Posted on 9/20/2023

Our sweet cat, Gabby, died a couple of weeks ago. My head knows it is for the best. My heart begs to differ.

Gabby came to us 13 years ago as an abandoned, terrified, kitten. We shared our space with her and she shared her grace with us.

Along with her allure and regal presence, she was a drama queen. Any time Ralphie, the companion cat, looked at her the wrong way, she would melt down. Howl loudly and mournfully. To be fair, Ralphie made it a point to look at her the wrong way at least once a day.

Never thought I would miss the cat drama, but I do. I miss everything about her.

I tell myself to be grateful.
Grateful that we are not grieving the loss of a human family member or friend.
Grateful that we got to hang out with her for all those years.
Grateful that she did not seem to mind that she was slipping away.
But sad is sad. And, I am feeling sad.

Several friends and family members are grieving the loss of a loved one.
And, I am not comparing my loss to theirs, by any means. I am grateful for
all that they are teaching me about grief. Because of their grace and generosity, I find myself asking questions like “how might we grow through grief?”

Here’s what I’ve figured out so far:
Grieving is not an event. Grief does not have a start date or an end date.
There are no boxes to check.
There are just endings.
And beginnings.
And, somehow, some way we just keep going. We Just Keep Growing.