Update From Italy This Week

Today, we woke up and it was pouring rain. Not the kind of rain in Florida where it rains hard and then stops. Nope. It’s the California kind. An all day steady rain that lasts. With mud and more mud left in its way to slip. Obviously, I did. But not Fruitycake. He walked down the path like it was worth it. He walked the 1/3 mile down a slippery slope to the sea. Because he knew the risk and irritation of getting wet was worth it. And I had to agree. Until I fell. I’m fine. And three months ago, I would have broken down in tears over my laundry this morning. Falling.

But Fruitycake is the real optimist today. Three months ago, he never would have even thought of walking down that path. He never would have stepped outside. He didn’t wake up with happiness each day. He didn’t wake up and look in the mirror every morning. Yes. He does that. It’s like he’s looking at himself to say, you got this day. All of the sticks are yours.

It’s been such a hard six months. And compared to losing Brickle off this earth, nothing else is as bad. It’s taken us, and especially Fruitycake, a bit to find our way. We still have some to go. But I feel like maybe we are gaining a bit of confidence that we can do it if we keep trying. There have been many days I didn’t want to. But I did for Fruitycake. I wish I could have done it for myself. But I couldn’t. I did it because Brickle got me here. And I need to stay here for him too. He’s here in body at his resting place. And I feel like he lives with in me and beside me now.

I think that the last few months have been hard physically for sure. But we now have a bed and that is beyond words to express gratitude for that. Hopefully in the next couple weeks, we can get a couch too. And I think I’ll sit and cry as my Pappy would say.

I see the improvement in Fruitycake’s health the last couple weeks. He had a major setback with allergies and stomach issues. It was scary. But we were told to switch him to no processed treats at all. Only vegetables as treats. And I was shocked, absolutely shocked he took to this change. He acted like he had craved it all along.

Every one of us handles life’s challenges differently. You may see the situations here and say you wouldn’t handle it the same. That’s ok. I think we can all learn from each other. And we will, and especially me, will make mistakes along the way. I’ve never done this before. I’ve never even had a Fruitycake before. I’m learning as I go. Isn’t that what we all do?

This week is our 31st wedding anniversary and I’m not sure how it will look this year. But I know if we’ve made it this far, we can make it another year. Another day. Another hour. One minute at a time.

Growing better each day. Trying to be better. Trying to help animals. People. Bugs. Every individual. When I go to bed each night, I ask Fruitycake who we helped today. Please know you’re helping us.

-Rachael

We have many projects this week at our abandoned house. If you would like to contribute to our projects, you can do so by clicking here. We can’t do it without you.

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