Sarah and I got a new wish child on Friday. We took a road trip (almost to Missouri) to visit him on Saturday. Oh, my! He's a cutie!
On Sunday Vixey died. Boy, that was tough. So many memories there. She was such a sweet little dog.
I turned around on Monday and had a great day! We took Velvet to The Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center to visit children during their chemo treatments. Wow! Was that ever fun! There were several children that we visited that made the whole trip worth the effort, even if they had been the only one we visited! One girl, in particular, really struck my heart. We had already visited a group out in what they call the pod. They asked if we would mind coming around to individual children in their own rooms. Of course we didn't! As we're walking around the corner, a mom is hanging out in the doorway of her child's room, while daughter is sitting, watching TV. Mom says, "Oh, hey, you have a visitor. You will NEVER guess who's here." Daughter, who looks really pale and tired, says, "Oh, Mom, I really don't want to see anyone. I don't feel..." Mid-sentence she sees Velvet. I wish I could have gotten a picture of the look on her face. She was so happy and excited. She loved on Velvet for quite awhile and just thought she was wonderful! Even after we left, as we were visiting other children, I would look over at her cubicle periodically and see her contentedly playing with her stuffed pony that we left for her. Just made my day!
It was also fun to see all the doctors and nurses make all over Velvet! We'll definitely have to do that again!
I've spent the rest of the week doing things around the house. We picked up a bull for Sherrod's cow (borrowed). Hopefully, he will do his job. I've been busily preparing for William's Memorial Trail Ride, which is really just in a few weeks. It is something I absolutely LOVE doing but it is so draining, emotionally, as well. I have been trying to work out details on a fabulous gift that I want to give away at the ride. It will be incredible, if I can pull it off.
I really messed up on William's monument. Long story, short, I applied the wrong kind of wax. It's been a nightmare. We didn't know what it was going to do to the patina or if we could even get it off. I thought it might have to be sandblasted. Ugh.
Several of us spent several hours scrubbing on it yesterday. I think it's going to be okay. We got the face, ears, arms, hands, and front of the shirt completely clean. The hair is going to take a good, long while, but we lost daylight yesterday. Some of us are going to go at it again today. That's incredibly emotional for me, as well. I just wish he were here. I wish there were still things I could do to take care of him. I miss him every moment.
I had a friend tell me the 2nd year would be harder. In the first year, people understand your tears. They accept them. They are still thinking of him. He's still a part of their lives, too. But in the 2nd year, the tears begin to make others uncomfortable. His existence becomes reduced to a memory and his death becomes merely a date on a calendar. They were able to rip that page off, but it's very much a part of who I am everyday.
I can't say that I am thriving but I am surviving. Every day. For now that will have to do. Some days are harder than others, for no explainable reason. I still have a hard time with sleep.
One thing has been very helpful to me this year. In December, I did this thing on FB. I'm not even sure how I worded it, but the basic idea was that I wanted people who would want prayer. I ended up with 3 people each month of 2017 that I've committed to pray for everyday. It's been so helpful. It's given me a purpose to focus on other's needs when I begin to feel like I'm drowning in my own. I'm so thankful for those who decided to participate. It means so much to me. Thank you!
