Surprised, overwhelmed, and incredibly grateful

You all surprised us in a wonderful way this morning, and we are thankful, amazed, and happily stunned beyond words.

It was a huge surprise for me. Most mornings, I wake up slowly, needing caffeine for my brain to function so I was a little slow on the uptake this morning. My first hint that something was "up" was my email inbox. I noticed that I had a long list of new messages... and many were comments on yesterday's not-terribly-exciting post.

Next, I clicked on Google Reader, and, then, even my sleep-addled brain started to realize that something unbelievably sweet was underway. I started reading posts dedicated to my K, and my eyes filled with tears. I am grateful and humbled by the outpouring of love and support. I literally just sat there, with tears running down my face, for quite a while. Even "wow" doesn't express how overwhelmed with thankfulness I was and still am.

I wanted to read posts, leave comments, and write thank-you's all day long but I had a packed schedule for the day. So, just now, I am settling in next to the fire to slowly read and savor your amazing posts.

"Pillars of Strength" is a poignant badge that will live in my sidebar forever. It is so beautiful. I am floored.

K wanted me to take a photo of her legs for you today, to show you how strong they still are. The support of so many people like you has touched us and strengthened us, helping us keep K strong.

For those who don't know, K's front left leg was the one with the osteosarcoma tumors. She had radiation therapy to kill the tumors, and you can see the remnants of the radiation burn and the lack of fur on that leg. Those cosmetic things don't matter - K's legs are still "Pillars of Strength" and her heart is still made of gold.
K lives joyfully despite her disease, and despite the radiation and chemotherapy. The photo below is from this morning. She galloped up the snowy trail with the Continental Divide on the horizon behind her.

We know the odds when it comes to this kind of evil C so we are seizing each day. Every single one of you strengthened us by sharing the Power of the Paw with us today. We are stronger thanks to the outpouring of love. With tear-filled eyes, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I never forget that many others out there are struggling with the evil C as well as other diseases. The next badge was also made by one of you, and it sums up what we all hope for. Maybe someday we won't have to "imagine"...

Now, I am going to do what I have been eagerly awaiting all day. I'm going to read every single post. I might not finish all of them tonight but I will read and savor every single one. Thank you so much. You are the Power of the Paw.