Saying goodbye

Today I was at the vets with Katy Catgirl. She is doing fine, just seems to have a bit of a cold and it was time for her vaccinations. When I came out with her, there were three people in the waiting room. A woman was cradling a black cat in her arms, tears in her eyes. The other woman was crying openly, while the man just looked terribly sad.

I wanted so badly to tell them that I understood how they felt. My own Rocky was put to sleep nearly 4 years ago, and yet, in so many ways, it feels like it happened recently. I know the pain of making that decision; the one we hope will spare so much pain and suffering for the animal we love, but will hurt us so very much.

Life is surrounded by death. My own life has suffered two losses recently; a good and treasured friend died unexpectly and a wonderful student at my school was struck by a van and killed. It is so hard to understand how to accept these losses, but we soldier on, hopefully remembering the joy of the lives we have shared.

Now I watch the news, with the media attention on the deaths of a woman in Florida and a man in Rome. And I remind myself that under all the news and drama, there are real people who mourn these losses.

May we all rest. In peace.