Its funny really. If asked, I would wager to say, most people would say that any extra time that they receive with someone/thing they love, or doing something they enjoy is a gift. Yet most of us, I would wager to say, fail to truly appreciate that gift most every day of our lives.

It has only been since the loss of Thumper and Niki and the diagnosis of Brittany with a degenerative spinal disease that I have given the "Gift of Time" a lot of thought.

A gift of time. Is that an extra year? Half year? Month? How about a day? I used to think in those bigger time frames. Thoughts like "She still has some good years in her?", Or "I'd be happy with 6 more months of good health" are wasted luxuries of my past.....Thank God.

Really Thank you God for changing my thought process. Because by looking for that "bigger picture" I missed so many little, priceless gifts each and every day.

By thinking about tomorrow, and next month, and even next year, I forgot to stop and open my eyes to the simple joy of Today.

Today I felt a precious smile warm my face as I walked back from the mailbox and saw old, creaky Brittany waiting patiently on the other side of the fence, one ear up, one ear down, eyes glowing. Her feet where the only things moving. Front right foot up, foot down. Left right foot up, foot down. Back and forth, the only outlet for her excitement at seeing her mom. Not long ago I wouldn't have even noticed. I would have been to busy rifling through my mail, in a hurry to get to something else.

Today I'm a lucky person. Every day, several times a day I am given a gift. A gift of time. That 3 minutes of playing with a stuffy, happy  and young at heart again. The nose nudge that brings me out of some somber daze and reminds me of the oh so important here and now. The
glimpse of sheer delight on a greying face as she spins, wobbles, and romps as fast as she can.

Yep, everyday I'm thankful that every day, every minute, every second is a potential gift if we just look for it.