Growth and Child Games

Opportunities present themselves and provide growth. Growth is knowledge, experience, self-discovery, and eye, heart, and mind opening. Occasionally, that opportunity thing requires a late night or two, maybe even three… and often those extended evenings begin as a morning start before the sunrise. Moving in a forward direction is a powerful motivator.

Franklin Terrace

Six years ago today, I began my career at Virginia Commonwealth University. It was an opportunity for me to welcome and explore all of those things above and more. Since that day in 2008, I’ve expanded my skills, my list of influential life-changing people, my patience, my love for common everyday moments, and my passion to continually absorb knowledge while graduating with two Master’s degrees from VCU.

Opportunity often reminds me of the children’s game hide and seek. Rare is it that it comes looking for you. It does, however, love and invite you to take the initiative to search for it.

Tag... you’re it.

The Morning After

The morning after. ©2014 Gary Garbett

For a Friday night, the crew and I settled in pretty darn early last night. I camped out for the evening on the sofa to keep an eye and ear out for Pita following her return home from cancer surgery. Except for a 3 AM break to go outside and another round of her meds, everyone rested well.

The sunshine woke us to a chilly but beautiful Saturday morning. Pita and the gang celebrated her morning after with a mixture of warm brown rice and baked salmon folded in with their kibble. It was a huge hit. Following breakfast, I began to see a familiar spirit in those eyes that I had not seen in several days.

Recovery is a healer for all of us. Keep sending that love and goodness, folks. It’s working.

#pup #cancer #weregonnawin

Everyone Believes

Believing in Goodness ©2014 Gary Garbett

Everyone believes in something. Pita and I talked about believing before her appointment this morning. Most of it centered on goodness. As you can tell, she had very little interest in having her photo taken before jumping in the truck. She was, however, more than vocal about jumping into the truck without her two brothers.

I’m always thankful for busy days at the office. Today I was especially grateful. Late this afternoon, I finally received the phone call that I’d waited all day for. The surgeon’s voice was filled with optimism as he shared the successful news of Pita’s three-hour cancer surgery. I was overjoyed. She isn’t completely out of danger, but today is far brighter this evening under the moonlight than it was at sunrise. She’s in recovery and resting overnight at the hospital so they can keep a close watch on her. If all goes well, the two of us will be headed home together late tomorrow afternoon. Tom Petty’s Runnin’ Down a Dream may just be our soundtrack.

Everyone believes in something. Some call it prayer; some wishes of goodness, and for others, it’s just some sort of fab juju thing. Whatever it is you believe in and whatever it was you sent Pita’s way in the past few days, I sincerely thank you from the center of my heart. Believing is the greatest gift.

Love and peace and goodness to you all.