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 not to leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy.
Inevitably someone would forget and something would come up missing. Then either Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, admidst all his other favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his 'finds' in his toy box, and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.
One day Mary was diagnosed with breast cancer. Something told her that she was going to die of this disease. She was sure it would be fatal.
A double mastectomy was scheduled. The night before she was scheduled to go into the hospital, Mary snuggled with Lucky.
A thought struck her ... "What would happen to Lucky?" Although the 3-yr-old dog liked Jim, he was really Mary's dog through and through. "If I die, Lucky will feel abandoned," she thought. "He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him." That thought made her sadder than the thought of her own death.
The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than even her doctors had anticipated, and she was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walks faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.
Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When they arrived back home, she was so exhausted that she couldn't make it up the stairs to their bedroom. Jim made her comfortable on the couch and left her to nap.
When Mary woke, she didn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move, and her body felt heavy and hot!
Panic soon gave way to laughter, however, when she realized what the problem was. 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 to bring 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 each 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!
8 comments:
Oh my goodness, this is absolutely beautiful. Lucky sounds so much like my beloved Ginger. Dogs are so very special and really do adore and love their master, whomever that may be.
Please, please give Lucky a big hug from me when you see him next.
Goldenrod, can you pass this on to Mary?
Tribute to a dog, written by Senator George Vest:
The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful, is his dog. A man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer. He will lick the wounds and sores that come with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. when riches take wing and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.
What a wonderful story! (My cat loves me, but not that much!)
Consider it passed on, Tammy, and thank you for including that tribute by Senator George Vest in your comments. I'm sure there are many others out there who can relate to and appreciate it.
Is this a true story? About people you actually know?? It's beautiful.
I'm absolutely positive that this is a true story, Nancy! (Good to hear from you, by the way.) And no, I do not personally know either Mary or Jim. Nor do I know Lucky.
This story was related to me by a very dear friend who reads my blog, and I was so moved I felt compelled to publish it. This post was my 321st, and only the fifth that I labeled "Love" (I do not use the term 'love' loosely!) ... the previous four are entitled "Serendipity", which was the name I gave to my beloved cat.
Tammy's comments were so heartfelt and sincere that I did not have the courage to tell her that I actually knew none of the principals in the story, that I had heard this story from someone else.
I am SO glad that she included Senator Vest's "Tribute to a Dog" in her comments ... I feel certain that many of my readers gained some measure of solace from that.
Oh shoot........I was thinking "Mary" was a friend of yours. Seems like a while back I'd read a post where you were staying somewhere and their dog took your keys...or something...can't quite remember. Anyway, I was thinking Lucky was that dog.
Beautiful story anyway. :)
And I would have let you remain in the dark forever, Tammy, if Nancy had not asked me such direct questions.
The dog you're thinking of, I think, is the one that grabbed my driver's license when it fell out of my pocket -- mauled it pretty good, too! :)
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