Let the Dog Down

Buckley

Never let life's hardships disturb you ... no one can avoid problems, not even saints or sages.

Nichiren Daishonen

It's been a huge roller-coaster ride this week.  My mother was transferred from her nearby nursing home to a second this past week.  She fell this past Saturday and spent most of the day in the ER awaiting stitches.  On Monday we were told by the nursing home staff that they could not take care of her and that she had to be transferred yet again to a different place about 30 miles from Mom and Dad's home.  Dad was in tears begging that she be kept near home.  By mid-week, I found out that Mom would be going back to where she originally was just five minutes from home.  Dad was again in tears but this time tears of joy.

The week ended as a prospective employer told me that he didn't think I had what it took to do the job.  I asked him if he had bothered to check my credentials and references.  I told him that if he were a candidate and had said he went to Harvard, I would check it out.  Some people think that unemployment is an illness and a choice.  It's the same few that believe people choose to be poor.

By the end of the week, I recognized that I had even let my dog down.  I could see it in his eyes.  I am tired but I am not broken.  Buckley and I enjoyed our walk today, but I know I owe him more than what I've given him.  Have you ever felt like you've even let the dog down?