This is what the doctor told only to me after my brother and his wife already left her appointment.
“Dying?!” I was shocked—like a punch to the gut. I replied quietly and somberly, “There is no one prepared for this right now.”
I drove home alone crying the entire ride asking myself, “Am I supposed to tell them? Do I only tell him so she doesn’t give up the fight? How does this work?”
I got home and sat still in my garage for over 10 minutes. I did everything I could to compose myself as I was about to enter my house with my three kids who would be worried and start asking questions.
My black lab, Remi, greeted me with her tail wagging and full of energy. This force was just enough to get me around the corner to pull it together to see my kids. I went straight into the kitchen and looked at my kids and asked them, “What if people had tails? Wouldn’t life be so much better?”
We laughed at how much easier it would be to see our dentist, Dr. T, if he had a big fluffy tail wagging while cleaning their teeth.
That night, I sat down and wrote the first draft of the book, What If People Had Tails?
My sister-in-law passed 2 months after that doctor visit. She left behind many who loved her including a husband, her 10 year old daughter and 7 year old son.
All I can do is show my niece, nephew and family to take on each day with a smile and…
