{ the jaunty magpie }

Thanksgiving musings from the Magpie comes to one simple thing: be grateful for the present. You've probably already seen Tweets or Facebook posts regarding our dear, beloved dog, Indy, who is thankfully still with us, but has leukemia. It's been an emotional time, but the most significant thing to come out of it is a renewed sense of desire to live presently, with joy, with enthusiasm, and to not hold back on love. 


I have my moments of sadness, where fear of an unknown future takes hold, but they're tempered with the present feeling that we have our funny little family together at this moment, for this day, and that needs to be recognized and appreciated. Time becomes like water pouring into a cupped hand, it doesn't matter what's slipped between our fingers or what's yet to trickle down, only what we're holding. It doesn't benefit to mourn over time we wish we could have. At least, that's what I try to remind myself every day, so that I can embrace what's in front of me. 

We had a few days, during Indy's initial pre-diagnosis, where she was in bad shape and we really thought she was in her last hours. We were preparing ourselves for the end, if that's even possible. The hardest thing was fighting the despair, but we decided we needed to make whatever time we had with our dog, the happiest memories. Only the good things. All the best things. Favorite foods. Sunny autumn walks. Long drives in the car. I took this picture using my phone, on the walking trail near our house in Duvall. It had been so long since we'd done this together. I was sad and felt guilty we hadn't done this more often, it was punctuated with the anxiety that there wasn't enough time, but it wasn't good to think about that. The day was stunning and seeing Indy's mood improve with a wagging tail, still eager for a walk, we couldn't help but smile. We knew there was still spirit in her and that we'd fight until the end, to give her every possible chance. We are thankful to be rewarded with that chance, but we also know it's for an uncertain time, so it only makes us appreciate the time that much more. And so this Thanksgiving will be one of the most thankful I've had in many years. Not for turkey or pumpkin pie, simply for the good graces of time, learning not to measure it, but simply be thankful for it.

Jaunty Fine Print: Photography by Denise Sakaki