lady prints: November 2012

Thursday, November 22, 2012

My Thankful List

Today is Thanksgiving, so I want to focus on those things that I am grateful and thankful for. Here are my top ten:

1. I am very thankful for having a supportive husband. Since my diagnosis of fibro, and other chronic illnesses, he has been 100% supportive and caring to me.

2. I am very thankful for the love from my family. I know many people who have fibro, or a chronic illness, receive negativity from their family. I am very grateful I have not experienced that.

3. I am very thankful for the love of my three furbabies. I don't have human children, but my cats melt my heart. I am very grateful to have them in my life.

4. I am very thankful for having wonderful and supportive doctors. Everyone, regardless of a health issue, should have compassionate doctors.

5. I am very thankful for my online support community, specifically on twitter. Since I no longer work, it's become a savior for social outreach.

6. I am very thankful for having a nice apartment with some great amenities. Even before I stopped working, I was a homebody. I much prefer to stay at home and watch a movie or TV shows, than to go to a bar.

7. I am very thankful for living in a city where there are lots of food options, specifically because being a vegan can be challenging. I live within minutes of grocery stores, including Whole Foods.

8. I am very thankful for my hobbies that keep my mind active, including cooking, being the "tv lady", and reading, to name a few.

9. I am very thankful to God for giving me love and strength. God keeps me positive and the closer I am to God, the better I feel about life.

10. I am very thankful for the health that I do have. I tend to not focus on the negative and what's wrong with me. Of course, I have bad days, lots of them, but I could be so much worse. I am very grateful that my illnesses will not kill me, I have much to look forward to in life.

I think we all need to focus on what we are grateful and thankful for every day of the year, not just Thanksgiving. But, it's a great day to focus on that which makes us happy.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Woodrow, The Love Bug

Woodrow, the Love Bug

9NOV

A week ago today, my sweet 15 year old cat, Woodrow, was diagnosed with lymphoma. He was being very lethargic, losing a lot of weight and overall, not eating or enjoying the things he used to. Woodrow, or as we call him Woody, has been in my life for roughly 13 years now. I was single at the time and wanted to find a black kitten, so I went searching. I finally came to this feline rescue center that had about 15 cats in cages. Woody was at the very end of the aisle and had a blanket draped over his cage, I still don’t understand why. When they removed the curtain, I saw my baby. As you can see, he is not black. He is a pretty shade of orange, almost like a little creamcicle color. He was rubbing the cage with his face and they asked if I wanted to hold him, of course I said yes! He immediately purred and smelled me and I knew he was mine. I quickly realized that Woody was a little love bug, in fact, the vet that the rescue place used nicknamed him as love bug. He grooms not only himself, but other cats and people. The entire night he would lick my leg, although it felt weird, I knew he was just being a sweetheart.

Anyone that meets Woody knows he’s a sweet heart, love bug. Oddly enough, about 3 months after Woody came home with me, we heard a cry at our door and it was a black kitten! He is all black with a little patch of white on his neck, so he’s named Tux. Tux is also a love bug, but very shy. Woody groomed him from the first day he arrived. They have been great brothers since. We also now have Chase, our little adorable tuxedo short hair bully, sigh.

Woody has been taking prednisone for a week now and he’s doing awesome! I admit, when I heard that he had lymphoma, my heart was devastated, it still is. But I told him that if he was in any pain to let go. I don’t want him in pain and staying here just for his mommy. But since he’s been on the pred, he’s back to his old self. He’s purring, playful, and eating much more. I am cautiously optimistic that he is going to stay this way, but I know he’s getting older and my role as a mom is to make his life peaceful and happy.

I love you Woody with all my heart.