Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky'.
Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend
visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open
because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy.
Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.
Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement
and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys.
Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very
particular that his toys stay in the box.
It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer.
Something told her she was going to die of this disease....in fact,
she was just sure it was fatal.
She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her
shoulders.The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky.
A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the
three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If
I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that
I didn't want to leave him. The thought made her sadder than thinking of
her own death.
The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors
had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took
Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped,
whining and miserable. Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When
she arrived home , Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the
steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and
left her to nap. Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her
when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she
dozed.
When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what
was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But
panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was
covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned! While
she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the
basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.
He had covered her with his love.
Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living
again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12
years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky? He still steals
treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest
treasure.
Remember....live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a
blessing from God. And never forget....the people who make a difference
in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most
money, or the most awards They are the ones that care for us.
If you see someone without a smile today give them one of
yours! Live simply. Love seriously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave
the rest to God
A small request: All you are asked to do is keep this
circulating. Even if it's to just one more person..
In memory of anyone you know that has been struck down by
cancer or is still living with it.
7:58 AM