It's Birthday-Day!

 

Today is a remarkable day in our household, because we now have a seventeen-year-old fur baby!

            Braeya Jo turns 17 today, and I just simply cannot believe her longevity! In her older years, she has become quite content to sit quietly and enjoy hours upon hours of naps, appearing for conversation on her timetable.

            She loves life at the lake and I’ll sometimes find her sitting by the patio door, looking at the water before returning to her napping place. She sleeps with us every night, usually choosing a spot right between my feet.

            Over the past couple of months, she and Lexi have forged more of a friendship, though they also regularly enjoy a good spat. Typical sisters, I suppose. Lexi loves Braeya and wants to play with her for hours, but Lexi is also far more energetic than Braeya cares to be on the regular, so she limits her tolerance for such playtimes.

            We love her and are amazed and thankful at her long, healthy life. Even though she prefers solitude over adventure, we are glad she is part of our family!

            Today is also my sister’s birthday, and we won’t go into age-revelation for her. But I am also grateful for her life and all the good advice she gives me on the regular.

            Today is also the 16^th anniversary of the tornado that took out my sister’s town. Those of you who have been around with me for a long, long time might remember all the tornado posts from 2007. The night of the tornado, I’d celebrated Braeya’s first birthday and was about to go to bed when my mom called with the news. I had no concept of how truly bad things were until the next day, when the TV coverage was able to show daylight views. I’ve never watched so many hours of The Weather Channel in my life.

            So on this day of celebration, my heart is thankful. I am thankful for our little girl and the joy she brings to us. I am thankful for my sister and the protection God gave her the night of that tornado. And I am thankful for her resilient town that has shown such fortitude in rebuilding and forging a new life. I have learned much from them.