Not much has changed, so I’m going to do this a little differently today…
Life’s been busy as the holiday season approaches and plans are made for the remaining months. If you’ve been following Mister’s story, you’ll remember I had to fly home Christmas Day last year for his first surgery. It was an experience I’ll never forget…
On Christmas morning, I woke up to Evelyn showing me text messages and videos from our dog sitter. Mister had been shaking the night before and was walking funny. By morning, he had completely lost motion in his back legs. I knew immediately I had to get back. I grabbed whatever my morning brain thought was important and shoved it in a backpack. We hopped in the car and sped toward the airport. We were in Detroit, it was snowing, 15º outside, and I’m from Florida.
Giddy yap, giddy yap, giddy yap,
Let’s go,
Let’s go to the veterinary hospital
That doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, does it?
We got to the airport just in time and I rushed through TSA. But, the flight got delayed 4 times. Honestly, I probably needed the delay so I could relax and take a breath or two.
When I finally took my seat on the plane, Evelyn sent me the estimate for Mister’s surgery. It was way more than I expected–$11,000. A Christmas miracle.
As I sat there contemplating what to do, the lady next to me turned and asked me a question. I don’t remember what she said, but she expressed how she felt like she needed to talk to me. I told her what was going on and we chatted off and on throughout the flight. Just before we landed, she pulled out a $100 bill, handed it to me, and said “Merry Christmas. I hope this helps.” Honestly, she reminded me of a little bit of my mom. I don’t know what happens after you die, but maybe it was her. It sure felt like it.
That was the first donation for this cause. A $100 bill from a kind not-so-stranger on Christmas Day. It felt surreal. It felt like a movie. It felt odd. It reminded me of a quote by C.S. Lewis:
“Reality, in fact, is usually something you could not have guessed. That is one of the reasons I believe Christianity. It is a religion you could not have guessed. If it offered us just the kind of universe we had always expected, I should feel we were making it up. But, in fact, it is not the sort of thing anyone would have made up. It has just that queer twist about it that real things have. So let us leave behind all these boys’ philosophies–these over simple answers. The problem is not simple and the answer is not going to be simple either.”
At this point in my life, I don’t know what’s true: Is Christianity the answer or just an ideology to help us cope with life’s uncertainty? In that moment, as the lady turned and talked to me, it sure did seem real.
Help Mister Walk Again has been my way of dealing with everything that’s happened. It’s a positive and compelling cause I can believe in. It gives me hope there’s a reason we are all here in what often feels like a meaningless game. I’m not going to pretend like I know the answers. I’m not going to say I have faith when I really have no idea. But, I am going to keep asking questions and doing what I know is right. What more can I ask of myself?
Until next time,
Dylan
