Today's Second Post

(We rarely do two posts in one day.  Be sure to catch our earlier one if you missed it.)

So earlier today we gave you the discouraging news about Lightning. Now we want to share with you the rest of our news.  This is going to be Mom's day to speak again.

Let me start with a quote sent to me by a dear friend in Singapore:

The deeper the dark, the closer the dawn. However profound the suffering that envelops you, never forget the inner spark of hope and courage.  No matter how hopeless or bleak things appear, the moment always comes when suddenly our spirit revives and hope is reborn. That is why we must never give up. When your determination changes, everything will begin to move in the direction you desire. The moment you resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fiber in your being will immediately orient itself toward your success - Daisaku Ikeda

Those words have been repeated over and over by me for days now as I worked my way through what has become a true nightmare for our family.  Several of you know the backstory from my private emails because I was dealing with a situation for which I needed some tremendous support but could not share on the blog.  If you remember back to January 29th, a day I will forever regret, we had to make the difficult decision to rehome Misty because of my severe arm injury and her knee injury. Several weeks ago I learned some disturbing details about what happened to Misty after she left us.  I have been through a lot the past few weeks trying to find peace and closure.  Today is not the day to share the details of what happened - I promise I will soon - but as of this morning I have closure.

Without any more words, here is evidence of the best day I have had in a very long time.

Yes, our sweet baby girl came home to us this morning.  She has a long road ahead of her, but she is now where she will be loved and cared for.  Our pack is complete once again, reunited in love.  Misty is our miracle girl.

Many thanks to all of you who have been there for me and for helping me never lose hope.  It has been very hard keeping my secret since I learned on Friday that Misty was coming home.  But I wanted to actually have her in my arms before I shared.  There are some tough days and months ahead of us for both Misty and Lightning, but we will deal with them. I promise to share the story with you soon.

Lots of love, Kathie, Lightning, MISTY, and Timber