Goodbye, friend...

It's so hard to say goodbye.... A very peaceful ending for a very gentle soul today. RIP Maggie...you were simply the very best.

My Christmas Wish List

I've always loved Christmas...it's my favorite time of the year because it's a season for celebrating Christ's birth and of hope for things to come. 2009 has been difficult for me for many reasons, and I'm not feeling much Christmas cheer this year...actually, I'm not feeling any cheer at all. I do, however, know that I have so much to be thankful for, and on that I focus. I have a warm home, food, a job, a car, tons of wonderful human friends, loving animal friends, and family that I can count on - many people have none or just one or two of those things. Still....there are a few things on my Christmas Wish List this year...

• just to hold my Mom's hand one more time and hear her tell me, "I love you more than you'll ever know" - those have been a daily part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I am really, really missing them
• a stubbly-faced kiss from my Dad and hear him tell me "I love you" just one more time
• that my Maggie would surrender the fight to survive and take her rightful place in heaven. I know she wants to take care of me. She's done a great job of it for 15 years. She's been the best dog I could ever ask for. But, she is forcing me into making a decision that I desperately don't want to have to make
• that my back problems would disappear as quickly as they started
• that my friends, Tanya and Ann and Chris S., would be cured of their health problems
• that I would be given one month...just one month...in which we had no hospital acquired pressure ulcers at work
• that my roof would not leak
• that I would win just enough in the lottery to pay off all of my debts .... guess I need to start buying lottery tickets for a chance at that :-)
• that all of our soldiers were home with their families for Christmas because there were no disturbances in the world for them to deal with
• that every hungry person had their fill and clothes to keep them warm and a bed to sleep in
• a pair of jeans that fit perfectly - no alterations needed
• that the price of gas would go back to $1 per gallon
• another Christmas trip back to Disney with Mom
• another trip to the woods to find the perfect Christmas tree with my Dad...and watch him shoot mistletoe out of the tree for me
• a bottle of Ivory shampoo
• a bottle of Caress lotion
• that news reports and newspapers had to report as much good news as bad

It's a challenging list, but I'm still hoping...

Merry Christmas to you and your families.