We rescued Flyer as a puppy about 10 years ago. He's been a player in The Girlie's make believe games, wrestling buddy for The Boy, 'man's best friend' to The Man and my office buddy on and off for years. He loves to be a pillow, a playmate or just a silent companion. In other words he's been the dog we all always wanted. We do love him so. He's started to slow down a bit over the last year, but nothing had really prepared us for the downturn he took over the last week. He started to get a bit lethargic the over last weekend, and by Tuesday he had lost his vision. I was coming to grips with the fact that he may not make it through Thanksgiving. He was diagnosed with Diabetes on Wednesday. It really seems like the insulin injections are helping him swing back towards the middle a bit. While I've been grieving that he'll never be the Flyer that we knew before (the sudden onset blindness making it difficult for him to navigate in the ways he always has), I am so grateful that we have a diagnosis that will help us manage a healthier, longer life for him. It's moving me to tears on the daily, but it is such a lovely thing to see the kids shepherding Flyer into this next part of his life with tenderness, patience and just so much compassion. I'm not sure what comes next, but this gift of more time to love on our sweet dog, the way he's given us so much love over the years, has me feeling deeply grateful.