Update: Happy Day In the Field

John is so happy to be back in the field with his dogs!

I'm so pleased this evening to share a very happy-happy, joy-joy update with you. For a few days I have wanted to carve out a few moments in time to share what is going on in our corner of the world mainly because so many of you are a part of it, whether you realize it or not.

This past Saturday John, Maryann, Alana, Ayden and I returned together to the Wildlife Management Area in Kennebunk Maine where 15 weeks to the day John began to experience the early signs of what was to be a massive heart attack.  Through the Grace and Mercy of God alone John survived what is known as the "widow maker" having 100% blockage to his main coronary artery (and 70-90% blockage in 3 others). I wrote about this previously in "Surviving a Heart Attack" and in "Update: John's Recovery." 

Grounds looking good!  

Last week, John and I took a ride down to the plains where we often run our Brittany bird dogs to get an idea of what the grounds looked like. The snow had all but melted and the fields were not in bad shape at all.  That was all the incentive needed for John to make a phone call and order some birds. He has been going to cardio-rehab classes for several weeks now for building up his strength and stamina under close supervision.  Never one to sit idly by he has also slowly but surely resumed a lot of the chores and activities that are part of his life. I'm not always comfortable watching my husband push the envelope but I cannot do much about his Type A personality traits so let's just leave that right there.  I am thankful how God will frequently remind me that He has everything in His Hands and He's working ALL THINGS out for our good. Since fear is truly a liar then returning to the very place where my husband almost died and basically picking up where we left off is something that needed to happen. So, I kicked my worry and fears right in the butt and chose instead to simply encourage him and help get things together for our first day afield in 2019.

We'd let a few people know that we had birds and were going to run dogs on Saturday morning, weather permitting. Before we knew it we had generated a lot of interest in getting together. I was happy that some of our ATB family with 9 month old pups from Maryann's litter and ours were going to join us.  With spring hunt tests just around the corner it was great to have an opportunity to work together with all of them.  Our friends who breed French Brittanys came out too with a few pups from their most recent litter.  All in all there were about 14 dogs there.  If there was to be a prize for traveling the furthest, it would go to the owners of Revere's brother "Rocko" because they came all the way up from Connecticut to join us!

John, Polly (Holly/Bullet) and her owner.

There wasn't really a specific game plan other than to be sure every dog there had a chance to run, find a bird through scent, establish a point, and hold still until the bird is flushed and then a blank gun fired.  John is a dog whisperer when it comes to working with inexperienced dogs. He could especially be confident of the genetics behind 'our' 5th generation bird dog puppies that were present. There was no doubt that if they were not already turned on to birds they would be by the time they left. They did not disappoint!

What stood out to me personally was observing how happy John was to be back in his 'element' for the first time since his heart attack. He

A literal family reunion of pups!

enjoyed once again interacting with people and the dogs they love. He smiled so much and I saw a happy guy, strong and confident, surrounded by family and friends all working together. I saw new friendships forming. I saw the past, present, and future. And of course, I saw God at work in the midst of it all which is right where He always has been, afterall:

"All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, 

ALL THINGS BRITTANY, the Lord God loves them all!"

There are so many different stages of training and ability.  And each one is different.  Every owner and trainer have their own way of handling a dog in the field.  John likes to work with a person right where they are. He seems to have an uncanny ability to quickly surmise the level of exposure to birds and amount of training (or lack of) unique to each pup and owner. One thing for sure, the more positive the foundation that is laid the better. There is always going to be plenty of time for strict obedience training and that first year should be as fun as possible. The three quotes on our J&A's Brittanys homepage sum it up perfectly for me!

I'm still looking through the videos and photographs from this past weekend which have been forwarded to us.  A lot have already been shared via Facebook, Messenger, E-mail, and Google photos. Thank you so much! I was hoping to share many more here on the blog but it's very hard to limit them so there's just a few here.

A word of appreciation.  John's medical bills have reached $300K, over half a million dollars! Thanks to financial support through  The GoFundMe fundraiser  , donations from Christian Healthcare Ministries, and many private financial contributions given to us we are paying those bills slowly but surely.  We are hopeful that by the end of this year they will be completely paid off.

A paradigm shift is an important change that happens when the usual way of thinking about or doing something is replaced by a new and different way. We are experiencing this very thing.  Our lives have changed dramatically over the past few months.  On the surface it may look like our 'new normal' is not all that unusual.  Although the day to day routine may resemble what was once familiar and comfortable to us, the fact is a true paradigm shift has taken place in our life together.  By the Grace of God in which we stand we will continue to move forward.  Our faith in Jesus Christ has never wavered through the storm we just came through, while at the same time it was often challenged.  We have so much more to do together, so much to look forward to!

If I tried to list every person who has been part of our journey the last few months I know I'd miss someone. The first hour after the heart attack a powerful prayer chain was started that reached hundreds of people near and far. I thank God that He heard and answered the prayers that were said. Our family drew together and stepped in to help at every turn.  All of our needs were met throughout the winter months. ALL of them!  Our friends and neighbors could not do enough to help us.  And total strangers also found a way to reach out to us. I'm not going to lie.  There are days the reality of what happened, rather, of what almost happened hits us squarely in the gut and knocks the wind out of our sails.

In closing and as an aside, let me share that we attend Maine Life Gate Church in Limerick, Maine.  Our son is the pastor there.  Yesterday our son preached an amazing message with the declaration that "GRACE IS A PLACE"  Indeed, it is.  Last week, I was on the worship team for the first time in a couple of years.  One of our granddaughters is going to have a baby this summer, making John and I great-grandparents! At one point, she and her sister were both ministering together in music and I was still on the stage singing with the rest of the team.  At that precious moment in time and because life absolutely begins at conception, there were 4 generations worshiping our Lord! God works in wonderful and awesome ways. He's been faithful to us for several generations, even long before I was born.  And I know that is going to continue for generations yet to come.