‘Casey at the Bat’ is a famous poem by Ernest Lawrence Thayer. It is kind of a fun read if you care to look it up. And when I say my dog is named ‘Casey’, it is surprising how often people will quote that poem. If I were to write a book about my Casey it would be called ‘Casey the Emotional Support Dog’.
As the flurry of the first week of my book coming out, and the flurry of Christmas day is over, I settle into life as it was ‘before’. We have two more Christmases to go but since neither of them is at my house, I can relax.
And here is who I relax with – my little Yorkie, Casey. He is my emotional support dog. Of course, anyone with a special pet knows that most of them are emotionally supportive! There is nothing like the love of a pet.
But my Casey was purchased specifically with me and my struggles with mental illness in mind. After years of trying different medications, prayer, different doctors, prayer, different counselors, prayer, and changing my lifestyle, we thought we had done everything we could do to manage this illness as best we could, and, I might add, with some success. I am so much better than I was. We had not given up HOPE that I could continue to get better, but we did think we had run out of ideas.
‘We’ means my caregiver husband Cliff and me. But then we read an article about therapy dogs for soldiers and it struck us that maybe we had one more thing to try. And here it is! Casey! And he has made such a difference. Here is a fun picture of me and him attached to each other. He doesn’t like that pouch anymore but you can see how much fun I am having. He has brought me much comfort and joy.
He goes almost everywhere with us, even church. He follows me all around the house waiting to see where I am going to land so he can lie down and stay close. His presence is precious to me and helps me so much. He sleeps with me and even in the middle of the night, if I can’t sleep, and my mind is full of anxious thoughts, just petting him will calm me down and give me peace.
Of course, God’s presence is even more precious and more helpful than a dog but I do believe God helps us in so many ways, including giving us an emotional support dog!
With God there is always hope. Is there anything you have lost hope for?
Psalms 62:5-6 NIV
Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress,
I will not be shaken.
Put your hope in God, he will never leave you or forsake you. He has not given up on you. Don’t give up on yourself.
Christmas is hard on a lot of people for a lot of different reasons, but those same people find the ‘after Christmas’ weeks equally hard. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to those who you suspect might be experiencing winter depression.
BE KIND, and when all else fails – GET A DOG!
