The Bailey Ears

At 13 years old, Bailey looks pretty much the same as he has for a while. (We won't talk about the graying chin!) He looks nothing like he did when he was a puppy though, and one reason for that (besides about 45 pounds) is the change in his ears. I think it's funny to compare pictures from the three different stages of The Bailey Ears.

Here's baby Bailey, at six weeks old, with floppy ears . . .

And here's adolescent Bailey, at 3 months old, with ears standing up but looking as if they're attached! (And look how much he grew in only 6 weeks!)

And here's a mature Bailey, probably around a year old, with his ears in their permanent position.

That rug he is standing on in the last picture may (or may not) have been placed there to cover a hole in the carpet that may (or may not) have been chewed by a strange dog who may (or may not) have broken into the house one night without anyone knowing. I'm sure it was not caused by Bailey, because he never chewed anything. Ever.

I guess that same strange dog must have also chewed the 7 individual shoes (never the same pair twice!), my bedroom furniture, Bailey's beds, the carpet in my room . . .

DM Links

Here's a link to a petition to the University of Florida to continue Dr. Clemmons' DM research in German shepherds:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/SupportCriticalGSDMResearch

And Dr. Coates, who studies DM in corgis and boxers, has linked that version of DM with Lou Gehrig's disease:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090121174124.htm

******Oops! I had the petition link twice. I've corrected the link for the Lou Gehrig's article.

Praying for Baby Stellan

Spring At Last!

Bailey and I enjoyed the warm weather we had recently and spent lots of time outside. He could stay outside all day, watching and listening and sniffing!

And it was finally warm enough during a visit to accompany this little girl to the playground!

Her first picnic

And here are some cute pics of Bailey all snuggled up on his bed.

When I first bought him that 7-inch thick orthopedic foam bed from Foster & Smith several years ago, he would have nothing to do with it. He had always had the polyfill beds that are a lot flatter and did not know what to think about this one. It probably took two weeks before he would lie on it, and now, as you can see, he loves it!

Barking at the Rain

This week seems to have had a theme: Trial by Water. It started last Sunday, when I was getting ready to leave the house, walked into my bedroom, and water bubbled up from the carpet around my toes. After some searching, I discovered the water heater was leaking. The plumber could not come until Tuesday morning and, in the meantime, I used almost every towel in the house to try to contain the water, as it seeped through the wood flooring in the hall, leaving the slats to darken, buckle and separate. And the water spread further and further into my room. In the midst of dealing with all of that, I also had to clean up after a toilet overflowed!

On Friday, I helped with a retirement party for a lady at work. It poured rain all morning while I loaded and unloaded my car and ran back and forth between buildings. My well-worn, favorite brown shoes, that I continued to wear even after the soles on both shoes split all the way through, finally let me down. Each time I stepped out in the rain, water seeped into my shoes, wetting the insides of the shoes and my socks. All day long I had wet feet! Add that to a cold and a backache and Friday was rough.

Saturday morning we awoke to more rain that lasted most of the day. Bailey was so disappointed that we could not play outside that he literally sat at the French doors, barking at the rain. It took lots of love and attention from me to quiet and distract him.

And today, water in its frozen form almost kept me from seeing my sister and my adorable niece, who can always make me smile. Thankfully, I did not believe the weather forecast and trekked northward for a short visit and lots of laughter.

Overall, this was a very rough week. Of everything that happened, though, the scene that has stuck in my mind most is that of Bailey, sitting at the window, barking at the rain and wishing it would go away. How many times have I done that? Throughout this journey with degenerative myelopathy, how many times have I "barked at the rain"? How often have I asked God why we have to go through this, and could He please take the disease away? Instead, I should have been sitting at the feet of my Master, allowing Him to love on me, to soothe my weary spirit, to assure me that this rain will end and the sun will shine again.

Because just like the rain, this journey has a purpose. Without the rain, flowers, trees, and plants would never grow; without trials, neither would my faith or my reliance on Him grow.

When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.
Isaiah 43:2 (New Living Translation)

Praying for Harper

Inauguration Day

I couldn't have said it better:

http://lotsofscotts.blogspot.com/2009/01/dear-president-elect-obama-today-is.html

I think it is wonderful timing that this inauguration day, of our first black President, comes the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! I pray that President Obama doesn't embarrass will do Dr. King proud.

I'm too young to have a 13-year-old!

My Bailey Asher is 13-years-old today! I can hardly believe it. He's not very interested in toys now, except for his old favorites, so I wrapped up some treats and a Greenie and he loved his gifts!

I loved this picture of him holding his Greenie, still in the wrapping paper!

The aftermath . . . :o)

Finishing up his treats and checking the wrapping to make sure he didn't miss any!

Happy 13th Birthday, Bailey Asher!

You are my sunshine . . .

Choosing Thankfulness

Today, among many other things, I am thankful that I have shoes. I am thankful that, for reasons I will never know, God chose to place me in a specific spot in the world where shoes are a given for most people. And He went beyond that and placed me in a family where shoes were always a given for me. Even now, I have so many shoes that I probably could not name each pair in my closet if I tried. Sure I know the ones I wear regularly, but there are shoes in there that I haven't worn in a year. So it is hard for me to imagine an existence where shoes are a luxury.

But I've been to Piedras Negras, Mexico. I've seen people who would love a free pair of shoes or even just a hot meal. I've seen people who live in houses made of wooden palettes with no electricity or running water, kids whose faces, not just lips, were chapped from the cold wind blowing through those palette walls at night. I've seen a little boy, Daniel, shy and uncommunicative, who responded to a small bag of cookies by leaping into my arms and holding on for dear life to the love and caring that those treats represented. I've seen another boy, Oscar, a tough little guy, who was so excited to receive a free toothbrush and toothpaste that he rushed home from VBS, brushed his teeth, and came back to show everyone. I live in a country where most kids would laugh if you tried to put a toothbrush in their Christmas stocking or Halloween bag.

I don't know why God let me be born here instead of there, but I feel a responsibility to do whatever I can to share my blessings with others. And since walking is something we don't take for granted anymore because of Bailey's illness, I thought this charity was a perfect outlet. I hope you'll join me in making such a small donation that will literally change the day-to-day life of someone whose feet hurt.



"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
~Matthew 25:34-40

REAL Hope for the Future

In Christ alone my hope is found.
He is my light, my strength, my song.
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones he came to save;
'Til on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied -
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
'Til He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

-In Christ Alone, lyrics by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty