area of your house (we used our kitchen area because of the tile floor and it was large enough for them to not feel confined) and fence it off with puppy fencing. Leave them in there with their toys and give them space to be alone to play and nap while you do other things.                                              
2. Short bursts – When it comes to leaving your puppy outside of his crate or fenced in area, it’s best to start with short bursts. Go out in the backyard for 5 minutes and leave your puppy inside. When you come back in, if they were good, reward them. Then try for 10 minutes. Eventually work up to leaving and go run a few errands. If you get home and they were good, make sure to reward them. 
3. Toys work – When you are training to leave your dog alone, coming home with a toy and reward them when you’ve been gone. This is another great way for them to see that you leaving is not bad and their good behavior brings rewards.

 

Some other good tips that will help you survive puppyhood:

 Reinforcement – Reinforce the behaviors you desire. We can’t always be saying no. Make sure to reinforce the behavior you want. When they are resting comfortably, let them know how good they are being. When they ask to go potty, be their cheerleader and reward them. When they are behaving and playing nicely, make sure to acknowledge that behavior. The more we say no the bigger the chance is they will start to think that is their name. J

 

Focus on your milestones. Puppyhood can get overwhelming and it’s a lot of work. Focus on achieving and hitting the milestones above and once you hit one, focus on the next one. This will help it to not feel so overwhelming and it will give you something to look forward to.

 

Remember who the alpha dog is. It’s you. Not them. Set the tone early with training and development so they know you are the boss and not them (I am not quite sure we have figured this out yet but we sure fake it). J

I am not a licensed trainer nor do I pretend to be but these are all things that have helped us over the decades of having dogs. Hope some of this helps pet parents as they set out to survive puppyhood. In the end, know that surviving puppyhood CAN happen! All it takes is time, patience, and band-aids. If I can do it you CAN do it too!! 

Remember they are only puppies for a short time and before you know it they will be full blown sharks so enjoy them while you can! 

Happy biting,

Brenda and Louie (aka baby shark) 

Know God - Know Peace

I'm sitting here on our last night at the Grass Lake house listening to country slow jams and thinking about the past years that we've lived here. I have one last reason as to why I'm going to miss this place and I wanted to share it with you.

Reason #1 why I'll miss this place is because of what God showed me while we lived here. Thankfully, it's not something that needs to stay. I didn't have to cover it neatly in bubble wrap and it's not packed away in a box somewhere waiting to be loaded onto a truck. It's something that will travel with me down this country road and it will stay with me throughout the rest of my life.

I found peace at this house. It's the kind of peace that is transformational. It's been life changing and it's completely changed how I see and go through life.

We have been through a lot since we moved here. In 2018 we left a church that meant the world to us. We left people that we cared for and a mission that we truly believed in because we felt God calling us to leave. We had experienced such hurt and pain while we were there and I had so much unrest. It was like living through bad airplane turbulence non-stop; I was being shook to the core. Once I stopped ignoring God and we followed His lead, we both experienced such a deep sense of peace. And it wasn't gradual either - it was an immediate kind of peace like a sudden clap of thunder or the fast snap of your fingers.

Total peace.

In 2019 we found out our sweet Max had stage 4 cancer and through my anticipatory grief, there it was again. Peace. It was brave. It was bold. And it was right in my face.

I wasn't sure how God was going to get me through losing Max, but I knew that He would. Not only did I grieve, but I found peace. Standing out in the backyard staring at the fields behind us, I cried. Sometimes to be honest, it was a loud wail. But, in between the tears was joy. I laughed. I delighted. And I found peace.

In 2020 we rode out quaranfinement here. As many of you know, Colin experienced some serious anxiety during Covid. At some points it was debilitating. We went an entire year without seeing anyone. We didn't go to stores and we stayed home. Sammy Lammington started doing daily videos to encourage others and I found ways to continue doing outreach and spreading love.

Colin found peace and I found it too.

We were meant to live here. What many of you don't know is that before we bought this house, we had put in an offer on another property 3 miles down the road. It was our "dream house" on the lake with 16 acres and an amazing view. In the 11th hour just before we signed the paperwork, we felt like God told us to wait and that He had something different for us. We weren't quite sure what it was but we listened and walked away.

Two weeks later God led us to this house. We were meant to be here. God knew what we were going to go through and He had something special to show us.

He wanted to show us peace.

Prior to living here I didn't have peace. I use to worry about what people thought of me. I was a people pleaser and would take it to heart if someone didn't like me. I would replay conversations over and over in my head and I put way too much effort and thought into what other's thought.

I didn't have peace.

Through our time here in Grass Lake, I found it.

God showed me that the only thing that can give me peace is focusing on Him. Like the rolling hills in the fields behind us, God showed me that throughout our lives we will have ups and downs and the only way to get through the tough times is to strap on our God goggles and stay laser focused on Him. When we do that, we will experience a peace that goes far beyond our understanding.

Living here has been one of the highlights of my life because of how much my relationship with Jesus grew. I know peace because I know God and that will go with me everywhere.

Tomorrow as we head down this country road onto our next adventure, peace will travel with me. It's a part of me now and it's my #1 reason.

If you are still reading this - you are awesome! I know it was long. See you down the road!

A Giant Leap and Some Zoomies

 So tonight a thing happened. 

I have to back up and give you the full story so you can have a better understanding of this "thing".

We recently obtained a baby shark (some would call him a puppy but his sharp teeth say otherwise). He's this black & white 10lb fur terroist that has stolen our hearts along with some of our flesh. We call him Louie. 

We have been a 2 dog family for almost 5 years, but last year our sweet boy, Max, gained his angel wings and now he's probably being put in timeouts in heaven just like he use to at doggie daycare, because he annoyed the other dogs too much. I am sure Jesus has his hands quite full. :) 

After Max passed, we decided to hold off on getting another dog right away because it was important to us that our younger dog, Sammy, who was 4 at the time, had our full attention. He was such a trooper when Max had cancer and often times took the back seat during Max's treatments, so we wanted to love on him and give him the attention he deserved. 

Over the course of the next 10 months, we watched as Sammy's personality soared. It's not that Max held Sammy back or anything, but Max was 6 years older than Sammy and he definitely led the pack. Sammy would follow Max around and do everything he did. Max led, and Sammy followed. With Max gone, Sammy had to find his own way and month after month, he started to blossom. His personality developed more and more and he became his own little being. Sammy went on vacations, stayed in hotels, went camping, took car rides, went to stores, and took ownership of his new castle and kingdom out here in the country. There is not one critter around that doesn't go running when Sammy takes flying leaps off our back deck! Sammy has arrived!

We knew eventually that we wanted to bring another dog into our home because Sammy truly loved his big brother and Max brought him so much joy and we wanted Sammy to have that again. With COVID happening, a move to another state was postponed and the pieces all fell into place to get a baby shark. 

Not everyone feels the way we do about our pets. They are like kids to us and we treat them as such and we care about their little feelings. We went back and forth if the timing was right and God just seemed to line everything up for us so the countdown to baby shark was on.

Our 9 week wait flew right by and it was time to bring the sharp toothed flat bottom pancake home to meet Sammy! We were a bit nervous (actually I was really nervous). We tried to think everything through as much as we could so that we could make this a happy and easy transition for our entire family. 

It was important to us that Sammy's daily routine stayed as much the same as it was possible; same feeding times, car rides, bed time routines, etc. We introduced the boys on neutral ground (not in the house) and there were only a few small growls at first. Over the next few days, the growls became less and less and each day there were more tail wags from Sammy. He seemed more interested in baby shark's toys more than anything, but he didn't seem bothered too much that he was here except for the occasional face lunging from baby shark. 

We were very careful about how they interacted because we didn't want Sammy to get bit and to get scared off. He had come so far over the past year and we didn't want his fun loving personality to retreat. On the flip side, we didn't want puncture wounds in baby shark either, so we were monitoring very closely and mainly keeping baby shark in his shark tank (aka puppy play pen). 

We were outside on our 3rd night together at dusk, trying to tire out baby shark before his 8pm bedtime (that would be wine o'clock for us parents). We have a 1/2 acre fenced in for the boys outside so they have lots of room to run and lots of areas to snack on poop in the backyard. We've been spending a ton of time outdoors, working on potty training for the puppy and getting all of his puppy energy out.

Usually when we are outside, Sammy patrols the yard, smelling and rolling on whatever stinky stuff he can find, and baby shark, who is attached to his 6' leash runs freely around the yard rolling, biting his leash, and chasing after my husband and I. Baby Shark ( whom we've named Louie) will chase Sammy around, but his short fat little legs don't take him very far, and Sammy is usually yards ahead of him, not even realizing there was a chase to begin with.

I was telling my husband, Colin, tonight, that I thought we needed to allow them to interact a little further now, even if there are growls and snap backs, because Louie needs to learn boundaries and Sammy needs to continue to set the tone of their relationship. 

At dusk, we were out in the backyard and Sammy was frog hunting on our back deck while Colin and I were giving chase to Louie around the yard. 

That is when the thing happened.

It was a glorious thing and one I will never forget. 

My husband and I were standing about 50 yards apart and Louie was racing in between us both when suddenly, out of nowhere, Sammy Supermaned it off the backdeck and the chase was on! Sammy started doing zoomies. 

Now, everyone's dog at some point does zoomies. If you don't know what zoomies are, it's when your dog loses it's ever loving mind and starts running as fast as it possibly can, butt usually tucked under, eyes wide open, with their mouth and teeth showing their udder delight. They run as fast as possible usually in large circles until they completely tire themselves out. 

The last time we had seen Sammy do zoomies was when his big brother Max was still here and before he was sick with cancer. Max and Sammy use to do zoomies in the backyard all the time, grass kicking up in the air behind them, eyes wide open, bearing grins of white teeth. But, we had not seen Sammy do zoomies in the backyard since then. 

Tonight, there was this glorious thing of zoomies happening all over again. As soon as Sammy's feet hit the green grass, it was on! He started doing zoomies right past Louie and then circled back to pass him again. It was as if he was saying "Hey little brother - look what I can do"! Sammy, with his butt tucked and teeth grin showing, was kicking up dirt and leaves as he zoomed past us and around Louie about 8 times. Louie didn't know what to do so he just ran in circles after his big brother. 

Sammy, with his flying leap off the deck, took a giant Superman leap into big brotherhood. He was no longer the little brother that followed; he was paving the way for newness. Sammy was setting the tone of their future relationship and he was raising the bar on brotherhood, just as his brother Max did with him.

It was such a beautiful thing. I will never forget it. The sun was setting and we could hear the Canadian Geese settling in the field for the night and then two dogs that were once strangers, became brothers. I have no doubt Max was looking down from his timeout spot in heaven and was probably beaming with pride. 

Sammy took a giant leap into big brotherhood and we can't wait to see what's in store for us all next.

xoxoxo,

Brenda

Finding Joy in the Weeds

Our farmer is harvesting wheat today. I swear I am like a kid that hears the ice cream truck; I go running outside waving like a lunatic at him and hoping he spots me so I can get a wave back (coincidentally, I do the same thing when I hear a small aircraft flying over the house). Even at 44, those little things bring me so much joy.

What are things that bring you joy? Maybe you find joy when indulging in the yummy flavors of ice cream at the Village Creamery in downtown Brooklyn. Maybe for you, your joy is found in casting a line at one of the many lakes in the Irish Hills area or flying a kite in the open fields in Grass Lake. If you are from Jackson, maybe your joy is found in visiting the dogs at Cascades Humane Society or in a COVID free world, it’s dining next to Iron Man at Klavon’s.

One of the places I find joy is in the tough stuff of life. I know! Remember, I am the waving lunatic. Perspective tends to drive my joy and there is no better time to find perspective and cling to it like a life raft than when we are in deep waters where our feet go beyond the safety of the shore. When I am going through the tough stuff of life, which I think we can all say to some point we are in the midst of right now, I cling to perspective and it’s in those dark times, where my joy usually resides.

One of those times for me was last year when my heart dog, Max, was diagnosed with cancer. Our world basically stopped as we shifted our focus from summer fun to research and treatments. We had 2 priorities. God and Max. I will never forget when joy slapped me in the face like a fly swatter last year as we went through this tough time as a family.

One early morning last summer I had gone out early when the grass was still wet to mow the lawn because I really wanted to get a head start before the hot weather came in so I jumped on orange julius (aka my zero turn tractor) and mowed my little heart out. Our lawn was way over due for a haircut. This time of year we usually have to cut it twice a week to avoid the dreaded big grass clumps and it had been at least 2 weeks since we did any yard work at all since we were so focused on research and treatments for our dog. Everything was overgrown and our lawn was more of a field of grass and wildflowers than nice turf. The grass was so tall I kept thinking I had ticks climbing up my shins and I'd do a little "tick dance" (aka flailing, screaming and jumping) as if I were being attacked. Alas, it was just tall grass and an overly excited and buggy imagination.

I put on my noise canceling headphones and tuned in to my favorite country radio station. That morning, the radio waves were a bit funky because I kept getting 2 radio stations at once. It was a mixture of country radio and a catholic morning church service so I'd hear, “Look what God gave her, How perfect He made her, She walks in the room, It's like He answered my prayers" and then, “united in the bond of the Lord, thanks be to God". It was entertaining to say the least.

It took me a few hours to mow that morning and then I took some time to trim back a huge tree that was making it impossible to pull safely out of our driveway. I filled the bird feeders that had gone empty and then grabbed my camera to get some shots of our property while everyone rested inside.

As I was walking around taking pictures, I noticed how everything had bloomed and had grown over the past 2 weeks. I had missed our Tiger Lillies blooming and hadn’t noticed our Black Eyed Susans making their summer entrance. As I walked around the property, it made me appreciate the wonderment of time. Before our dog, Max’s, diagnosis, I would spend time pruning & watering and being hopeful for things to bloom. Then, my focus changed and time still went by. Tick tock. Tick tock. The hours of the clock still moved. The numbers kept turning over and time continued on.

But, on this special day when I was outside, as I walked around and noticed how everything had grown, I also noticed how many weeds we had in our landscaping and in the flower beds. Normally, I would have totally freaked out. I don’t like weeds and I like things to look well maintained and crisp. But, on this day, my perspective was different.  I saw the empty bird’s nest where two doves were born and fledged just the day before. I saw Daisies in full bloom and gorgeous pink blooms on our Hydrangea bush.

On that day, I noticed that all around these gorgeous flowering plants were a crap ton of weeds, but today, I didn't see weeds. I saw time. I had been able to spend an immense amount of time caring for our 4 legged black and white heart dog and those weeds represent love, care, nurturing, laughter, tears (a lot of tears) and the greatest gift of all... time.

That day last year, those weeds added to the lustrous blooms, the over grown yet still lovely bushes, and the tall over grown grass and they reminded me of the precious minute by minute time that I have spent with my loved ones while those weeds took their time to grow. Tick tock. Minute by minute. It was all about perspective for me. When I found my perspective, I found my joy. When I found those weeds I found the joy that grew right there beside them.

There will always be tomorrow. Even in heaven I imagine there are tomorrows. Amidst COVID, stress at work, and amongst the weeds, there will always be joy to be found. There will always be tomorrow to pluck a weed, to tend to the lawn, to fight with someone on social media about wearing their mask. But today, let’s find our joy. Hold onto perspective my friends. Fly that kite. Cast that line. Eat some ice cream and find joy in the weeds.   

 xoxo,

Brenda

 

 

 

  

Frito Feet and the Run Across the Bridge

When I think of the rainbow bridge, I see a beautiful arch with 6 vibrant rainbow colors. It’s draped over the sky and in the foreground there is this bright white wooden bridge with railings on both sides that, at first, has a slight incline to it. Then, in the middle there is this long stretch where the dogs can pick up speed and then it ends with a steep decline so that when a dog crosses over it, they can take a flying superman leap into the green grass and wildflowers that lie just beyond. I imagine that when their padded Grinch Frito feet hit the ground, butterflies and birds burst into the air and the chase is on! From there, lots of leaping through tall grass and terrorizing squirrels and rabbits commence and the food….. Boy is there food. From the peanut butter stuffed chewies to cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets, to every kind of freeze dried meat possible – the dogs are loving it.

While our beloved dogs are whole, happy, and healed, and doing zoomies over the bridge, we are left behind grieving the loss of our furry family member. Research says that losing a beloved pet can be just as difficult as losing a family member or person that we loved.

According to the Official Journal of the Human Behavior and Evolution Study, “We forge bonds with our pups that are very comparable to the bonds we form with people. Our brains interpret these bonding activities in the same way; our bodies produce the exact same hormones when we bond with dogs as when we bond with people. This is why your pup begins to feel just like family to you. The same chemical processes are taking place that would if you were speaking to a person and in the case of losing a dog, you have to let go of a creature you have a deep bond with”.

 

I lost my heart dog, Max, last year. He fought a courageous battle with prostate cancer and gained his angel wings at 10 years old. Max was my little love. We don’t have kids and Max and his brother Sammy Lammington are like kids to us. They bring us joy, we hurt when they hurt, and they pretty much own us and run our lives and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

I did a lot of pre-grieving before Max passed away. I would find myself outside in our backyard crying my heart out to God, the deer and to the cranes in the surrounding wheat fields,  wondering how I was going to get through losing him. I didn’t know how. Max had been by my side for a quarter of my life after all and he had seen me through very difficult circumstances. He was my protector, my face licker-offer, and he was my constant shadow for a decade. I pre-grieved losing Max. I would make sure to shed my tears when I was alone so I didn’t upset him or Sammy and would escape to the bathroom or outside whenever I felt overwhelmed or just needed to let it out.

Pre-grieving or anticipatory grief is grief that occurs before death. I had never experienced this before and not everyone experiences anticipatory grief in this way. For the ones that do, they may find themselves on a roller coaster of emotions wondering how the death is going to occur or what to expect. They may find that they experience anxiety about what it is going to be like, and questioning how they are going to go on without their loved one. For me, this is what I experienced the most. I clung to my faith and that is how I was able to get through it but I remember there were days where I would need to focus hour by hour, and even minute by minute, to get through my anticipatory grief.

The thing with pets is sometimes we are dealt the hand of having to make the decision when that final day is going to be. Sometimes we have to help our beloved pet along to cross the rainbow bridge and it’s a decision unlike any other. Most of the time, with people, the decision is out of our hands. But with pets, many of us are left with making that final decision and it can be a difficult one.

One thing that really helped me when pre-grieving Max was being able to do special things that would allow me to remember him after he had passed. I made sure to cut off some of his beautiful black & white fur and tied it with a red ribbon as a keepsake. I put it in a baggy and it sits in my “Max treasure box” along with his favorite toys, puppy teeth and other treasures.

I did paw prints on canvas and took a mold of his nose which I had turned into a key chain so his crooked little nose goes with me everywhere. Something else I did was set up professional pictures to be taken of Max, Sammy, my husband and I so we had family pictures together. The last thing I made sure to do during my pre-grieving was to make sure that I told Max everything I wanted him to know.

I made sure Max knew everything. I told him how much I loved him (even though he heard it 12 million times a day) and I made sure to let him know exactly how he changed my life. I told him all the beautiful and wonderful things about him that I loved and how much I adored his crooked little nose, his black and white spots, and how much his silly personality brought me joy every single day for 3,738 days. I told him that I loved watching him sleep and twitch his eyes. I loved how he greeted me in the mornings with a wet kiss to start my day and how he moaned aloud whenever he wanted me to rub him. I let him know that I loved it when he would slam between my legs and stop short just so I could give him butt scratchies and how he’d stomped his feet when he was mad when I wasn’t giving in to his treat-threats. I let my Max know how he was the first to make me a mom and how he made me a better person.

It was in my anticipatory grief that I saw the beauty of God’s grace and the undeniable peace that surpassed all understanding. It was in those dark days where I didn’t know how I would go on that I found the strength and courage to face yet another day and to embrace the journey and find joy in my moments of pain. If and when you find yourself in those days, know that despite all the pain and grief, you can certainly find joy. The amazingly ridiculous and wonderful thing about having a pet is the fact that after all is said and done and they are bouncing through the grassy pastures over the bridge, we can remember that they were ours and we were theirs. Your unity didn’t happen by happenstance. The grief you feel is because there was a deep bond and love that many non-pet owners will never understand. I hope for you, that when you go through this, you allow yourself time to grieve. Remember to tell your beloved fur family member how much they have meant to you and if you think about it, cut some fur, do those paw prints, and remember the zoomies. Your grief means you loved deep and to me that means a life well lived. Run free Frito feet until we meet again.

 

 

The Waiting Room.......

In the middle of writing this book, God had me in the waiting room. Quite literally. Often times in life, we find ourselves in the waiting room; waiting on a prayer to be answered or waiting for something in life to happen or to see results. So, as we wrap up this devotional, I am going to share a piece of my journey and experience in hopes you can find comfort when you find yourself in the waiting room one day.

Get ready because I am about to talk about boobs. Yep. Boobs. I had my yearly mammogram while I was writing this book and it’s something I don’t take for granted and I make sure I get my routine screening every year (get your boobs squeezed ladies). I have had a few call backs in the past for lumps but this time, things were different. 

In this day and age, technology makes it convenient for us to order food through our phones, to upload videos and pics to the cloud in the matter of moments, and it allows us to get test results while standing in your kitchen while cooking dinner.

This is exactly what happened to me. I was burning.... errrrrr.... cooking dinner and noticed I had a voicemail that I had missed so I listened to it and it was a woman calling me back about my mammogram results. Of course, those calls usually aren't the greatest because your heart instantly drops through your butt because you know it can't be good. When I went to call the office, it was already closed for the day so with the convenience of technology, I logged into MyChart and was able to see my test results. 

As I stood at my kitchen counter with a spatula in hand, I read “7mm assemetry mass left breast”. Have you ever had the kind of experience where time seems to stand still and all noise is cancelled out and you almost feel like you are in this weird dark tunnel and fog? 

That is what it was like.

I'll be honest. My first reaction was not a great one. I instantly started balling my head off. I remember saying the words “No no no no no no no please no” several times and I put my head down on the counter and just cried. 

The year before we had went through a cancer diagnosis with our fur child (heart dog Max that I have talked about a ton in this book) and this year we are in the middle of a global pandemic while the world is amidst COVID-19, so we have been isolated from friends and family for months and are trying to cope with our current world situation and now this. I was instantly crushed and thought “How could this be happening”?!

I know many women get call backs; there are some women that get called back after every single mammogram and so many women in our world have been affected by breast cancer. But how could this be happening to me? I am just trying to cook some squash here.

The funny thing, because I always have to find humor in tough times, is that the week prior, before I even had my mammogram, I was thinking about how when bad things happen in our lives, often times, we yearn for the day before we found out the bad news. I remember when we found out Max had cancer, I yearned for the day before. I yearned for the days when we didn’t know he had cancer and when we didn’t know he was sick and dying; I yearned for those poop eating days where I'd chase off our other dog Sammy who ate poop directly from Max's butt like it was chocolate soft serve. I yearned for the day before and I wanted to find that peace again. 

Life is so simple before we lose our jobs, before the unexpected loss of a loved one, or before we find out in the middle of our kitchen that we have a 7mm mass in our breast.

I couldn’t call to make a new appointment for diagnostic testing until the next day and my husband was working so I couldn't tell him yet so the only other thing I could do was to pray. 

So, I started praying. 

After my first initial freakout full of tears, I felt like God said to me “Remember last year when you weren’t sure how you’d get through losing Max? Well I got you through that didn’t I?”

And He did.

God got me through a very difficult time the year before when I lost my heart dog to prostate cancer and He's gotten me through other tough times in life before. As a matter of fact, my track record for getting through tough stuff so far is 100% and I don't think God is going to start changing things now.

It’s crazy but while I was praying, I started feeling an immediate peace. The more I prayed and processed with God, the more peaceful I felt about this butthole of an intruder that was in my body. I didn't know if it was cancer but it was invading my space and it wasn't welcomed. 

I slept well that night partly thanks to ZQuil but mostly due to God’s peace. The next morning I woke up and before I could even make the call, the breast imaging center was calling me to make my appointment. Unfortunately the earliest appointment was going to be over a week out, which I was like “Hmph. That sucks. But alrighty then”. So I set my appointment and before I hung up, I asked the lady if she could put me on a cancellation list just in case someone cancelled. She softly chuckled and said “Sorry Brenda. We don’t really do cancellation lists because people don’t ever cancel appointments like this”. So with that, my appointment was for the following week.

I went in to let my husband know and within 60 seconds, my phone rang and it was the lady at the breast imagining center and she said “Brenda, you aren’t going to believe this but right after I got off the phone with you, my next phone call was someone cancelling their appointment for tomorrow. I swear this never happens.” All I could do was point to the sky and say “Thank you Jesus”. I have no doubt that was all God. 

I made my way into the bathroom to shower and get my day started and I was putting on my makeup listening to Pandora radio and the song “Waymaker” by Leeland came on.

I had only heard this song a few times before and I had honestly not really paid attention to the words.... until today.  I was really feeling the words that morning. If you have never heard of the song before the chorus lyrics go like this:

"Waymaker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness, My God, that is who you are”.

The song just kept repeating that chorus over and over again and I soon found myself singing the words with my arms lifted to the heavens and crying my heart out to Jesus. Wet hair dripping, mascara now running down my face - I was worshiping to the God that created the stars and that knew my name. 

I knew right at that moment that even if my test results was cancer, that God would make good from it.

I had my God goggles on. Now remember, just 2 days prior when I read my test results online, I was not wearing my God goggles. I was steeped over my kitchen countertop crying into my flabby arms. But today, my God goggles were on and I knew that the place where fear meets faith is the place we flourish in our relationship with Jesus.

Fear screams the words “What If” while faith shouts “Even If” and I had experienced the peace that comes from “Even If”. I experienced it the year before when Max passed away and I was experiencing it now. 

After singing my heart out in my bathroom I walked into the living room to grab a t-shirt off my drying rack. A few weeks earlier I had hopped on one of my favorite Christian t-shirt websites and had ordered a few new t-shirts and I had just received them a few days earlier. I opened the bag they came in and just tossed all of them in my washing machine and then hung them on my drying rack to dry. I honestly didn’t even know which shirts I had ordered, bc I remember when I was ordering them online, I was really pressed for time. It was one of those times when my husband was ready to leave the house and he was waiting on me, standing there staring at me; his eyes burning holes in me and his foot tapping away, waiting for me to finish up my online order so instead of me taking my time I just starting clicking away and didn’t even pay attention to which t-shirts I ordered.

So as I went to pick a t-shirt from my drying rack, I grabbed this pretty teal colored shirt and slipped it over my head. When I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I realized what the words on my shirt read.

They read - “Waymaker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness, my God, that is who you are”.

(Insert ugly crying here) I stood there in awe. I looked up and pointed to Jesus and said “I see you God”! 

How amazing is that!?

I continued on throughout the day feeling a peace that goes beyond understanding. With my God goggles on, I was reminded that sometimes God has us go through things in life so that we can show his glory. There are many people in the bible that God used (Paul, Job, and yes, even Judas) to show His glory. Others were able to see God’s power and good came from it. 

Although it’s hard, we need to count our experiences, even our really hard ones, a privilege. God is using us so that others can see Him and in our dark times, we have the opportunity to give our pain a purpose. We have the chance to shine God’s light through our cracks and we are able to comfort others through their pain when they experience a hard journey or difficult time.

The next morning I woke up refreshed and was ready for my appointment. Due to COVID-19, doctor appointments and visits were very different. Husbands and support people weren’t allowed to accompany you and it was limited people in waiting rooms so my husband was not allowed to come in with me.  Colin took the day off work and was going to drive me but he had to sit out in the car and wait (the car which would become his waiting room). 

I walked in and got checked in, and then, well..... I waited. 

I was in waiting room #1.

Normally when I have mammogram appts, I get in right away and they are usually on time but with diagnostic testing, you are at the liberty of special technicians and the others being tested prior to you. Due to COVID, I didn’t want to sit down or touch anything bc I am trying to be careful of germs so I stood near this display of foliage and waited. Ten minutes went by after my appointment time. 

I waited. 

Then, 20 minutes went by, and I continued to wait. 

We were now at 35 minutes past my appointment time and my back started hurting from the weight of my purse on my shoulder and I began shifting in my flip flops as I questioned my choice of shoes. 

COVID-19 has forced us all to wear masks in public so I was focusing on not touching my face or my mask and tried to not focus on how badly I wanted to itch my nose or wipe the snot that was now dripping from it. 

Why was it taking so long? 

Another 20 minutes ticked by and finally after an hour of waiting, they called my name. 

I have to admit, although a little nervous to get these diagnostics done, I felt relieved it was finally my turn.

When you are waiting in the waiting room, all sorts of things cross your mind. You get nervous for the tests themselves, wondering if they will be familiar to you or painful at all. Your mind races with “I wonder what the results will be?” all the while still wanting to rip off this face mask so you can just take in a deep breath that you so desperately want to take. 

The waiting room is usually a place where our patience is tested and our phones keep us busy for me today, I was just trying to keep my God goggles on and I was trying to stay focused on "Even If". 

After getting my clothes switched out, I went in for my first round of testing. I found comfort in the fact that it was the same machine they use on me during routine mammography tests bc that is what I was use to but the compression this time was slightly….. pinchy and way more uncomfortable. Any ladies out there know what I am talking about? 

The technician, kept asking me if I was ok as she dialed down the compression and I kept saying “Yes no problem” bc I wanted her to get the pictures she needed. With a deep breath in, I heard “Hold your breath” and then a bunch of normal familiar beeps, as the machine radiated my breast. A few more dial downs and squeezes, and we were finished and I was led into a different waiting room (waiting room #2) to wait for my results.

As I sat there, I kept on my God goggles. 

I knew that God had gotten me through so much the year prior and I kept reminding myself that it is a privilege to be used by God and that I wanted others to see him through my experience. Something good needed to come out of all this boob squeezing after all.

I was alone in the waiting room; there was no one else around. As I sat there the words “Waymaker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness, my God, that is who you are” raced through my mind. 

I remembered the words “Even if” and clutched my purse as I sat there just waiting.

I texted my husband a few times to let him know my status and I was eager to find out my test results.

My technician soon came around the corner and I braced for the news when I heard her say, “We need to get additional testing done”, as she whisked me off to yet another waiting room (waiting room #3) where I would wait for an ultra sound to be done.

I sat there quietly in a room filled with other ladies that no doubt were there getting tests done just like I was and before my God googles had a chance to slip, I heard my name called and I was whisked away to another room. 

I walked in and saw the table where I would lie down and the ultrasound machine that would inevitably give me my fate. 

I laid down on the table and my technician began her work using her wand while I tried to make small chatter while listening to Luke Bryan in the background on the radio. It seemed like forever as I lied there listening to clicks and computer mouse noises as she moved the wand over this one particular area over and over again.

After about 10 minutes she was finished and then I heard these words come from her mouth.

“Can you just lie here and wait while I show your scans to the doctor? He may want to come in himself to do another scan and to discuss your next course of action” (waiting room #4).

WHAT!? 

What did you just say? Before I could even get words out of my mouth, she was out of the room. 

Everything was silent. Even Luke Bryan had shut his mouth and I heard nothing but my beating heart. 

My God goggles slipped. 

I sat up with my sticky flopped out boob and sat on the edge of the bed and starting taking fast quick breaths under my snotty sweaty mask.

In and out.

In and out.

What did she mean by course of action? 

Why would he have to come back in here and do the scan himself? 

How bad was it? 

What was she seeing and why wasn’t she just telling me? 

Was my initial scan wrong and did she find several more masses? 

Was it in my lymph nodes?

What is happening!!?

Before my God goggles completely fell off my face, I grabbed them, shoved them back on and held them there. 

I repeated to myself “Brenda, God is using you. Even if, he is right here and His glory is going to be seen through you if you only let it. Do not panic. You have gotten through tough things before and even if, God is still my waymaker. He is my 'miracle worker'. God is a 'promise keeper and he’s my light in darkness and He is my God. That is who he is!'

God goggles ON and activated.

I’ve got this but more importantly, I knew God had this. I sat there wishing my husband was in the room with me and thought about how screwed up this whole COVID-19 was that others have to go through this alone, too and then I thought of all the people that have died without their families by their sides. This is such a tough time in the history of our world and people are…….. BOOM! 

The door flies open and in walks my technician. No doctor by her side. She was alone.

I will never forget the words she spoke next. 

“You have a cluster of cysts grouped together. You are fine. We will monitor.”

I was in shock. 

I was so happy! 

I was so relieved! 

I just wanted to get out of that hospital and rip this mask off my face so I could breathe. 

I was so grateful and the first words that came out of my mouth were "Thank God"! 

As I walked down the long hallway, I passed each waiting room I had been in. Looking in on each one, I saw myself sitting there, clutching my purse with my God goggles on. 

I was so grateful for my test results but more grateful for what God had shown me over the past 3 days.

As I walked to my car to drench my hands in hand sanitizer and to tell my husband the good news, I thought about this whole experience. 

I was grateful for it. 

Even more so than the great test results and news, I was grateful God was with me every step of the way and I was grateful for how he grew me during this experience.

Often times we yearn for the “day before”. We want to go back to the day before we knew of bad news where life was just peaceful. 

I think the true test of being a Christ follower is yearning for the "day after". Those moments when God shows you who He is, even if it means going through tough times and experiences to get us there. 

If we can yearn for the "day after" as much as we yearn for the "day before" we will see Jesus in a whole new light. When we put on our God goggles and give purpose to our pain and point others towards Jesus, that is the testament of a life well lived. We allow God to use the "day after" to shape us and mold us and guide us as we move forward. 

May we yearn for that closeness. May we yearn for the peace that we can only get from God when we are beyond the safety of the shore and in deep water where our feet can’t touch and may we yearn for the "day after". 

It’s then, and only then, where God takes our relationship with him and where it flourishes. God can use our waiting room and turn it into something far better and greater than what it is you are actually waiting for if we only let him.

Let's live for the "day after" my friends.