People often ask me if I have a good support system. Personally, I feel I have one of the best. My friends here in Alaska, my friends and family out of state, and I am also involved with an online support group through CancerCare.org. The support group I am with is specifically for caregivers of those who have lung cancer, so I am involved with a group of people who thoroughly understand my world as I know it now. We have become quite close, so when anything happens to one of us, we all are affected because at some point or another, we know each of us will also experience the same thing. We share many tears of joy, frustration, fears, and many blessings in disguise. As I have been with the group for 2 1/2 years, I am considered one of the "veterans," in fact, there currently is only one other caregiver who has been with the group longer than I have. That fact kind of scares me, but it also gives me hope because it means that Sam is still here with me and doing quite well compared to many others in his position. I was reminded of that over the weekend as one of our members experienced a very deep loss and she has not been with us long which means it was also very quick after the diagnosis. My heart breaks for her and her family. Through her loss, though, the rest of us are able to learn from her experience, and hopefully by the time it is our turn, we will be much better prepared for our own situations. That is my definition of blessings in disguise because the more comfortable and aware we become of what we are facing, the greater the amount of dignity and respect will accompany that difficult time. Hopefully it is a lesson learned for all of us.
Sam seems to have had a good day, although he did not venture out. The snow is melting and therefore we have ponds of water, which as one journalist noted, compare well with the canals of Venice right now. One of Sam's concerns is being wet, so to avoid getting splashed and therefore, drenched to the bone, he stays in. I am grateful for that because besides looking like a drowned rat, he also runs the risk of quickly developing pneumonia, so we like to keep him as dry as possible. Who would have a thought a former Oregon Duck swimmer would be doing his best to stay dry? I certainly would not have!
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First of many sockeye on the Kvichak last summer. We stayed at Blueberry Island Lodge.
One of our best fishing vacations yet. Can't wait to see what this summer brings! |
And now, we are looking forward to another terrific summer and the many mini-vacations we are hoping to take. Fishing regulations for the Northern Cook Inlet Region came out yesterday and they cover our favorite spot at the Little Su. It looks like things are going to be a bit different this summer, so we will have to plan accordingly. Just makes for a bit more excitement. Fred the king salmon is still out there waiting for me and I will definitely be seeking him out. He has avoided me for 4 summers now, it is time for me to find him! I am hoping some of Sam the Fish Whisperer has rubbed off on me because I could certainly use some of his secrets.
As the land manager for the Alaska Native corporation I work for, I also will be visiting a lot of our lands over the next 6 or so months. Hopefully Sam will be able to travel with me on many of those trips as well. That is one aspect of my job I absolutely love and am really looking forward to heading out and seeing our lands through the eyes of the shareholders, the Elders and the descendants. Summer cannot come fast enough!
Ciao!
