A good day for nung-nung

At Chuck & Don't with mom!!

Today I took my brother Legacy's place as co-pilot when mom had to go out for a meeting. And then we got to go to Chuck & Don's Pet Food Outlet .... we have an emergency situation at home: yes, yummy treats are at a dangerously low level. Treats have slipped below the red line on our treat jar and I have told mom over and over again that it can NOT slip below the red line!

So today I made sure mom took me to Chuck & Don's. I got lots of belly rubs from the staff at the Bloomington C&D and also some tasty yummy treats. I also made sure mom bought me some special new treats .... Stella & Chewy's Absolutely Rabbit Dinner freeze dried treats. She also got me a bag of the Duck Duck Goose Dinner but I told her nung-nung prefers the rabbit. But I'll eat the duck duck goose treats too :) She let me sample one of the rabbit treats on our ride home. Yummy, yummy.

Now I get to hang out in the backyard with my brother Legacy. I love to bask in the sunshine but I don't get why my brother has to sit on top of me!! Oh well ...

Hope you all have a wonderful day! The emergency crisis has been taken care of at our home. Treat supplies have been replenished so nung-nung can now nap and get her beauty sleep.

"Give me some yummy raw rabbit treats!!"

Co-pilot :)

A present from my friend Jaycee and her classmates!

The front page of the book of letters!

On January 14th I got to visit my friend Jaycee at her school and meet all of her classmates. It was such a fun day. If you haven't read that story you check on the blog post on it:

http://ahnung-northstar.blogspot.com/2013/01/ahnung-visits-her-friend-jaycees-school.html

After I left Jaycee and all of her classmates wrote me (and mom) thank you letters :) Jaycee put all the letters together in a nice book and mom just got it today! :) Wow ... such nice, sweet letters.

I told mom that I am going to post every single letter on my blog. I will post a letter every day beginning with Jaycee's letter :)

Since mom didn't get permission to post the group shot we took before mom and I left their class, I am having to block faces ... nung-nung doesn't want to get in any trouble :( But Jaycee says i can post whatever photos I want of her on my blog. I had so much fun that day and I am hoping that I can go back soon and visit them again. From their notes you'll soon see that they would like me to come back too! :)

Thank you Jaycee, Jaycee's teachers and all of your classmates for being such a wonderful group and for welcoming us to your class.

Therapy dog at work!

Waiting for the elevator

Today mom got an email from our volunteer coordinator at Allina Hospice. She wanted to know if we could go visit our friend in hospice. We of course said yes. Once I got to the facility, I was greeted by lots of people. The staff there is just so wonderful. They are always commenting on how pretty I am and how they love my tail. Mom is always telling people how my tail is always wagging. My friend in hospice calls my tail, the 'happy indicator.' Guess that means nung-nung is a very happy girl.

We had a nice visit. My friend wasn't feeling so well and was sleeping when we got there. That's okay. We hung out for a little while and I decided to sleep right by his bed. I told mom we need to go back on Sunday to visit my friend. She said okay :)

And last Sunday, nung-nung got to attend the Leech Lake Legacy Celebration party! It was a big success. Lots of people came even though the weather was bad and nung-nung got lots and lots of belly rubs. Don't tell mom, but I also got lots of treats ... who needs a vacuum cleaner when nung-nung can provide that service for free and it's top notch service. The best part of the afternoon was that my friend Jaycee also came to see me and she was wearing a really cool t-shirt! :)

We had a healing prayer circle again led by my friend Merry. She led my prayer circle in April, 2012 after my second cancer surgery. It's been 2 months since mom was told my cancer has spread to my lungs. Well .... I am still feeling great and LOVING my raw whole food diet. This morning I gave my little brother Legacy a run for his money! He couldn't even keep up with me ...

Resting by my friend's bedside in hospice

Okay, it didn't take me long to crash!! :)

Off to run some errands with mom!

With my friend Jaycee at the Leech Lake Legacy Celebration party!

Ahnung visits her friend Jaycee's school

Getting loving from my friend Jaycee

Today I got to visit my friend Jaycee's school. Jaycee is the daughter of my mom's co-worker. She and her mom came to my Celebration of Life party in April where I got to meet them for the first time. She's been asking her mom about me all the time and has been praying for me. She also got to meet my brother Legacy at my April, 2012 Celebration of Life party .. in fact, she got to hang onto my brother for most of my party as mom was busy.

Anyway, Jaycee had to write a story for class and guess what, she chose to write about me. She wrote this really cool story about me and shared with  her classmates where I came from, what I tough life I had till mom adopted me, how I'm a therapy dog, how I got cancer, and about our special party in April. She also shared in her story how my little Legacy was being a little squirt at my celebration party and got into the cake that was there!! :) Good thing mom didn't see him get into the cake!! After mom heard Jaycee wrote a story about me she offered for us to visit her class. Today was my lucky day.  I got a spa treatment on Saturday to get ready for my big visit today. Mom always tells me I have to look and smell good when I am 'working' as a therapy dog :) Today I got to see Jaycee and all of her classmates (they are in 2nd grade). She did such a wonderful job sharing my story. Then mom shared a few more stories about me and also the work we do volunteering in hospice as a pet partner team. At the end of our visit all the cool kids came up to me to say hi and I got lots and lots of hugs and belly rubs.

Thank you Jaycee for inviting us to come your school and to meet your classmates. You are one very special girl :)

After my spa treatment on Saturday

My friend Jaycee sharing the story she wrote about me :)

Lots of love and belly rubs!!

With my friend Jaycee and her mom Stephanie :)

And yesterday I got to visit my friend in hospice ... he was so happy to see me and says he LOVES my tail. He calls my tail the 'happy indicator.' He says I am very happy because my tail is always wagging!

Your own Ahnung ...

May we all have an Ahnung

May we all have our own north star

May we all have a soul connection capable of filling the spaces in our heart

   and in our universe

we never even knew were empty.

Ahnung and Legacy - Grand Marais, January, 2013

Note: At the end of December we learned that Ahnung's tumor in her lungs had grown 30%. A decision was made to stop chemo and to enjoy whatever remaining time left we have.

Live in Joy

Live in joy,

In love,

Even among those who hate,

Live in joy,

In health,

Even among the afflicted.

Live in joy,

In peace,

Even among the troubled.

Look within,

Be still,

Free from fear and attachment,

Know the sweet joy of living in the way.

 Nung-Nung wishes everyone a very blessed holiday.

p.s. And for those following my health journey ... the cancer has spread to my lungs. I am on a low dose chemo, lots of supplements and a very yummy diet of whole foods and steamed green veggies! I go back to see my oncologist on Wednesday, 12/26 for a chest x-ray and to see how the meds are working. But no worries, nung-nung is feeling great! :) Hugs to everyone.

I wish you enough ...

So much has happened ... and yes, I am more active on my facebook page than I am blogging anymore ... sorry :(

My mom just got back last Thursday/Thanksgiving from visiting her mom in the Philippines. She has been wanting to go and visit her mom whose health has not been good and who has alzheimer's but has not been able to go because of her own health issues and also because she has been worried about me and my cancer. Since I had been doing good since my last bout with cancer in April she decided it was okay for her to go and visit her mom which I am very happy she did. It was also a sad time as she went for her aunt's funeral but a happy time as she got to see many of her relatives. When she came back she noticed I had lost some weight. We went to see my doctor on Monday and had chest x-rays done ... the cancer has metastasized to my lungs. I keep telling mom everything will be okay and I remember what my friend 'M' in hospice always told us when we walked the final journey with her ... "I've had a good life." I tell mom the same thing ... "I've had a good life."

This was posted on facebook this morning and I thought it was perfect so had to share ....

I WISH YOU ENOUGH.



Recently, I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport as the daughter's departure had been announced. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said:

"I love you and I wish you enough."

The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom." They kissed and the daughter left.

The mother walked over to the window where I sat. Standing there, I could see she wanted and needed to cry.

I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?" "Yes, I have," I replied. "Forgive me for asking but why is this a forever good-bye?"

"I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is the next trip back will be for my funeral," she said.

When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, "I wish you enough." May I ask what that means?"

She began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more.

"When we said 'I wish you enough' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them". Then turning toward me, she shared the following, reciting it from memory,

"I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.

I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye."

She then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person. An hour to appreciate them. A day to love them. And an entire life to forget them.

- Author Unknown