Jack’s Lament

It’s been nearly a year since I posted as a guest blogger on Midge’s site, but I have an important reason for wanting to write tonight.

Because I turned 13 in October, I am now 91 years old – and feeling my age. Like many 90-somethings, I can’t hear very well and no longer notice when someone raps on the door. The vet told Midge I have cataracts in both eyes, and one eye has a small tumor under the lid, keeping it in a constant state of irritation.

But my biggest problem is a degenerative spinal disease that causes me pain, along with arthritis that has literally frozen my back leg joints. Going up stairs is almost impossible, and I don’t like it when Midge tries to help by lifting my rear – it just hurts too much. With such bad hip dysplasia, my whole back end is in crisis.

I also have a skin disease that causes me to lose hair in big splotches, exposing raw irritation. The hair does grow back, but the infection just moves elsewhere. My heavy panting is always a problem, even in the cooler weather. And to top it all off, I’ve got a belly filled with something called fat tumors, some the size of golf balls, others like baseballs. One of those tumors near my shoulder is responsible for my limp.

And then of course there’s my doggie dementia, which I wrote about earlier. It keeps me confused and wondering what’s coming next, which isn’t a good feeling.

You blog readers have always been kind to me. That’s why I wanted to write you tonight. You see, this might be my last post.

I know Midge has been agonizing about what to do with me, since she is about to leave town for quite a while and knows I’ll be searching for her every day. But I’m not the least bit worried. She shouldn’t worry, either. My life is happy and full of love, and all along, I’ve felt God’s hand of blessing on me.