He found this apple today when we went for a walk and of course he carried it for the rest of the walk and into the house where he enjoyed it in its entirety. Toby loves apples. Toby also loves mom. He follows her wherever she goes, and when she isn't going anywhere, he isn't either. Dogs really are special. We can all learn something from the way dogs love the little things in life.

We had a really nice visit from my grandparents (mom's parents) who flew in from North Carolina last week. Having my grandpa around reminds me why mom is such fighter. Grandpa has fought some tough battles in his life to get to where he is, and that fighting spirit has certainly been instilled in mom. Because mom is such a fighter, we've had over two years with her, after a seemingly hopeless diagnosis.

This morning one of her doctors told her that she's suffered more than anyone he's seen. Mom has fought beyond the point that most people are willing to fight. She fights because she loves life. We all can learn something from mom's love for life and love for others. On the day we were told the cancer had spread, mom told us "we have to make every day a good day".

Please don't wait until you or someone in your life faces cancer. Make every day a good day. Don't waste a precious minute of this life on anything unkind. My mom is going to live forever because of the impact she's made on an entire community of people and the way she's taught us to love life and love others.