We couldn't find him today. We looked and looked and searched and called, wandering to and fro, looking into anyplace where he could have been accidentally locked up. We called the lady who had come by the food bank yesterday to make sure he hadn't gotten in her car. We posted his picture on facebook and printed up flyers at the library. And then we came home, and there he was, on the side of the road by our house. Our son David saw him, and went down to see if it was really him. He looked so normal, that I reached down and touched him, almost like I was thinking he was just asleep, or that he was just hurt and would be okay. His fur was still soft, but instead of warm and purring, he was just cold and hard. I couldn't hold it together at that point, and Paul held me while I cried. Then we went up to tell the girls. While I was comforting them, Paul and David slipped out the back and buried him so they wouldn't see.
It hurts so much. He was only in our lives for a short time, but he was definitely a part of the family. As I look at Meggie and know that her time will come in just a few short years, I can't even stand to think about it. I just hug her and hold her and pet her and play with her now, while I can. And then, I think about my children, and how they are growing so fast, and will only be here for so long. And I hold them and hug them and dance with them, read with and to them, play with them and cheer them on, for as long as I can.
As the guys came in from burying Lancelot, this song came into my mind. And as I played it on YouTube, the rain came pouring down.
I'd just like to remind you to gather your loved ones close and appreciate them every day. Dance.
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