Ode to the Bearded Lady

Do you like the carnival?  What are some of the favourite booths or amusing places that you frequented at a carnival?  Was it the midway?  Perhaps it was the bouncy house?  Could it have been the dunking tank?  When I think of carnivals that I enjoyed, certainly the rides & the goodies rate really high.  How about the bearded lady?  Do any actually exist?  The only time that I can remember a reference being made to a bearded lady was in one of the “Vacation” movies.  We would surmise that this is a fictional character.  How about if I tell you that one of my best friends is a “bearded lady?”

The bearded lady that I am honouring is our golden retriever, Beddy.  Beddy is the short form for the name, “Lady Bedford.”  Each time that our family becomes owned by a beloved golden retriever, the doggy receives a name relating to tea.  I love tea & I love golden retrievers.  It did not take long before “Lady Bedford” became “Beddy.”  First of all, it became evident early on that Beddy was not one for “airs & graces.”  She would much rather roll in the mud than most other activities.  She loves to pat her paw in her water dish & knock the water running all over the kitchen floor.  She is a down to earth “gal” who is the neighborhood/community social committee member of & the name Beddy fits her.  She will literally stop on a walk & sit down until anyone walking the other way stops to pat her & talk to her.  She loves people, that’s for sure!  You may have a dog or pet that you absolutely love too.  They become an instant part of your family & fill our lives & hearts in beautiful ways.

Have you read stories of our pets who act in the form of earthly angels to our human family?  They may be stories of a pet rescuing an owner from a lake or helping out in another medical alert fashion.  They are stories that remind us just how in tune to humans our furry friends are.  I love reading articles that describe how dogs help out family members who have chronic illnesses in life saving ways.  A number of months ago, I remember reading about dogs that are being trained to help out people living with insulin dependent diabetes.  In essence, the article described the training that the dogs go through to assist in alerting family members with diabetes when they are sustaining low blood sugar.  I remember smiling & thinking that sounded incredible.  After that, I did not think anything more of that.

Last Saturday night, I tested my blood sugar before bed as I always do.  My glucose tester indicated that I was in the range that I had set as a goal so I went off into dreamland contentedly.  At about 4am, our goldie insistently woke me up.  She always sleeps on the very comfy family room couch downstairs at night & we never hear a peep from her throughout the night.  In the wee hours of the morning though, Beddy kept prompting me to get up.  She had come upstairs & into our room & would not take no for an answer.  Finally, I stirred.  At first I thought perhaps she needed to go outside but instead she jumped up onto the bed & curled up with me & kept nosing me awake insistently.  It was strange & something that she had not done before.  Since I was awake anyhow, I was guided to do a blood test.  Yikes, my glucose was at 2.8 & I had no idea that I was in a low!  I was able to treat the low & get my blood sugars back into safe territory again.  Our furry friend stayed until I reached 5.6 on my glucose meter almost like she somehow knew that it was safe to return to her comfy couch again in the family room.  It felt kind of mysterious yet I realized then just as I believe now that not only are there guardian angels, but they sometimes have assistants who are earthly angels of sorts.  Sometimes, even angels have beards!

My heart’s hope for you is that you do not need the help of a “bearded friend” due to low blood sugar.  May you always feel the presence of your guardian angel & the love that is shared.

Smiles, Saundie :)

Wishing you a week of friendship...bearded or otherwise & Friday's sharing is entitled, "It's Like Pinning Jello to a Tree!"  :)