The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Some have been asking for updates, so I'm just throwing out this quick post to bring y'all up to speed on things that have been happening. It's been an up-and-down ride for the last few months, and particularly the last few weeks. Here are some "highlights".

• Good: My son's burns are healing at an impressive pace, surprising even the doctors. Of course it's going to be a long process, but it is going well so far. I attribute this, in large part, to how quickly the folks at the John C. Lincoln Deer Valley Hospital emergency room got him transported (lighting speed, I'm tellin' ya) to the Arizona Burn Center, where he received absolutely amazing care.
• Bad: I haven't seen my foster son for a month now, and I don't even know where he lives. Since 2006, I have never gone more than 48 hours with him out of my sight. To this day I still do not know what happened or why he really left, an issue over which - I am not ashamed to admit - I've lost many nights' sleep. But he is an adult now and I must leave things in his hands, just hoping that one day he will want to have a relationship with me again, or at least explain himself. :(
• Good: Kayla, one of my now-grown strays, came over and brought me the most beautiful bouquet of flowers for Mother's Day. It truly lifted my spirits in a difficult time.
• Bad: On Mother's Day, in the evening, my dog got out of the yard when some neighborhood kids left our back door AND our back yard gate open. I love this dog. LOVE this dog. He was a rescue dog, having been abused in the past, and he has bonded with me like no other pet I've ever had. I found it nearly impossible to sleep without him snuggled up next to me at night, and I worried endlessly about his welfare. My daughter and I went to the local dog pound every day (a heart-wrenching experience in itself, which my daughter cried all the way through the first time), but didn't find him there.
• Good: After four long days, when I'd really lost hope, my dog was found! Responding to one of a kajillion posters we'd hung, someone finally called and said, "I think I have your dog." They DID have my dog! When I came to their door and he saw me from inside, he went bananas and ran to me, and I cried. Yay! :)
• Ugly: Well, there's no ugly. Ha ha. What COULD have been ugly would've been my son's burn scars, but fortunately it appears that there won't be any really bad ones, and none severe on his handsome face. I don't have any pics to post right at the moment, but I will when I can. As I said before, the healing is coming along well.

That's all I have for now, especially since I am having to "borrow" an internet connection (that's a whole 'nother story) and don't have a lot of time for a long post tonight. But I really, really want to express thanks to all who have been supportive during these difficult times, especially my fellow sellers at Bonanza. If you haven't been there yet, stop by and browse around. I'm telling you, there are some truly wonderful finds there, and some really wonderful people!