Monday, February 13, 2012

RIP Penny

funny pictures - Ohhhh, a wishbone!  Charlie, pull the other side.
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If I could make a wish today, it would be that the daughter of one of my readers, who has become of dear friend, wasn't hurting so much. Her cat, Penny, crossed the Rainbow Bridge early this morning.

Facebook allowed me to be a part of this journey, to read about when she first got Penny through her mother's status updates. I had to laugh when the cat would wake the daughter up through the night because that's what cats do. I enjoyed hearing about how things were going. I worried when I read Penny wasn't feeling well. I went to bed last night knowing the cat had been taken to an emergency vet, but I hadn't imagine the news I would wake up to. And now I grieve for the heartbreaking loss of a beloved cat named Penny.

Pets bring us so much joy, but with the good comes days like today. I still cry over my Smalls. Her ashes are on my nightstand, above where she used to take her naps. I can't help think about what might have been had Mursik, who we tried to adopt from the NY ACC but the rescue call went into too late and he was put to sleep, or had Pumpkin, the tiny stray cat my sister found, lived. I do know we would have never adopted Beauty had one of those two things happened. And I can't imagine our family without her.

I have to believe these animals come into our lives for a reason. Sometimes they are with us for a long time to give unconditional love and companionship for nearly a decade and a half as with Smalls. Sometimes they aren't with us at all, at least not physically, like with Mursik yet they touch our hearts and make us see the possibilities. And sometimes they are with us for a very short time like with Pumpkin who opened our hearts, helped us move beyond our loss over Smalls and bring another cat into our house.

RIP Penny. You won't be forgotten.