Peaceful Road

       May there be a peaceful road ahead of you tonight
       May there be still waters
       Here my ship lies to take you where you can rest your head
       I will not watch you die 

                    from  "Peaceful Road" by City and Color


Its been two months since we learned of Bella's fate and as of today she shows almost no sign of what lies ahead for her.  She's behaving like her normal self, though we do see signs of an increased appetite and water consumption.  But her eating and activity seems nearly normal.  Her cancerous lymph nodes have grown only modestly and do not seem to be having any affect on her.   But she's a tough girl and may simply be playing through the pain...who knows.

After dinner tonight I went to my office and sat in front on my computer.  Within minutes Bella came in and sat at my side.  I could feel her staring at me.  I reached down to pet her head, then turned towards her and began massaging her shoulders with both hands.  She gradually dropped her head down and absorbed the massage.  When I finished with her shoulders I moved to her neck, her head and ears.  She loves this and sat quietly as I stroked her.  As I looked down at her I noticed her typically cockeyed seating, her rear legs splayed out at a funny angle as she often does.  I spotted a rock from our driveway on the rug,  without a doubt one that she'd brought to me hoping I'd throw it for her to retrieve.  When I finished her massage I clapped her shoulders once and said, "OK, go lay down".  She obediently moved around to the front of my desk and with an audible exhale she laid down.

I thought about the road ahead for her, hoping I can make it a peaceful journey for her.