The best of my blessings is you.

So, my parents' shih tzu refuses to take a dump in his own yard. He much prefers to do his business up the street, at the grassy traffic island where the neighborhood's mailboxes live.

Shih Tzu Magic is an older gent, and very set in his ways. He's also now unable to climb the hill to get to the traffic island. So, my mom bought a baby stroller at a garage sale, and she regularly pushes his girthy self up the hill so that he can literally take a load off.

The other day, she and I were walking out the door, headed to the antique shop. Shih Tzu Magic kept following us, and we finally picked up the clue phone and realized he really wanted to go up the street. It was chilly, so my mom just plopped him in the backseat, and we drove up the street.

I sat in the car as she walked the dog and tried to help in his quest to find just the right spot. And as I'm sitting in the car, the theme song from The Greatest American Hero came on the radio. Believe it or not! I'm walking on air! I never thought I could feel so free-he- he!

I found myself singing along. As you do.

My mom and Shih Tzu Magic crossed the street and she motioned for me to roll down the window. "Barry's in the CD player!"

So I hit CD on the stereo, only to be greeted by "Beautiful Music," one of Mr. Manilow's cheesier but oh-so-fabulous hits. I turned it up and kept the window down so my mom could listen while the dog finally - and joyfully - took a dump in the yard of an evil old neighbor lady who has been dead for three years but was sadly so mean that we still take joy whenever the dog shits in her yard.

That's when it hit me.

My heart is broken and things are so not turning out according to plan - my plan. But my sweet mama and I are singing to Barry Manilow while her shih tzu shits in the evil neighbor's yard - a task we drove him up the street to do.

Life is so, so sweet.