I am the Cat Whisperer!

Remember those two cats I talked about? Well... for a week I visited them and played with them and held them. Sunday, I went to check on them and guess what? Both of them got adopted! Apparently, all they needed was a little love and attention and they became adoptable. They stopped making angry eyes, stopped biting the hands that fed them, stopped hiding from people and started interacting. They both began to seek out attention. Something in their little kitty brain said "Hey!  I am worthy of love... so LOVE me!"

Makes you think, doesn't it.If a week of love and attention fixes cats... could the same work for the people in our lives who are less than loveable?  How many people just need a little love and attention to become more "adoptable"?  And how many of us are like those cats... injured, hurt inside, feeling scared and unsure? What happens if we start seeking the love we deserve? What does it take to make us see that we are loveable?

I know I sometimes am amazed by the love I receive, but I never doubt that I am worthy of it. After all, I am one loveable kitty.

There are two new cats I need to work with. I hope they are as successful. After all... everyone deserves the chance to love and be loved.

Yet more thankfulness

I am Thankful for my friends. I have so many amazing people in my life who have become a part of my family in my heart. I can't say enough about how their love and support has helped me through what could have been the most terrible time of my life. Lucky for me, I have friends who have made this whole thing not so scarey.

I am thankful for my customers. Those people I see every day who make me smile as they tell me how good I look, how they are praying for me and who hug me and pet my hair. It makes it so much easier to keep a positive outlook when I see all the love around me.

I am thankful for my stubbornness. Without it, I probably would have just given in and not come this far. Not many people can say they fought cancer because they are just too stubborn to give up.

I am thankful for dessert. Yes... my motto has become "Eat Dessert first!"  I don't plan to stop eating dessert because the last thing I want is to regret not having more sweets while my health was still great. So... I never say no to dessert. In fact, I think I want some dessert right now!

Some more Thankfulness

Well... I am thankful for medical science. Thanks to various researchers, I am still here. Hopefully, they will keep researching and find a cure.

I am thankful for people who make me laugh. I love to laugh. It's probably one of my favorite things to do. I think a day without laughter is a day that was not worth having.

I am thankful for being an American. I love the freedoms we are blessed with, the choices we can make and the fact that we may all have different opinions, but we are all in this together.

Thirty days of Thankfulness

Gosh... I missed this!  Thanks again Chemo Brain.

So the thought is to catalog things you are thankful for every day. Today is the 11th, so I am a bit behind. Here goes eleven days worth of thanks:

1. My Wife. How I got so lucky to have met the most wonderful, caring woman is beyond me. She supports me in all that I do, she loves me even when I know I am being unlovable, and she is always there to comfort me when I am feeling less than sunshiney.
2. My Mom. Now this is a woman who inspires! She has always done a man's work with a strong woman's body. She loves unconditionally, puts others first and is strong in the face of adversity.
3. My Daddy. Not many men can be the best daddy in the world, but mine is. How many real men can raise another man's child and love her as if she were his own? I never had a doubt in my whole life that my daddy loved me. Even now, I know that he loves me and is proud of me.
4. My animals. What would life be without furry faces?
5. My goofy son. No.... I didn't forget you. How can I forget the boy who calls at 9pm on a saturday to get a banana bread recipe?
6. My extended family. Even though you are all over the place, you are all still with me every minute of every day.
7. My job. As much as I would rather be on vacation having fun, I learned that when I am stuck at home, I miss that place.
8. My health. May I have more of it.
9. My Oncologist. That little woman works nonstop to save lives!
10. My surgeon. Thank you for getting rid of that big yuck and for leaving such pretty stitches in it's place.
11. My Uncle Mel. A Vietnam vet who left us too soon.

Memories

While I was driving around today, I was listening to the CD our uncle made for us of our wedding music. The song we walked down the aisle to was Kenny Rogers "Through the Years." That song always makes me cry. Not in a sad way, mind you, but because it is so true. And while I listened, I thought about the many years I have had with my wife. I remembered some great things... some of which I will share. (Other memories are mine only!)

The year we were first together, we went to the March On Washington. God, we were so young. I remember being politically active... protesting at City Hall when I was in college, marching for my rights, being part of the mass wedding protest. At that age, we didn't realize that by just living our lives openly  we would accomplish more than any amount of marching ever would. I mean... you can hate those strange gays on TV and in the news, but it's hard to keep that same hate and fear when you see your gay neighbor doing the same things you do. Simple things like going to parent teacher conferences, mowing the yard, playing with the dogs, remodeling the house, taking a casserole to a sick friend... these acts become political just because they show how very NOT different we really are.

One year, we had a long weekend and just decided to throw the dog in the car and take off for the coast. We started at Ocracoke and drove all the way to Kill Devil Hills. It was one of the best vacations ever. We didn't do much of anything, except stop to see the sights. We bought a tshirt from each town we went through, took lots of pictures and just relaxed.

Another year, we went to Wilmington in the winter. The beach was deserted. The hotel had a kitchen in each room, so we hung out on the beach, collected shells and ate dinner in the room. I remember bouncing on the bed because I was so excited to be away with my sweetie where there were no crowds.

We took a weekend trip to Brevard and took the scenic route home. That trip was when we found the garnet at the gemstone mine that we had cut and my wife had made into the necklace I wear every day.

We drove to Charleston on the spur of the moment once in the summer (bad idea... summer here is hot, but Charleston is Damn Hot!) and discovered a little place called Stickey Fingers. For years, we would decide we needed ribs and would make the 4 hour drive to Charleston just to have dinner. Now they have them all over... but the best one is still in Charleston.

We always drove to NY to see Ryan in the summer, and we learned that all along the way, there are caverns. We have seen every cavern between here and LI at least once. And if you are driving through Virginia and see the sign for Johnny Appleseed's restaurant... Stop and have the apple fritters. They rock.

We went to Hershey once and toured the factory. That same trip, we stopped at Gettysburg, which is quite sobering. Michele loves the civil war sites. Myself, I find them sad and frustrating. War is so wasteful.

We have gone out on New Years three times. Once we went out just by ourselves. I look at the picture and can't believe that skinny girl in the long back dress is me... but it is. The next two times were when we went out with our dance friends. That was a great time. We danced and laughed and ate good food.

We have had two parties at our house. One was our ten year anniversary, which was also the year after we bought the house. We just opened the gate, fired up two grills and had a party with everyone who showed up.There were kids everywhere with squirt guns, the hose, the kiddie pool. Everyone ended up wet, but Michele got the worst of it. The next was a fourth of july party. That one ended when the neighbors dog ate through the fence.

I have taken Michele to see exactly one Opera. She said... " Oh... thats from Bugs Bunny." and then she slept through the rest of it. Well... at least she tried for me.

I could sit and write all day about my memories with my wife, but I won't. I will say though that I love thinking back over the years and saying "Hey Honey... you remember that time when..." and then just enjoying the memories together. The happiest moments of my life have been in the last twenty years, and I can't wait to make more.

Quick update

Quick update.... Things are going well. I have started my Lymphadema therapy. My arm has been bandaged so heavily that it looks like a cast. It interferes with everything I do. But, the swelling in my arm is going down, so I suppose it is doing what it's supposed to do. Tykerb is treating me well. So far no bizarre side effects aside from the constant burping.  I am doing my best to get ready for the holidays.

Today I went shopping all by myself. I bought some clothes for my youngest niece, as well as a whole bunch of dress-up accessories. I got tutus, princess wands, crowns, fairy wings, two whole pirate sets, an FBI set, a construction hat, a police hat, a SWAT hat, two cowboy hats and an apron. My thought is that she should have a whole array of outfits to be whatever she wants to be, whether it's the fairy chef, a pirate who does construction, the Old West FBI agent or anything she can imagine. I got two of many things because her Auntie Michele will be playing dress up whether she likes it or not. I even got mustaches, silly glasses, clown noses and assorted jewelry. I hope to feed her imagination as much as I can. Now I am busy with getting all the Christmas organized.

I stopped by PetsMart today to get Cleo some aspirin and had a long conversation with the TriCounty Animal group. They have two cats who need foster homes- not permanent homes- just a foster arrangement. See, these two cats are not very adoptable because they are skittish. One is an eight year old Maine Coone Male who was seized in a breeder raid. The breeder had cats who were kept in cages and never allowed out. He is beautifu and was okay with me petting him, but didn't want to be picked up. The other was a female from an abusive home. She immediately was all over me. She is scared of noise, other cats, and fast movements. They want to find someone patient who can rehab these cats. They are mostly concerned about the male. Twice he has been almost adopted, but the age stopped one adoption, and his "angry" face stopped the other. I told them I would think about it. About one of them, at least.  I hate to see an eight year old cat sitting there for over a year with no hope of adoption simply because he has never had the chance to be socialized.

So... that's my week. I hope yours was much more entertaining.