Tuesday, July 18, 2023

When It's Over




"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort..."   --- 2 Corinthians 1:3


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One thing dreadful about cats? Healthwise they can go downhill lightning quick. In only days they can fail.

And beginning just hours after my last post, that's what happened to Daniel the Cat. This weekend, Tom and I spent extra hours with Daniel, lying beside him on the carpet, holding his hand, because intuitively we knew--

---Monday would be his final day. And it was. The good-bye's in the vet's office would have been impossibly tragic if we'd not felt assured this was right for our suffering baby.

For 40+ years we've loved our various cats, but Daniel? He was unlike them all. So unique, happiness-inducing and nearly-human: that was our sweet boy.

After Lennon, I'd vowed to never again lose my heart to a cat, but with Daniel, gah. I couldn't help myself. No one could.

What a gift, what an honor, and I do thank God for, over the years, stopping me while cleaning, cooking, dusting, to look at Daniel, to treasure him because these days would not last forever.

Nothing upon this Earth is eternal, only in Heaven will we find forever things and only in Heaven will we be reunited with our indescribable, best-for-last cat, Daniel.

Any prayers would be appreciated. Both Tom and I are grateful for Daniel memories, but oh, in these current moments, they bring us suddenly to tears.



                                         Daniel the Cat. 2010 - 2023


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I never do things like this, below. It's not typically me. 

But, yesterday while lying on the red couch recovering from the shock, I thought, "I need to squeeze to my heart something that looks like Daniel."

So I stepped upstairs and, using a gift card, bought this pillow:





Reading the reviews, lots of folks found it comforting and something with which to honor their departed friend.

Others mentioned how realistic it looks and wow. This fellow shared a photo which yes, does make one look twice:




In times like these, I believe God uses all sorts of individualized ways to heal our broken hearts--and for me--this will be one of a special few.


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Will Tom and I ever live with another cat on planet Earth? Uh, no. We'd already discussed this a couple years ago. Besides no other cat being comparible to Daniel, our hearts just can no longer handle these shattering good-byes.

So it's the end of yet one more era for us. No more cats. Ever.

We are though, considering locating a virtual cat. Tom also stated he'll probably watch more funny cat videos than he already does.  シ 

But truly, I don't recall seeing Tom this sad over any other loss.


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A special thanks to all at Facebook who sent their condolences and really, any extra prayers would be appreciated. Thank-you.







Daily may we stop, glance around, and joyfully appreciate all God placed into our lives.


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Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. 

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 "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15

3 comments:

Betsy said...

I just saw the news about Daniel on FB. We're never ready for
that final moment with our babies. We had our George. We actually had several kitties but George was our Daniel. He could read our minds, we were convinced of that fact. Besides being ridiculously funny, he was smart too. I'd like to imagine the Daniel and George running around Heaven together. Prayers for you and Tome.
Blessings and hugs,
Betsy

Pam said...

Saying goodbye to a beloved pet is hard...especially when they've been part of your family for a long time. He sounds much like our last cat. We had not been looking for a cat. Our kitty had died a few days prior to his grand entry. My daughter and I were sitting on the back steps, crying, because our little Golden Girl was gone. I said, let's pray for God to send us a kitty. I kid you not, as we were sitting there, we heard a "meow" and the prettiest little gray and white face peeked through the rows of corn. We got some food for him and he ate and ate. I remember how my daughter and I laughed. He started out as a barncat, but when the first snowflake fell, I let him in and he never left. We had him for about 10 years. That kitty from the Lord was an absolute dream to have in our home. He sounds like Daniel. We, too, decided there would be no more cats for us, but my oh my, we will always have our memories. I think buying the pillow was a great idea! I will be praying for you, Tom and Naomi.

Robin in New Jersey said...

So sorry about your sweet cat, Daniel. Losing a beloved pet is never easy. When we said goodbye to our cat last fall, we also said no more. He used to greet us at the door when we got home from work. In the evening he would sit on my husband's lap. He always sat on my fabric when I sewed. We didn't realize how much we would miss him until he was gone. Prayers for you and Tom.