Mayan Crossroad

My friend, Cindy, got me thinking. In her blog about living with Parkinson’s (http://peoplewithparkinsons.com/), she concludes, “Until there is a cure, there is community.”

I have to agree with her. While I’d welcome a cure to this disease, I’d not trade its gift of community. Paths that would not have otherwise intersected have brought me to delightful crossroads with people. Through this community, I’ve laughed with lawyers, danced with dentists and made dear friends with retired veterans, college professors and MBAs alike. When the world’s bad guys seem to be winning or the cure on the horizon is a mirage, this community brings me back. They get it. They care. They remind me that plenty of people wear white hats, not black.

When my path intersected with the Service Dog Project and Sir Thomas, it wound up at a crossroads with dog lovers across the globe, a community full of the good guys.

One of them – the partner to Tommy’s cousin, Harry – along with a whole assortment of canine supporters recently turned a dog’s life around. When Harry’s human alerted the group to Maya, a mixed breed, abandoned, in pain and scheduled to be put down, this community stepped in. Within 24 hours, they raised the funds for her leg surgery, scheduled the procedure with a vet and rallied to find her a home.

There may not yet be a cure for those who neglect or abuse or close their hearts to dogs. But there is a collection of open-hearted people who remind me that until there is a cure, there is community.

Oh, by the way, Maya’s new home will be with Sir Thomas. He’s looking forward to this gift of a new sister.