That’s a little joke present that nursemyra brought me from Australia when she came to visit last June. It’s a ‘summoning bell’ for me to ring whenever I need Nog to do something for me (it also looks like it can be used to open beer bottles), though nursemyra pointed out at the time that it was a little late for me to use as I had already recovered from the colon operation.  Little did we know then that there would be more to come . . .

Anyhow, I just wanted to say how much I appreciate Nog because, all joking aside, he truly has been there for me throughout all of this and it’s a real comfort to know that he’s also going to help me through the next however-long-it-takes to get better.  I know that sometimes Nog has been almost as scared as me, but he doesn’t let it show and he’s always there to help with anything he can,  never hesitating to put me first.  But I also know that people caring for a sick person can sometimes forget to take care of  themselves, so I’ve tried to make sure that this doesn’t happen.

Since May I think we’ve both managed to work it out so that there is a healthy balance of  mutual love and respect and support happening – so that both of us can get what we need – though it took awhile to find that balance. I also think we are both going to come through this experience much wiser and somehow better people. Cancer wasn’t what either of us expected or wanted to happen, but it turns out that the silver lining is a deepening of our trust and friendship, as well as quite a lot of ‘growing up’ that was long overdue.

Oh, and we did try out the bell one day to see if Nog could hear it in the livingroom if I rang it in the bedroom. The cats damn near jumped out of their fur, so we didn’t try it again. It looks pretty on the bookshelf though.

Thanks Nog, for everything. I don’t know what I’d do without you.