Your Dying Spouse 252 - Dying of a Broken Heart?

According to CNN (and Debbie Reynolds, who, I suppose, should know), you can die of a broken heart.

It's all a matter of stress hormones and stuff like that.

Whatever. I don't want Barbara to go through that.

Death is a part of life. I've buried friends. Too many, but you don't always get what you want in this life. I've learned that life does indeed go on.

And I want life to go on for Barbara, after I am dead. I want her to have joy and bright days and feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment that are unshadowed.

And above all, to feel God's grace.

Sure, she'll mourn. That's to be expected. But mourning has to have an end.

God did not intend for us to be crushed by sorrow, or worse, the sentimentality that turns the transition from this life to the eternal one into a kind of tragedy.

I'm not saying she should say, "Whoop-te-do, he's in heaven!" That's silly; it's a childish theology.

After all, Jesus wept at the death of Lazarus.

But I earnestly pray that my wife will be held by God in her grief, and that like a rainshower, the grief may move on.

And like that rain, that it, and my life, may water the soil of her future, bringing out new green shoots of hope.

(Please pardon the brevity of this post. I have the flu. We're linked with Kate Motaung's special post on 'Best Books Of 2016', but I can't for the life of me remember what I read.)

I have another blog, "Starting The Day With Grace". The focus is a grace quote from someone you might not expect (like, say Mick Jagger) and a short commentary. I hope you'll join me.

Marley update... been moved to a sanctuary, and Bay County will revise their 'dangerous dog' codes.

WE MADE A DIFFERENCE!

If you can, please do leave a comment. I am trying to answer all, and I am failing, but please know this - I read and treasure each one.

Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.

Your Dying Spouse 251 - Don't Be Eeyore

Please don't get me wrong; I have nothing against Pooh's friend, that lovable and gloomy donkey. But the Eeyore mindset has no place in caregiving.

It's an easy trap; if you're predisposed to look at worst-case scenarios, and you see your husband or wife declining, it's very tempting to give what feels like reassurance: "It's OK, I've seen this coming for a long time. I expected this setback."

It feels like it should be comforting, but for many patients, it's not.

The patient may be walking a knife-edge of hope, unrealistic perhaps, but real to him or her. To suddenly be confronted with the knowledge of how this looks 'from the outside' can be a shattering blow, and one from which emotional recovery can be difficult.

The patient knows what's happening (except in cases in which mental faculties are compromised, when that may not be true). But it's a matter of how that information's processed that's the key. There comes a time - I know this well - when the only way to make it through the day is to metaphorically walk the sunny side of the street.

But what about you, the caregiver? Do you have to bottle up how you feel about what you're seeing? Do you have to let the knowledge that your spouse is fading fast eat out your heart to preserve the patient's fantasies?

Not as all. That's what friends, therapists, and support groups are for.

That's also what prayer and journaling are for.

Yes, you have to protect that fantasy to the degree you can, and it may feel like you're living a lie.

But it's better to live the lie than to pile on that one more bit of bad news that breaks the proverbial - and fragile - camel's back.

I have another blog, "Starting The Day With Grace". The focus is a grace quote from someone you might not expect (like, say Mick Jagger) and a short commentary. I hope you'll join me.

Marley update... been moved to a sanctuary, and Bay County will revise their 'dangerous dog' codes.

WE MADE A DIFFERENCE!

If you can, please do leave a comment. I am trying to answer all, and I am failing, but please know this - I read and treasure each one.

Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.

Your Dying Spouse 250 - The Post-Christmas Blues

The days and weeks after Christmas can be something of a letdown...and when you're a caregiver, they can be downright depressing.

It's not just the question of 'will my husband or wife be around next year'; it's the added energy that goes into physically and mentally preparing for the year's biggest holiday, even if your plans and preparations are very limited.

One builds up adrenaline and the encultured expectation...and then the ornaments come down, the music and TV shows you've anticipated through the year disappear, and ordinary life comes back.

Add to that the fact that Christmas is a time for miracles, and one of these is the chance to push away the thoughts of mortality. Christmas is eternal; for the rest of the year, we're not.

So, what to do? How can you, as a caregiver, find a soft landing?

Here are some suggestions. Some may work for you, others perhaps not. But I hope there will be something of value for all.

• Celebrate the traditional Twelve Days Of Christmas - Keep the tree up, and give a small gift on each day...perhaps leading to a larger gift on the Feast Of The Epiphany,January 6.
• Plan some small outings - If possible, plan to take your spouse.patient somewhere special in the days following Christmas. It may be dinner at a nice restaurant, or coffee together at Starbucks...the trick is to make a big deal of it, something out of the ordinary for both of you.
• Movie nights - If your spouse can't get out to see a first-run film, take advantage of Netflix or Redbox to see a film you've missed.
• Special cooking - most of the special dishes and deserts become a memory after Christmas, but why not continue them for a week or so?And make the meals a special occasion, with candlelight and good china, if the situation allows.
• Make New Year's Day a bigger occasion - Add something to your New Year's tradition, like setting off fireworks at midnight, or taking a scenic drive during the day.

What do you think? Might these help? What would you add?

It's with sorrow that I learned of the death of George Michael, a few hours before writing this post. While his life and later music may have been controversial, as a member of Wham! he brought the joy of effervescent pop music to millions, and worked tirelessly for the underprivileged and forgotten. His talent and his generous heart will be missed.

Here, then, is a tribute, the delightful song, "Freedom". The video's charming; it was produced when Wham! made one of the firt appearances of a Western pop group in China.

I hope you enjoy it.

I have another blog, "Starting The Day With Grace". The focus is a grace quote from someone you might not expect (like, say Mick Jagger) and a short commentary. I hope you'll join me.

Marley update... been moved to a sanctuary, and Bay County will revise their 'dangerous dog' codes.

WE MADE A DIFFERENCE!

If you can, please do leave a comment. I am trying to answer all, and I am failing, but please know this - I read and treasure each one.

Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.

Your Dying Spouse 249 - A Christmas Wish For Caregivers

Christmas is a special time. It's not about presents and parties and carols and fellowship with friends and family.

Christmas is about HOPE.

God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son...

Dear Caregiver, I do know, and understand, that your life may be a cycle of sorrow and dread. It is the mundane of decline, that banality of an evil that is pulling the life from someone you love...and from you.

I know the pain in your heart; I've felt it, and have seen it reflected in my wife's eyes when she sees me falling, falling.

But there is a place beyond despair, and it began, and begins again yearly, with the Gift sent to us on Christmas Day.

Christmas, the day on which we celebrate the birth of the Saviour Of The World, is the curatin-raiser on the final defeat of death. It's the first line of the first act of the Paly which ends with an end to despair, and the eternal consolation of what seem life ineffable sorrows.

It can be hard to believe, when you're changing adult diapers and seeing the person you love withdraw into a shell of pain and fatigue, a cherished mind and heart growing more remote in the shadows of a final illness.

But look at it from Mary's perspective. She knew when she gave birth that her belvoed son, cherished in every human and maternal way, was destined to be a sacrifice; she was familiar with the prophecies in Isaiah, now at the beginning of their fulfillment.

She knew that her joy would turn into heart-piercing anguish, and that trust was the only way forward.

It's the same thing for you, dear Caregiver. And also for me, the patient.

Christmas is the bugle-call of hope, whose fulfillment will come - we have to trust - on Easter Day.

Your pain will reach a peak - there's no denying that - but we believe, we have to believe, that the pain will be washed away, as the pain of childbirth is replaced by the joy of new life.

New life. That's the promise of Christmas, and the hope that I wish for you, der Caregiver.

With all my heart.

I have another blog, "Starting The Day With Grace". The focus is a grace quote from someone you might not expect (like, say Mick Jagger) and a short commentary. I hope you'll join me.

Marley update...he's probably going to be moved to a sanctuary, and Bay County will revise their 'dangerous dog' codes.

WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

He's up over 200,000 signatures, but PLEASE keep the pressure on. If you haven't signed, please do! Please click o his name in the paragraph below.

If you have a moment, I'd like to ask you to visit Change.org to consider a petition to free a 'death row dog' who has been separated from his family for ten months over a misunderstanding. Marley was saved from Afghanistan by a US serviceman; please help make sure this story doesn't end in needless tragedy! Marley's gotten a lot of support...but he still needs our help.

If you can, please do leave a comment. I am trying to answer all, and I am failing, but please know this - I read and treasure each one.

Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.

Your Dying Spouse 248 - Beautiful Things

We're linked with Messy Marriage's From Messes To Messages. Please visit for some awesome marriage resources!

"A thing is not beautiful because it lasts." - ''Vision', played by Paul Bettany in The Avengers: Age Of Ultron

A lot of caregiving isn't beautiful. The fatigue, the worry, the occasional impatience, the mess, the smell, and the knowledge that things will only get worse...no, not beautiful.

But there are, hopefully, other moments, taken like flowers between the hard grey paving stones of circumstance.

The moments you and your spouse can enjoy together, and perhaps moments of humour, though it may sometimes be dark humour.

And it isn't going to last. One day, this duty, and this temporal relationship will end.

It may feel like an eternal donkey's path, turning the mill-wheel, but it's not. There will be a last time for all things, good and bad.

What you do with those moments is up to you, and yes, they do hold the capacity for wistfulmemory, or regret.

It's your choice dear caregiver - and dear patient - every day.

I have another blog, "Starting The Day With Grace". The focus is a grace quote from someone you might not expect (like, say Mick Jagger) and a short commentary. I hope you'll join me.

Marley update...he's probably going to be moved to a sanctuary, and Bay County will revise their 'dangerous dog' codes.

WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

He's up over 200,000 signatures, but PLEASE keep the pressure on. If you haven't signed, please do! Please click o his name in the paragraph below.

If you have a moment, I'd like to ask you to visit Change.org to consider a petition to free a 'death row dog' who has been separated from his family for ten months over a misunderstanding. Marley was saved from Afghanistan by a US serviceman; please help make sure this story doesn't end in needless tragedy! Marley's gotten a lot of support...but he still needs our help.

If you can, please do leave a comment. I am trying to answer all, and I am failing, but please know this - I read and treasure each one.

Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.

Your Dying Spouse 247 - Preparing For Caregiving

We never know when we're going to become a caregiver - or a patient, for that matter.

Usually you'd think of preparation as a follow-on to 'getting the bad news', when an illness is diagnosed. But that's not really the best way to go, because a) you're on the clock, and b) emotions are inevitably going to get in the way and make it harder.

You can make it easier (in each case) through planning ahead, before the crisis is on the horizon...but how does one justify preparing for something that may or may not happen...and if it does, may be years in the future?

Simple. By creating good habits now, habits that will benefit your life in normal times.

Here are a few...

• Stay in shape - caregiving (or being sick) is awfully hard on the body, and the higher your fitness level, the more physical resources you have. Even if you have to set aside your workout routine, you'll be starting from a better place; your body will have developed a higher metabolism, and you'll have more energy even though you can't exercise as you might want to.
• Organize small things - time will be of the essence, and you'll never have enough as a caregiver, so why not save some 'good time' now by developing efficient habits? Something like laying out your clothes in the evening, rather than having to decide what to wear with a leave-for-work deadline takes a lot of time-pressure away...and you'll use that time more efficiently.
• Develop an attitude of gratitude for small things - when you're a caregiver an undisturbed cup of coffee is a true blessing, but many caregivers see it as something 'taken away' from what the experience might have been, rather than a gift of a moment's peace. Learn to savour those small things.
• Get comfortable with discomfort - caregiving is nothing if not uncomfortable - both physically and mentally. You can toughen yourself up by intentionally being a bit less than comfortable...dress just a bit too lightly for cold, for example, or don't forego an exercise session because you'retired. These are small things, but they will, over time, develop in you a tolerance for discomfort...and that will increase your capacity for compassion, because you will not have to be so focused on how you're feeling.
• Cultivate friendships - friends are important through all stages of life, but especially so when you're a caregiver, because they are the only people, generally, who can give the respite you need and the feedback you may not always want to hear. They can be far better than family. And you can't develop 'instant friends'; usually the ones who are with you at the beginning of the caregiving journey are all you're going to have.
• Find a home church - having a rpititual home is a vital part of keeping yourself (as caregiver or patient) on an even keel. It doesn't have to be perfect; no church is. You just have to know that it'll be there for you, as long as you're a prt of the faith community. The church relationship is like a friendship; it takes time to grow into community, and you generally can't adopt one as a band-aid in a crisis.

What do you think? Are these valid points? what else would you add?

I have another blog, "Starting The Day With Grace". The focus is a grace quote from someone you might not expect (like, say Mick Jagger) and a short commentary. I hope you'll join me.

Marley update...he's probably going to be moved to a sanctuary, and Bay County will revise their 'dangerous dog' codes.

WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

He's up over 200,000 signatures, but PLEASE keep the pressure on. If you haven't signed, please do! Please click o his name in the paragraph below.

If you have a moment, I'd like to ask you to visit Change.org to consider a petition to free a 'death row dog' who has been separated from his family for ten months over a misunderstanding. Marley was saved from Afghanistan by a US serviceman; please help make sure this story doesn't end in needless tragedy! Marley's gotten a lot of support...but he still needs our help.

If you can, please do leave a comment. I am trying to answer all, and I am failing, but please know this - I read and treasure each one.

Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.

Your Dying Spouse 246 - Defiance, Despair, and Discipleship {FMF}

We're back with the Five Minute Friday group, a keyword-driven writing challenge hosted by the gracious and supremely talented Kate Motaung. Please visit to sample some really great writing.

This week's word is NOW.

If you've followed this blog for a while, you may have noticed that generally I'm defiant in the face of death. Sometimes you would have noticed despair; less often, I hope!

These are natural processes. Faced with the inevitability of passing from this life, one can naturally be expected to rail against 'the falling of night' and other times to despair. (And yes, they're part of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross's 'five stages of dying' paradigm.)

But now I'm a bit different.

It has, however, lately occurred to me that despair and defiance are really obverse sides of the same coin, yin and yang, action and reaction. Defiance is rooted in despair and can't exist without it.

In that way, it's a closed circle, one that affords no growth.

The one thing that can break the cycle is discipleship. That word is taken as a 'Christian thing', and to a large degree it is, but whatever your faith – and perhaps even in the lack of it - it can

afford you something of value.

For the Christian, discipleship is the following of the example and divinity of Jesus Christ. It's taking what He said to heart, living with His earthly life as an example and His promise of salvation as a grounding for action.

For the Zen Buddhist, discipleship is following the precepts of Gautama Buddha and Dogen Zenji, incorporating them into daily life and action.

For the Muslim, discipleship is found in living life in the way of the Prophet, with a hand to action and a mind focused on Allah.

For the Sikh disciple, the path is found in the lives of the ten Gurus, codified in the Guru Granth Sahib.

In short...discipleship is found in living; not living for oneself, but living a contextual life, rooted in and guided by belief in the validity of the teachings and faith one holds dear and true. Discipleship is a purposeful life with a purpose which takes one beyond one's own soul.

Defiance and despair are the path of the donkey at the mill-wheel, blinkered and hooded to walk his unending circular path.

Discipleship is the open road, the road with a destination. There may be delights found along the way, and there will assuredly be terrors. But the light of a purpose in living is the guide to one's steps and the illumination of action taken in the fidelity of belief.

Defiance and despair are the safety of the known. Discipleship is scary, because it can and will force your hand to play the cards you've been dealt for a cause.

And it's not your cause. It's one that will, when your steps falter, pick you up and carry you home.

Tonight's musical theme is provided by Soundgarden, with Live To Rise.

I have another blog, "Starting The Day With Grace". The focus is a grace quote from someone you might not expect (like, say Mick Jagger) and a short commentary. I hope you'll join me.

Marley update...he's probably going to be moved to a sanctuary, and Bay County will revise their 'dangerous dog' codes.

WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

He's up over 200,000 signatures, but PLEASE keep the pressure on. If you haven't signed, please do! Please click o his name in the paragraph below.

If you have a moment, I'd like to ask you to visit Change.org to consider a petition to free a 'death row dog' who has been separated from his family for ten months over a misunderstanding. Marley was saved from Afghanistan by a US serviceman; please help make sure this story doesn't end in needless tragedy! Marley's gotten a lot of support...but he still needs our help.

If you can, please do leave a comment. I am trying to answer all, and I am failing, but please know this - I read and treasure each one.

Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.

Your Dying Spouse 245 - Was My Life Worthwhile?

We're linked with Messy Marriage's From Messes To Messages; please visit Beth's site for some great marriage resources.

If you're caregiving for your spouse, you may be stunned to hear this question - "Was my life worthwhile?"

Indeed, it may hurt; in the face of a shared life, shared joys and sorrows, it may well feel like a slap in the face.

"Does he regret our life together?"

The short answer is no. It's not about you, and not about the life you shared. It's fundamentally about a lie. Two lies, actually.

The first is the Lie Of Hindsight, in which the dreams one cherished were possible, looking back, with an assumption of time and resources and position and abilities one simply didn't have. The last part of that equation gets lost, and the resources are assumed to have existed if one only had the gumption and faith.

So very untrue. Life happens in between our hearts' desires, and it spreads to fill our days with the mundane...and the necessary.

The honour of sitting up nights with an ailing parent are overlooked; the only thing that counts are the dreams, unrealized, of hiking the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim.

The second lie is the Lie Of Relative Value, in which the very dreams themselves are questioned. What worth, in hiking the grand Canyon while millions are starving in the Sudan?

The answer, of course, is that life is about choices. The life that your mate lived was an integral part in the functioning of society...a small part, perhaps, but someone had to be there; someone had to show up at that job.

But it's hard to see, when even the Christian media trumpets the heroes of compassion...the rest of us are kind of left out. But those heroes need an infrastructure; we also serve who stand and wait.

Of course, pointing these out as lies isn't too effective. Your husband or wife has blinders on; in a real sense he or she wants to measure up as a failure, because at least the initial ideals were high!

So, what to do?

The best thing you can do is to accentuate the present positive. Be thankful - verbally - for the things your mate can still do for you. Be thankful for kind words and support, and for the prayers your spouse may offer in your behalf.

Say, "I'm glad I married you." You don't know how important that is to hear, when everything elses is slipping away.

And give your husband or wife a hug and kiss, whenever you can. That, YOU will never regret.

I have another blog, "Starting The Day With Grace". The focus is a grace quote from someone  you might not expect (like, say Mick Jagger) and a short commentary. I hope you'll join me.

Marley update...he's probably going to be moved to a sanctuary, and Bay County will revise their 'dangerous dog' codes.

WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

He's up over 200,000 signatures, but PLEASE keep the pressure on. If you haven't signed, please do! Please click o his name in the paragraph below.

If you have a moment, I'd like to ask you to visit Change.org to consider a petition to free a 'death row dog' who has been separated from his family for ten months over a misunderstanding. Marley was saved from Afghanistan by a US serviceman; please help make sure this story doesn't end in needless tragedy! Marley's gotten a lot of support...but he still needs our help.

If you can, please do leave a comment. I am trying to answer all, and I am failing, but please know this - I read and treasure each one.

Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.

Your Dying Spouse 244: Patient Fatigue

No, I'm not talking about a caregiver getting tired of the patient...thought that does happen too.

The issue here is when the patient gets tired of the whole 'illness thing'.

It's understandable; constant pain and debility, with perhaps no prospect for better days ahead, will wear out anyone. It may not be something the caregiver can 'deal with', but it's important to know what's going on...and to do what one can in support.

It's also important to document, because it's not only the course of the illness that can cause a loss of morale; many medications (or combinations thereof) can do this as well. The patient's medical team needs to know.

The symptoms of a patient who's getting tired of it all include:

A changed attitude - the husband or wife who was cheerful and upbeat in the face of pain and the devastation of life turns dark and brooding, or simply shows an attitude of I-don't-care.

Loss of interest - a person who followed the news won't bother, and what hobbies have been pursued remain untouched for a prolonged period

Preoccupation with death rituals - meticulously planning one's own funeral is hardly a good sign.

Changed emotions - sudden irritability - or calm in a previously temperamental individual - can be a harbinger of fatigue, that the effort just isn't worth it any more.

Resistance to, or outright refusal of, medications or treatment - this is one of which I'm guilty; not having insurance, I'm not going to beggar my wife with tests and treatments that might not even help. I've written myself out of the future, and no longer think I'm worth trying to save.

Lack of self-care - refusing (or resisting) washing or changing clothes is pretty common. I've lately gown a Duck Dynasty-style beard, but it's not because I don't care; shaving (or being shaved) just plain hurts now.

Isolation - refusing to leave the house (if it's possible) or see visitors is a sign of disengagement with the world

Expressed lack of self-worth - the patient who says, "My life is a waste" is clearly in trouble.

What can you do? Again, the first priority is letting the medical team know. This is where keeping a journal can be vital.

Don't nag, plead, or cajole. You'll run into an almost reflex resistance, and may strengthen the behaviour.

Set boundaries. Don't accept careless personal hygiene when the patient is capable of taking care of him or herself. You have to live in their company; be firm, and don't accept slovenliness out of either pity or a desire to avoid confrontation.

Be positive. For whatever the patient can still do to contribute to the household, be generous with praise. Don't let it sound condescending, but recognize the effort and what energy it may have cost.

Finally, and very importantly, remember that this is not about you. Your patient may try to personalize the fatigue and attendant depression, but it's only because you are the nearest target.

But you didn't make him or her sick, and you're doing your best to help. Don't let anyone, even (and especially) the patient, take that away from you.

I have another blog, "Starting The Day With Grace". The focus is a grace quote from someone you might not expect (like, say Mick Jagger) and a short commentary. I hope you'll join me.

Marley update...he's probably going to be moved to a sanctuary, and Bay County will revise their 'dangerous dog' codes.

WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

He's up over 200,000 signatures, but PLEASE keep the pressure on. If you haven't signed, please do! Please click o his name in the paragraph below.

If you have a moment, I'd like to ask you to visit Change.org to consider a petition to free a 'death row dog' who has been separated from his family for ten months over a misunderstanding. Marley was saved from Afghanistan by a US serviceman; please help make sure this story doesn't end in needless tragedy! Marley's gotten a lot of support...but he still needs our help.

If you can, please do leave a comment. I am trying to answer all, and I am failing, but please know this - I read and treasure each one.

Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.

Your Dying Spouse 243 - Counting It All Joy {FMF}

I'm guest-posting today at Kate Motaung's Heading Home, the home site for Five Minute Friday.. Please drop by!

The word this week, as the picture below may tell you, is JOY.

Here's a hint...joy is nothing else if not intentional, and pain is the lens through which the light of compassion is focused.

And here is the musical inspiration...

I have another blog, "Starting The Day With Grace". The focus is a grace quote from someone you might not expect (like, say Mick Jagger) and a short commentary. I hope you'll join me.

Marley update...he's probably going to be moved to a sanctuary, and Bay County will revise their 'dangerous dog' codes.

WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

He's up over 200,000 signatures, but PLEASE keep the pressure on. If you haven't signed, please do! Please click o his name in the paragraph below.

If you have a moment, I'd like to ask you to visit Change.org to consider a petition to free a 'death row dog' who has been separated from his family for ten months over a misunderstanding. Marley was saved from Afghanistan by a US serviceman; please help make sure this story doesn't end in needless tragedy! Marley's gotten a lot of support...but he still needs our help.

If you can, please do leave a comment. I am trying to answer all, and I am failing, but please know this - I read and treasure each one.

Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.