All the better to see you with.

I remember feeling utterly horrified when, at 8 years old, the optician told my Mum I needed glasses. I cried secretly for days and, when we picked them up a week later, I cried all over again. I simply hated the thought. They were brown. They were ugly. They made me look ugly. And everybody would notice.

Spending the majority of my formative years (well, up until about 28 as it turned out) feeling horribly self-conscious, I distinctly remember the near crippling sense of dread I felt that first day in class, knowing I'd have to put on my new and much-hated 'specs'. And sure enough, kids being the blunt, insensitive creatures they are at that age....they pointed, they laughed and echoes of "four-eyes" ricocheted around the room. Silently and choking back tears, I bowed my head over my schoolbook and hoped my long-hair might at least hide the hideous scaffolding on my face. I think I stayed that way for about the next 20 years.

If there was anything to be 'grateful' about, it was being diagnosed as long-sighted not short-sighted, which meant I'd only need glasses for reading, schoolwork and maybe watching TV. Despite my self-consciousness, I dutifully stuck with it in hope that my eyes would one day improve enough for me to triumphantly dump the specs and be able to read in class without actually missing words or whole lines of text in one go. (And for anyone who pushed me too far with the jokes, I also discovered the protective metal case the glasses came in was great for giving a swift whack upside the head.)

Besides, as much as I hated those first glasses (and I've had some hideous, fashion-deprived glasses over the years) they were still infinitely better than the geekier and even more ridiculed 'NHS glasses'. The ugly, thick blue/pink/brown glasses provided free of charge through the National Health Service to low-income families. Those poor kids who had to wear permanently wonky NHS specs always seemed to get beaten up, tripped up or were otherwise so uncoordinated that their glasses would soon be cracked, broken, missing a lens or else held together with bandaids. It just seemed to go with the territory.

Crazy thing is, the NHS-style glasses of the 70's (of which this was the best picture I could find), have become a much sought-after fashion accessory. NEVER would I have thought fashion-conscious, cool and trendy kids would be wearing NHS specs! How things change.

Anyhoooo, surprise, surprise my idea of miraculously fixing my long-sightedness didn't work. I still wear glasses for all the same reasons although I've been increasingly bad for wearing them, not least because I feel compelled to take them off when talking to people - they feel like a block, same as sunglasses do.

I've definitely always made a point to buy glasses that would be as inconspicuous as possible; plain, discreet, unremarkable, bland and even 'blendy-blendy' as the sales assistant described my last pair this week. When I bought them 2 years ago I thought I'd actually stepped out a little but looking back on it, I still went for frames that 'blended' with my hair colour and which I hoped no-one would really notice.

So, since there was money sitting unspent in my extended medical coverage at work, I decided to replace my glasses. As it happens my prescription has changed very little, if at all, for the last several years. I didn't 'need' to get new glasses this week but heck, if the money was there and about to go unused (since I'm changing jobs - thank goodness), then why the hell not get new specs? So I did. And I actually pushed the envelope a little and went outside of my regular comfort zone - mainly encouraged by the fact that glasses really have become such a major fashion accessory. Even people who don't need them are sporting funky or vintage and even NHS-like frames as a personal fashion statement.

The new, funkier pair

The 'blendy-blendy' pair

Okay so I didn't go to any extremes here, but - for the first time - I do have a couple of photos of me actually wearing them and, while normally hiding away my glasses, I even ventured so far as to put these pics on Facebook (admittedly after some gentle prompting). And now that I look at them, I actually don't even mind the blendy-blendy pair. I also have another pair where I previously tried to jazz it up a little, since I found some funky frames at a Dollar Store and got prescription lenses put in for a great discount - but I don't have a photo yet.

Anyway, that was an incredibly long-winded way of saying, after 35 years, I seem to have finally come to terms with the fact I wear reading glasses. Maybe this is all part of that wonderful sense of 'self-acceptance' your supposed to get in your forties.....is it? (Even if I do still choke on accepting the word 'forties' in terms of myself.)

Argufying and Grumbulating: What's with this April-uary weather?

Here we are, April 28th already and if Spring is in the air, it certainly hasn't shown itself here in Vancouver.

Can’t deny my pangs of envy upon seeing the floods of pre-Royal Wedding news coverage from England. NOT because I’m a royalist (which I’m not, in fact I care very little about all this gushing over the Royals and ye olde “Wedding of the Century” mallarky) but rather because everyone in England is clearly dressed in summer clothes, merrily basking in the sunlight and unseasonably warm temperatures they’ve been enjoying for the past several weeks.

And where are we at in Vancouver? Oh yeah, right on target for the coldest April in more than 75 years, that’s where! - averaging 8C when we should be nearer 14. Boo-hoo and WTF!!!

My birthday is a mere 3 days away and I’m just a tad grumpy about still wearing my Winter clothes, heavy coat, gloves & scarf and constantly feeling chilled – something is seriously wrong with this picture. (Although they do say you feel the cold more as you get old(er)….sniff!) 

If I’d ever got off my bum and learned to ski, I’d no doubt be much happier – since even the local ski hills have fresh snow…which is way more than they had during the whole of last year’s 2010 Winter Olympics. But wouldn't you know it, the one day Lorne and I were all set to lose our snow-shoeing virginity on his birthday (April 10th), things warmed up enough that particular day that non-stop pouring rain completely foiled our plans. Ohhhh, the bitter irony.

Hopefully things will soon begin to improve because mostly I'm fed-up of hearing myself sound so completely fed-up about it.  :-)

I take it back....

So those who know me - and are quite likely on my Friends list - will appreciate that my last post Facebook Schmacebook is now.....errr......water under the bridge. Although it's not that my FB page lies dead and buried, gathering dust under a pile of incomplete posts (like my blog seems to have been for the past few months), but rather that it is surprisingly alive and well thank you very much and I'm actually not even sure why or how it gained momentum.

The most surprising advantage is that I've had more frequent and regular contact with family in the UK - albeit in short, sarcastic, piss-taking bursts - than I have in years, it's great! I'm even bouncing back and forth with friends I know well, quite well or simply commenting sometimes on the comments of friends' friends. Plenty of that great British humour and it's so incredibly refreshing, as well as nostalgic. Heck, I'm in danger of becoming a Facebook Bunny - or whatever the true FB insiders might call it. Or maybe not, since my decidedly anorexic list of friends must put me firmly in the 'saddo' category but I'm fine with that. I actually have no desire to rally up a bunch of names of people I hardly know and care about even less, just to appear 'popular'.

I still find Facebook somewhat freaky and I'm not entirely comfortable with the fact I've started using it as much as I have. While I'll never be as bad as a certain friend that I've actually had to block, since he posts almost as often as he blinks, I can't deny I nevertheless catch myself briefly logging in to start the day with a quick update on who's said what and what stupid comment I can post, while I get ready for work. The time difference keeps it interesting too, with half of my family/friends finishing their day as mine begins and vice versa. Anyway, that's all I'm going to say on the subject for fear of sounding like the FB nerd I dread to become.

One unfortunate side however, is wanting to 'friend' a good friend on FB, but I don't want to be inhibited about what I post seeing that some of her friends are people I've worked with but don't know all that well. I don't want to be their friends too, just by virtue of sharing the same sterile 8-5 drudgery in a place I can't wait to leave behind. (Well, in my case and for the most part it's been more like 8am-10pm, no breaks.)

Funnily enough I still find I hate the thought of Twitter in much the same way as I steered clear of FB. AT the end of the day life's really too short to get sucked into another vortex of endless connectivity, eating voraciously into my aspirations of creativity. Huge downside to Facebook? It swallows up time!

I need to back off from Facebook and get to writing some new posts here...or at least finishing the oodles of postings I've started.....but haven't finished.

Status update?: Get a life!  Besides, spontaneity, creativity and conversations with family & friends should be presented in something greater than 120 characters tapped out mid-breakfast.

Facebook Schmacebook

So, after almost one whole week of signing up to spurt out my little commentaries on "FB" and catching up on snippets of other people's info, photos etc and even posting some of my own photos from my UK trip last year (so family can see them....finally) - I've decided that I still don't think Facebook is really for me.

Maybe I'm fickle....and it was 'fun while it lasted', but I have to admit the novelty has quickly worn off and I still don't much like this slightly in-your-face feeling of being notified of every little update from everyone else's friends of friends of friends etc. - most of whom are still complete strangers to me. Perhaps I really am just anti-social after all.

But added to that, I got playing around on FB last night - doing the inevitable 'where are they now' search of friends, ex-friends, ex-friends-friends and ex-boyfriends - when I realized that your privacy settings on your own site aren't necessarily in place if someone goes to one of your 'friends' sites and then follows your comments on there....and then they can read your notes, see your photos etc. Like a back door to getting into your Facebook page - uninvited.

Which is sort of how I got caught up in evesdropping (what would the FB equivalent to that be, I wonder) on the lives of people I knew - at Uni, at school ......and when I worked in the Maldive Islands many moons ago - 16 years almost....eeek! To my significant/surprising envy, I discovered that many of them are still globe-trotting, visiting some outstanding places and obviously have some spectacular photos and experiences to share.....all of which merely served to add fuel to my fiery wanderlust and itchy feet.

 Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland 

For ten years I too was one of those people, to the extent that some of my relatives nicknamed me the Globetrotter. I lived and worked in France (Paris + Bordeaux), Germany (Trier/Mosel + Bonn), Switzerland, Belgium and the Maldives for several months at a time before finally moving to Canada.

 Maldives, Indian Ocean 

I successfully found jobs based in England that still took me all around Europe - sometimes several times a week/month. I spoke French and German fluently every day - flipping seamlessly from one language into the next depending on who I was talking to. I even found I could make up some Spanish, Dutch and Swedish based on what I knew of French & German. And yet it also feels so horribly long ago too.

I sorely miss using the languages - there's so very little opportunity here although I did manage some TV/Film translations and a stint in tourism for Intrawest for a while. There are aspects to my current job I quite like, but the company is moving more and more into projects with Alberta's oilsands and gas companies which I find hard to accept. You don't have to delve too far into their work to discover that oilsand projects are devastating to the environment - tantamount to raping and pillaging the land and wildlife as far as I'm concerned (and as far as David Suzuki is concerned too).

I'd be lying if I said I don't feel glued to the spot sometimes when I know there's still so much out there. And suffice to say, I want to travel and live somewhere else for a while. I go through this feeling quite regularly actually, it never really goes away, and each time I do, I start to panic about time and opportunity running away and life passing me by. At the same time, I get nervous of kidding myself about the grass being any greener so I try once again to just shut up, stuff it down and wait it out.... 'This too shall pass' right?.....but that's also what I'm afraid of. I'm not sure I want to keep letting it pass, I want to act upon it.

I know Lorne's feeling the same and since we sadly lost Otto (who's health was a major priority over us making any major life changes) the thought has once again crossed our minds to make a move, go on an adventure. So much to see that it often feels like there's too little time - unless you win the lottery, of course.

Anyhow, that's the dilemma....simmering away on the back burner.....again!

But for today, I think me and FaceBook will probably break up.


(P.S. Within minutes of posting this I thought I'd quickly google my blog in case my boss can find it.....and I came across another Katrina Wright.....doing something I'd love to do.....or should be doing. Heck, Lorne's an Editor - maybe we should do this together. Is it a sign?)

Bugger!

I got playing around with my blog template & layout....now look what a mess I've made. I hear myself thinking, "You couldn't just leave it alone, eh? You just had to start mixing things up a little....."

:-(

The deed is done

I finally succumbed to peer pressure - how could I legitimately continue to snark about something I've not yet tried?

I hereby confirm that, on the 30th day of this, the month of January, 2011, I did officially and (somewhat) voluntarily lose my Facebook virginity. Echoes of shock, horror, disbelief and utter sarcasm have since emanated and ricocheted across the globe, ruffling the virtual pages of aforementioned Book of Face. Oh how the mighty 'luddite' has fallen.

I'm still overwhelmed by the sensation of so much 'noise' coming at me from everyone's news stream (she wrote, trying to get jiggy with the terminology, but likely failing miserably). Notes appearing on my wall....getting emails about notes on my wall, inviting friends and getting notes, emails and postings that they've accepted the invite.....and then getting notes about things that their friends have posted etc. I suspect I haven't yet figured out my notification settings properly because it's like being bombarded with he said, she said, this, that and the other.

I'm not sure if I'm replying to people's comments directly to them or am I posting to their 'wall' for all to see? Can everyone else see the comments I get? I haven't figured out that part yet but it's weird to read a series of incoming postings from a bunch of strangers who happen to be friends of a friend of a friend of a friend...of another friend...who's also a friend....of a friend who's a friend of someone I know. Am I meant to still care about friends 17 times removed?

I'm really not sure this Facebook mallarky is something I'll continue with - I'm still inherently creeped out by the whole idea - but I might have gained half a point on the street-cred meter and at least I'll get up to date with some of what's happening in everyone else's life, rather than feeling so sadly out of the loop.

But you know what, it actually was kind of fun today, just throwing out a sporadic thought, observation, criticism etc and seeing what came back.

Déjà vu- all over again, again, again and again.

You could be forgiven for thinking you hear an echo, let me explain.

Three weeks, 6 veterinary visits, 3 hospitalizations, 6 x-rays, 1 ultrasound, 1 sedation, 1 spleen biopsy, 3 different injections in the clinic, 4 at-home injections, 1 enema, 2 urine analyses, 1 feline blood panel, 1 geriatric blood panel, 1 cystocentesis, 1 radiographic written report, several rounds of subcutaneous fluids plus multiple prescriptions of cisapride, cyproheptadine, famotidine, adequan, sulcrate suspension, rhus toxicodendron homeopathic anti-inflammatory medication..... oh and a running total of about $3082 later......and we just might have identified a couple of things up with Mishka, albeit still no official conclusion at to why she constantly refuses to eat but often barfs if/when she does! Yikes, did I manage to say all that in one breath? Not without breaking a nervous sweat, I assure you.

This has been an expensive and frustrating month - actually 3 weeks - of exploring different things in a partially futile attempt to figure out what's going on with her. Heck I might as well sign over my paycheque directly to the vet, except that it's already exceeded my average take-home pay for the month. And while I know it's really not about the money per se, since I wholeheartedly accept full responsibility for Mishka's care, health and well-being - just wanting to find out what's wrong with her and what, if anything, can be done to improve her health and quality of life - it's still a huge chunk of money in a short space of time, especially right after Christmas and especially when we haven't really found the root cause of her gastro-intestinal issues.

Anyhooo, in pursuing chest/hip x-rays out of fear/suspicion something more ominous might yet be lurking there, we did discover that Mishka has something whacky going on with her front right shoulder joint in addition to definite signs of osteo-arthritis in both hips. At 13.5yrs old, the 'baby' of our feline family is sadly starting to show her age and in more ways than one. A specialist review of her x-rays determined that the look of breadcrumbs around her right shoulder area and a little on the left, is typical of a condition known as osteochondromatosis - calcifications/small particles of bone around the synovial fluid in her joints which are no doubt causing her some stiffness and discomfort and, along with the arthritis now showing in her hips, explains why she's much slower and hesitant lately when going up/down the stairs at home. Alas, the best we can do is give her anti-inflammatory and/or pain management medication (adequan), although a couple of injections of the latter seemed to make her lethargic, depressed and withdrawn, so we've had to hold off for now.

On top of that, when she finished off her first round of anti-nausea and appetite stimulant meds last week, she immediately began to go downhill. We noticed her drinking water profusely, refusing to eat for several days (again) and then barfing what little we even managed to force feed her (again).

Back to the vet we went and now, after further blood and urine tests this week, we received the added diagnosis that she is indeed at stage 1 of Chronic Renal Failure (CRF). Hence the echo-effect in the title of this post, since this is now the 4th time we're encountering this terminal disease; first Molly, then Otto, Kramer is presently at stage 3 and now it's Mishka's turn. It's a very sad diagnosis and not what you want to hear but if there's any 'benefit' to having gone through this already, it's that we know what to expect, we know how to handle it as best we can and we have a better understanding of the (unfortunate) limits of our own powers to heal or evade this degenerative condition. We can, however, help slow down it's progression - somewhat anyway. With regular doses of subcutaneous fluids, cats with CRF can continue to lead a very happy and largely healthy life for several more years and are generally not in too much discomfort, except for sometimes feeling unwell, until the end stage (stage 4) of the disease.

So now we have to add Mishka to the regular thrice-weekly rotation of subcutaneous (sub-Q) fluids that we've been giving Kramer for the past 18 months. Lorne runs the fluid while I'm the bearer of the needle, but both cats handle it very well, as did Otto before them, and are surprisingly easy-going about it, perhaps because it makes them feel better. (Unlike Molly who would literally fight us tooth and nail in that first year of giving her fluids.)

I'm not sure how I feel. I'm naturally a little frustrated that we haven't quite figured out Mishka's GI problems, but I'm also quite concerned about the bone degeneration and how that might progress and affect her mobility. Moreover, while CRF is nothing new in our house, it still adds a renewed and deep-seated sense of being so horribly powerless to prevent any of it. Our committment to giving them sub-Q fluids will help stabilize their condition but there's that nagging familiarity of just what lies ahead juxtaposed with the present unknown of how well Mishka might even respond to treatment or how fast her ailments might/might not progress.

The melancholy side of my nature feels acutely aware that this is the inevitable start to a slow but steady decline, but I have to enjoy each precious moment and accept that Lorne and I are equally committed to doing everything within our powers to keep our furry friends with us for as long as they are happy, comfortable and able to stay.

Yup, it sure feels like déjà vu.

We love - and have loved - them all dearly. Helping them in whatever way we can, especially when they need us most, is the least and regrettably the most we can do.

Argufying and Grumbulating: New Year celebrations in the No Fun City

Before January hightails it right on out of here already (where does the time go?), I thought I'd post my first Argufying & Grumbulating rant of 2011, not least because it's something that niggles me about this city every New Year.

Bless Vancouver - the self-proclaimed "World Class City" - with such a pervasive lack of enthusiasm for anything remotely 'fun' that even the local Vancouver arms of Canada's national television stations CTV & Global didn't actually have anything they could air from Vancouver by way of fun and celebrations as the clock struck midnight on New Years Eve.

Since the police get twitchy here the moment there's a gathering of more than 5 people (especially if they dare to dance) there's fat chance they'd let 1000s of partying revellers gather in public to celebrate New Year. Although, come to think of it, there isn't actually anywhere left in Vancouver that hasn't already been turned into anothering towering condo development that such a crowd could actually gather in one spot, even if they wanted to, which - as it unfortunately would appear - they don't!

The surprise yet very publicized (or carefully staged?) party atmosphere during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games really was an anomally for this city, although there was also $1 billion worth of our tax dollars spent on police/security to make sure no-one got too carried away, even at the Olympics. The atmosphere was buzzing and rumours began circulating that perhaps Vancouver might have finally outgrown it's claim to fame of being the "No Fun City" after all.

Nonetheless skeptics among us might suspect that actors and extras were brought in to simply 'act' the part, in a near-convincing role as cops joining in a spontaneous (?) game of street-hockey or patriotic fun-sters prompting cheering and singing in the streets. I might not question it so much except that - while the rest of the world seems to celebrate New Year's Eve - here you're lucky to find anything going on. Or at least anything where you don't have to line up for an hour, pay a $40 cover charge, only to enter an empty bar and be threatened with a 'rinse your mouth out at the dentist'-sized cup of something pissy to toast the New Year.

Even the respective Vancouver arm of our national TV-broadcasters CTV, CBC and Global actually went to commercials....I kid you not.... at 11:59pm!!!...and carefully ran them for the next 6mins, till any mere whaff of merrymaking was surely over and done with. Flicking to an American TV channel we got to watch/envy all the fantastic fireworks on the Seattle coverage or the pre-recorded New York/Toronto/Montreal New Year celebrations on a few other channels. But from Vancouver - nada, zip and diddley-squat! This city is like a morgue on New Year's Eve, so much so that even we've given up seeking out the decidedly anorexic list of possibilities. With not a single public event nor any such organized activities throughout the Lower Mainland this year, I believe the airing of back-to-back commercials by our local broadcasters was perhaps their best endeavour to hide the shame and spare us all the public humiliation of living up to our No-Fun-Couver nickname after all. Mind you, what could they have shown from Vancouver anyway, except for tumbleweed blowing down the deserted streets. Or maybe all the barren bars and restaurants - doors slammed shut at 6pm, lights out and upturned chairs on already dusty tabletops. No sign of life there either - nothing to see here folks! Only dark sky, naked of any signs of fireworks. Desolate silence across the empty night air save a couple of dogs barking in the distance - tricking you into thinking you might actually have heard someone shout "Happy New Year".

Admittedly, I'm still bitter about the big hoo-haaa over the New Millenium which fell well & truly flat on its arse here in Vancouver. Seriously, there was NOTHING going on. A friend and I braved the empty streets, fighting our way through the lack of people and pushing past the moths and dust bunnies at one of the few bars we could find that hadn't long-since boarded up its windows and bolted its doors, only to find ourselves stared at in amazement and confusion by the four thumb-twiddling wait staff who were evidently starved of attention and bored out of their tree.

Out of sheer bloody-minded determination we stuck it out and, as the clock struck midnight that night, we literally stood up & yelled over to the bar staff and the one other customer, "Happy New Year" - selfishly jolting them from their festering reverie. Otherwise it's safe to say, the new millenium would have snook in unnoticed and sadly without incident.

Alas, it seems Vancouver's dishonorary reputation of being a No-Fun City is still very much alive and kicking. Indeed at New Year, it's really the only thing that is.

Ho-hum and bah humbug!

The Perfect Nanny?

Just to prove it's not all about cats in my world, I thought I'd share this fabulous YouTube video - it just cracks me up. Who knew a dog could make such a terrific childminder?



Of course it helps that the kid has such a great laugh - love it!

This vid is my favourite de-grumpifying tonic if I'm having a crappy day.

Enjoy!

Every little helps

For the past few years I've made a lump sum charitable donation to the SPCA towards the end of year. In 2009 my year-end donation coincided with the heartbreaking loss of my amazing and wonderful cat, Lucy, who had herself once been rescued by the SPCA (possibly even twice). In Lucy's honour and loving memory I made my donation, directing it towards the SPCA's Biscuit Fund for Medical Care which provides urgent and life-saving medical treatment to animals in their care and is named after a remarkable dog who narrowly survived a heartless knife attack several years ago. Thankfully Biscuit was successfully treated and re-homed through the SPCA.

When it came to donating this time around my heart was also honouring (and still grieving) our vocal and endearingly bratty companion Otto, whom we sadly lost to old age just prior to Christmas, on Dec. 6th, and of course, not forgetting the wonderful yet feisty 9 lives of Molly (1987-2006). So for 2010 I made a general donation plus, in my New Year spirit/resolution to "Do" more, I finally signed up for the PAW Plan Monthly Giving (something I've been meaning to do for ages). I figure it's a relatively small thing to do considering the 4 incredible cats Lorne and I have shared thanks to the efforts of the SCPCA. (This excludes Mishka of course, because I bought her as a teeny tiny kitten/beanie baby for $10 from a man with a bag of kittens down at Steamworks pub in Gastown.)

In wandering around the SPCA website, I found another great funding program, 'Guardian Angel' where you can read about animals currently in their care awaiting adoption and even choose an animal for whom you can become a Guardian Angel by making a small contribution toward their care. The great thing is, you can also leave a supportive note that can be viewed by those looking through the adoption site.

Since Christmastime also signifies the anniversary of Lucy's passing, I was acutely aware of it being a full year since we said goodbye. No surprise then that I was moved to tears when I saw this little gem, Bella, who not only bears a striking resemblance to Lucy, but Bella's story definitely reminds me of the hardships and emotional struggles we strongly suspect Lucy had encountered before I adopted her in 1998 and the angst she showed in the early days.

There isn't a huge amount of space to write your personal message but perhaps just as well because it forced me to keep it brief. Amid a few tears, I wrote my note for Bella: "Bella's traumatic past & related anxieties sound a lot like those my cat Lucy had endured. With love, patience, nurturing & reassurance Lucy flourished, revealing an endless capacity to love & trust. She was a true blessing. Bella will be too!" Heck, it was all I could do to stop myself from driving to the Okanagan SPCA right there and then to collect her for myself :-)

Anyhow, I'm pleased to report that I got the following lovely email yesterday informing me that Bella has actually just been adopted:

"Dear Guardian Angel,

Great news!! We are pleased to let you know that thanks to your support, Bella was welcomed into her new "forever home" in Penticton on January 15, 2011.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Happy endings like this are only possible with the generous support of animal lovers like you.

As you know, the BC SPCA is a charity entirely reliant on community support. We could not care for the tens of thousands of animals like we do each year without it. If Bella could thank you, she would too! "

I'm so happy and it's great that you get sent an update. I truly hope that her new family will give her all the love and devotion she so richly deserves to help her overcome the past and live out a long and very happy life! And I know Lucy would wish her the same.