The News ...

I learned today that a very dear friend is in the late stages of cancer.

All the world (or at least, all the TV stations) are mourning the Crocodile Hunter, who was just killed by a stingray's barb. I don't care. He's just another face on the tube. He wasn't real to me, not like MC is. She's somebody that we've talked with, laughed with, pulled pranks on, sat together over dinner, sent emails back and forth, hugged, commisserated with, got annoyed at (just occasionally), and loved. She's a dynamo. She's got more determination than any ten people put together. And she's needed it to pull through some of the situations she's been in. But now, cancer is taking her down.

As I tried to digest this bit of news, I took the dogs for their evening walk. I was depressed. The dogs weren't, of course. They're two little Shih Tzu's, the sweetest creatures on earth, and they were just thrilled to be checking out their territory. The church yard is their Running Field, and boy, did they. Pretty soon, I was running, too, so they could chase me. Big puppy smiles on little puppy faces, running full tilt through the grass.

I felt much better on the walk home. The dogs just trotted along, happy to be outside. I was happy to have shared their joy for a while.

We're all here for just a short while, and most of us have no control over when we leave. But in the meantime, we can run with the dogs through the wet grass.