Right now Charlotte and I are dealing with our precious Bella’s new ailment – blindness. It happened overnight and we suddenly realized Bella was running into walls and seemed disoriented. We took her to the doctor and he told us the bad news. Bella was not a candidate for eye surgery.
While driving home from the vet, Bella sat beside me in her car seat and seemed so relaxed. She didn’t seem to be worried or thinking about her past. She instead was probably thinking about that treat she would get once she got home. She always gets a treat for being a good girl in the car.
Bella might have been relaxed but I wasn’t. I was worried about her quality of life and wondering what we could do to make it easier on her. Whatever it took, no matter the cost, Bella was going to be given the best life possible for the rest of her life – that was my promise I whispered to myself.
Once home Bella has taken this all in stride and is learning to live with the inability to see. She is getting her bearings and following familiar smells. She was doing okay until we decided to move her bed into the TV room so she could be closer to us. We thought we were helping. But…
Bella was using her memory to find her bed. She got near where it was suppose to be and she JUMPED towards the bed as she always did. And the bed wasn’t there!
Poor Bella, when she landed on the floor, she looked around confused, wondering what the heck had happened.
As we picked her up to console her, we realized a valuable lesson Bella was teaching us.
Sometimes we try too hard to help others and we don’t give them the chance to help themselves.
The best lessons we learn in life are when we journey alone. We have to relax when a suddenly hits us – such as Bella’s blindness. We have to have faith that we can do some things without the help of others. We have to believe in those who are around us and if we do indeed fall and need help, they will be there. But we must find our own path in life and although we may bump into walls, we have to keep going and never let those bumps stop us!
A friend of mine, Nashville songwriter, James Slater, and I co-wrote a song recently about dogs. The lyrics start with “All you got to do is love on a dog. That’s all they want. That’s all they need.”
As we shower them with affection and gratitude, let’s also reflect on the kind of love we can extend to our fellow humans, transcending differences and embracing one another with open hearts.
All PEOPLE want is to be loved. That’s all they want. That’s all they need.
It was fun watching people post pictures of their dogs on National Dog Day on Aug 26, 20223 as they celebrated their ability to teach us about the power of unconditional love, forgiveness, and living in the present.
Enjoy this link to our song, “Love on a Dog” anytime you need to experience a happy dance!