WONDERFUL DOG STORY

Subject: Great Dog Story

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.