Not New To This

I've been thinking about it lately and realized that I'm not new to adoption.  Within the last two weeks I've lost two cats that I've raised and loved on and spoiled rotten for the last 12 years.  Sometimes I feel ashamed to ache and grieve for them as much as I do, but then I realize that together we've invested 12 years of our lives in each other.  Them in trusting me to provide for them and care for them and me in having partners in crime and someone to snuggle with even when the times are tough.


Sometimes I worry that I'm going to forget about them when they pass, but then there are times that I can remember every single thing about them.  There are days like today when my heart breaks at the mere thought of them and days where I can smile and remember certain characteristics of each of their personalities.  I remember moving them from the Tri-Cities 240 miles to Seattle, from Seattle to Everett and from Everett to Lynnwood.

Right now there are 4 left.  Three girls and one boy.  I never in my mind predicted combinations of who would be left behind but this isn't a combination that I would have imagined.  I soon will have ashes of 3 beautiful cats whose memories I hope to never forget.  We're going to plant a tree in the front yard and do something special with what remains of them.

The song goes:  Every new beginning comes with some other beginning's end.  While my beginnings may be ending, I find happiness in the fact that both of my parents are going through adoptions of their own.  My dad just got a little girl kitten and my mom has decided to adopt a little girl puppy.  And I know that my days of adopting little furry friends aren't over, either.  One day when The Kittens all pass and I've had time to heal, I'll do it all over again.

Because even through the heartbreak there is happiness.

Shadow

Angel

Tigger