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Farewell to Tortle



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 20th 08, 01:42 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
22brix
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 506
Default Farewell to Tortle

Dear Tortle,

You have been part of my life for almost ten years. You are much too young
to leave me. I remember when I first saw you--tiny enough to fit into my
pocket. You were the mistress of the inaudible meow even then, although you
broadened your repertoire into a wonderful assortment of meows, maus,
mrrrrraghs, and other untranslatable verbalizations. You have been with me
through many other difficult farewells--you would sit on my shoulder
(sometimes on my head!), your head pressed up against mine, purring,
purring, purring.

You were beautiful--as only a tortoiseshell kitty can be. Soft,plush light
colored tortie fur competing with the odd bit of orange tabby--big, round
green eyes. You looked so different from your brother Hailey--he always was
bigger than you, long haired color point manx that he is. But you could
always outrun him. I remember you chasing him, screaming like a banshee,
just for the hell of it. You made me laugh. Even after you'd gotten a
little older you were always playful--more than any other of my cats you
always acted like a kitten.

I still remember the time you inadvertently got chased outside at night by
Kellie, our dog; I remember my DH having to climb the neighbor's fence in
only his socks and underwear and a flashlight clenched between his teeth, to
catch you and how he only found you by your eyes shining in the light.

I have a row of puncture marks on my side of the table where you would hook
the table with one paw, asking for some attention (and the odd bit of people
food you could purloin). I remember you sitting on my DH's chest, kneading
biscuits so very vigorously he'd sometimes cry out in pain. When you were
sick, you'd crawl under the covers at night for warmth and comfort--I
finally had to kick you out of the room as you began to recover because in a
joyous ecstasty you'd give me love bites and you'd bite hard.

You've been seriously ill several times--once with pancreatitis and then
last year with acute kidney failure. Each time you fought it (and any
medical intervention) with great diligence and vigor. You lost your best
cat friend, Molly, last spring when you were so sick. You battled back
stronger than ever and the last eight or nine months have been an absolute
joy.
I knew that you might eventually lose your battle with your sick kidneys but
I was hoping to put it off, put it off indefinitely, maybe forever. But
hoping doesn't always work. You left me much too soon, you should be
enjoying many more years with us. You got sick so quickly--Saturday you
looked perfect--today I'm saying farewell.

Goodbye, Tortle, sweet dreams--I will be looking for you when I reach the
rainbow bridge. I miss you so much.

Bonnie


  #2  
Old February 20th 08, 01:57 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
LauraM[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 137
Default Farewell to Tortle

On Feb 19, 4:42*pm, "22brix" wrote:
Dear Tortle,

You have been part of my life for almost ten years. *You are much too young
to leave me. *I remember when I first saw you--tiny enough to fit into my
pocket. *You were the mistress of the inaudible meow even then, although you
broadened your repertoire into a wonderful assortment of meows, maus,
mrrrrraghs, and other untranslatable verbalizations. *You have been with me
through many other difficult farewells--you would sit on my shoulder
(sometimes on my head!), your head pressed up against mine, purring,
purring, purring.

You were beautiful--as only a tortoiseshell kitty can be. *Soft,plush light
colored tortie fur competing with the odd bit of orange tabby--big, round
green eyes. *You looked so different from your brother Hailey--he always was
bigger than you, long haired color point manx that he is. *But you could
always outrun him. *I remember you chasing him, screaming like a banshee,
just for the hell of it. *You made me laugh. *Even after you'd gotten a
little older you were always playful--more than any other of my cats you
always acted like a kitten.

I still remember the time you inadvertently got chased outside at night by
Kellie, our dog; *I remember my DH having to climb the neighbor's fence in
only his socks and underwear and a flashlight clenched between his teeth, to
catch you and how he only found you by your eyes shining in the light.

I have a row of puncture marks on my side of the table where you would hook
the table with one paw, asking for some attention (and the odd bit of people
food you could purloin). *I remember you sitting on my DH's chest, kneading
biscuits so very vigorously he'd sometimes cry out in pain. *When you were
sick, you'd crawl under the covers at night for warmth and comfort--I
finally had to kick you out of the room as you began to recover because in a
joyous ecstasty you'd give me love bites and you'd bite hard.

You've been seriously ill several times--once with pancreatitis and then
last year with acute kidney failure. *Each time you fought it (and any
medical intervention) with great diligence and vigor. *You lost your best
cat friend, Molly, last spring when you were so sick. *You battled back
stronger than ever and the last eight or nine months have been an absolute
joy.
I knew that you might eventually lose your battle with your sick kidneys but
I was hoping to put it off, put it off indefinitely, maybe forever. *But
hoping doesn't always work. *You left me much too soon, you should be
enjoying many more years with us. *You got sick so quickly--Saturday you
looked perfect--today I'm saying farewell.

Goodbye, Tortle, sweet dreams--I will be looking for you when I reach the
rainbow bridge. *I miss you so much.

Bonnie


Oh my goodness. You brought a tear to my eye. It's so hard to lose a
kitty so close to your heart. Take comfort that your Tortle loved you
and appreciated you taking such good care of her during her life.
She's now in heaven with no pain. Some day when it's your time to go,
you'll see your plush little Tortle again. My thoughts and prayers
are with you.
  #3  
Old February 20th 08, 02:27 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
mlbriggs
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,891
Default Farewell to Tortle

On Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:42:59 -0800, 22brix wrote:

Dear Tortle,

You have been part of my life for almost ten years. You are much too
young to leave me. I remember when I first saw you--tiny enough to fit
into my pocket. You were the mistress of the inaudible meow even then,
although you broadened your repertoire into a wonderful assortment of
meows, maus, mrrrrraghs, and other untranslatable verbalizations. You
have been with me through many other difficult farewells--you would sit on
my shoulder (sometimes on my head!), your head pressed up against mine,
purring, purring, purring.

You were beautiful--as only a tortoiseshell kitty can be. Soft,plush
light colored tortie fur competing with the odd bit of orange tabby--big,
round green eyes. You looked so different from your brother Hailey--he
always was bigger than you, long haired color point manx that he is. But
you could always outrun him. I remember you chasing him, screaming like a
banshee, just for the hell of it. You made me laugh. Even after you'd
gotten a little older you were always playful--more than any other of my
cats you always acted like a kitten.

I still remember the time you inadvertently got chased outside at night by
Kellie, our dog; I remember my DH having to climb the neighbor's fence in
only his socks and underwear and a flashlight clenched between his teeth,
to catch you and how he only found you by your eyes shining in the light.

I have a row of puncture marks on my side of the table where you would
hook the table with one paw, asking for some attention (and the odd bit of
people food you could purloin). I remember you sitting on my DH's chest,
kneading biscuits so very vigorously he'd sometimes cry out in pain. When
you were sick, you'd crawl under the covers at night for warmth and
comfort--I finally had to kick you out of the room as you began to recover
because in a joyous ecstasty you'd give me love bites and you'd bite hard.

You've been seriously ill several times--once with pancreatitis and then
last year with acute kidney failure. Each time you fought it (and any
medical intervention) with great diligence and vigor. You lost your best
cat friend, Molly, last spring when you were so sick. You battled back
stronger than ever and the last eight or nine months have been an absolute
joy.
I knew that you might eventually lose your battle with your sick kidneys
but I was hoping to put it off, put it off indefinitely, maybe forever.
But hoping doesn't always work. You left me much too soon, you should be
enjoying many more years with us. You got sick so quickly--Saturday you
looked perfect--today I'm saying farewell.

Goodbye, Tortle, sweet dreams--I will be looking for you when I reach the
rainbow bridge. I miss you so much.

Bonnie



"....Rise up slowly, Angel" It's hard to let you go.

condolences for those who mourn MLB
  #4  
Old February 20th 08, 04:03 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Noon Cat Nick
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 145
Default Farewell to Tortle

http://www.indigo.org/rainbow/rainbow.swf

===========================

Strange that so small mortality should leave
So large an emptiness: for as we grieve
Your little life of few but happy years
Ended for us, one who could understand
Each subtle word, and answer hand with hand
Had hardly taken greater toll of tears.

Yet why should we not mourn for as a friend?
That name was yours: if every man would spend
His life as well, earth were not hard to save.
Grant that God made your heart and brain but small.
What more has an archangel than his all?
Amd all God gave to you, to us you gave.

--Amelia Josephine Burr

===========================

Our rooms are very still today,
The loneliness...a void;
That dented pillow mutely mourns
Companionship...destroyed!
That fluffy ball of purring fur--
My comfort--subtle teacher--
Has left a tender tolerance
For ever living creature.
My traints and faults were audited
By questioning, loving eyes;
All tests of friendship were fulfilled
By trust that verified.

--Nellie Baldwin Rudser

===========================

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.

--Anatole France

===========================

True human goodness, in all its purity and freedom, can come to the fore
only when its recipient has no power. Mankind's true moral test, its
fundamental test (which lies deeply from view), consists of its attitude
towards those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect mankind
has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all
others stem from it.

--Milan Kundera

===========================

We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than
our own live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable
to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish
memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the
necessary plan.

--Irving Townsend

===========================

I believe that the loss of a beloved companion animal is like no other
loss because our relationships with animals are like no other. Our
culture tells us that an animal companion is an engaging toy, and that
our grief over its death is alarming and ill-paced. And our culture is
just flat wrong....Animals are more to us than we know. Their
partnership with us is a holy one that endures across a lifetime and
possibly beyond.

--Susan Chernak McElroy

===========================

With you a part of me hath passed away;
For in the peopled forest of my mind
A tree made leafless by this wintry wind
Shall never don again its green array.
Chapel and fireside, country road and bay,
Have something of their friendliness resigned;
Another, if I would, I could not find,
And I am grown much older in a day.
But yet I treasure in my memory
Your gift of charity, and young heart's ease,
And the dear honour of your amity;
For these once mine, my life is rich with these.
And I scarce know which part may greater be,--
What I keep of you, or you rob from me.

--George Santayana

===========================

I say hello, but sadly good-bye,
as I hold you in my arms.
You, who I have known,
deep within my heart.
You are so real to me.
For moments, yet for all eternity.

Why?

Why,
I ask,
must this be?

To endure in pain
is to ask for answers.
Why must this be?

Does God know why?
Will He enlighten me?
Will He strengthen my faith,
my beliefs so I can endure?
Will I ever know the answer?

Why?

--Julie Fritsch

===========================

I shall walk in the sun alone
Whose golden light you loved:
I shall sleep alone
And, stirring, touch an empty place:
I shall write uninterrupted
(Would that your gentle paw
Could stay my moving pen just once again!).

I shall see beauty
But none to match your living grace:
I shall hear music
But not so sweet as the droning song
With which you loved me.

I shall fill my days
But I shall not, cannot forget:
Sleep soft, dear friend,
For while I live you shall not die.

--Michael Joseph

===========================

Comrades of our past were they,
Of that unreturning day.
Changed and aging, they and we
Dwelt, it seemed, in sympathy.
Alway from their presence broke
Somewhat which remembrance woke
Of the loved, the lost, the young--
Yet they died, and died unsung....

Fare thee well, companion dear!
Fare for ever well, nor fear,
Tiny though thou art, to stray
Down the uncompanion'd way!
We without thee, little friend,
Many years have not to spend;
What are left, will hardly be
Better than we spent with thee.

--Matthew Arnold

===========================

THE BRIGHTEST STAR
by Sarah Hartwell

There is an old belief that the stars shining in the night sky are the
spirits of those who have died. They have shed their earthly bodies and
exchanged them for bodies made of light, thousands upon thousands of our
dear departed friends all promoted to glory in the night sky. There is
another saying that the brightest flame burns the shortest.

My Friend, you were the brightest star in my own universe. While I burn
on, my flame dimmed by grief and despair at your passing, the stars are
watching me. They are too far away for me to touch, just as you have
gone somewhere I cannot follow until my own star-time comes. They cannot
be held close for comfort, just as I can no longer hold you close,
though I held you close to comfort you in your final moments. We
were together for such a short time, but the stars will burn forever.

One day when I grow tired of this earthbound body, my own star-time will
come and my spirit will soar into the sky to burn with all those friends
who have gone before me. On the inky cloth of space we will be reunited
in constellations of joy. Until then, my flame burns low and dim and
cold without you. Through my tears I look upwards to see if you are
watching me and what do I see?

There is a new star shining in the sky tonight.

===========================

THE FOURTH DAY
by Martin Scot Kosins

If you ever love an animal, there are three days in your life you will
always remember.
The first is a day, blessed with happiness, when you bring home your
young new friend.
You may have spent weeks deciding on a breed. You may have asked
numerous opinions of many vets, or done long research in finding a
breeder. Or, perhaps in a fleeting moment, you may have just chosen that
silly looking mutt in a shelter...simply because something in its eyes
reached your heart.
But when you bring that chosen pet home, and watch it explore, and claim
its special place in your hall or front room--and when you feel it brush
against you for the first time--it instills a feeling of pure love you
will carry with you through the many years to come.

The second day will occur years later.
It will be a day like any other. Routine and unexceptional. But, for a
surprising instant, you will look at your longtime friend and see age
where you once saw youth.
You will see slow deliberate steps where you once saw energy.
And you will see sleep where you once saw activity.
So you will begin to adjust your friend's diet--and you may add a pill
or two to her food.
And you may feel a growing fear deep within yourself, which bodes of a
coming emptiness.
And you will feel this uneasy feeling, on and off, until the third day
finally arrives.

And on this day--if your friend and God have not decided for you, then
you will be faced with making a decision of your own--on behalf of your
lifelong friend, and with the guidance of your own deepest Spirit.
But whichever way your friend eventually leaves you--you will feel as
alone as a single star in the dark night sky.

If you are wise, you will let the tears flow as freely and as often as
they must. And if you are typical, you will find that not many in your
circle of family or human friends will be able to understand your grief,
or comfort you.
But if you are true to the love of the pet you cherished through the
many joyfilled years, you may find that a soul--a bit smaller in size
than your own--seems to walk with you, at times, during the lonely days
to come.
And at moments when you least expect anything out of the ordinary to
happen, you may feel something brush against your leg--very very lightly.
And looking down at the place where your dear, perhaps dearest, friend
used to lay--you will remember those three significant days.
The memory will most likely be painful, and leave an ache in your heart--
As time passes the ache will come and go as if it has a life of its own.
You will both reject it and embrace it, and it may confuse you.
If you reject it, it will depress you.
If you embrace it, it will deepen you.
Either way, it will still be an ache.

But there will be, I assure you, a fourth day when--along with the
memory of your pet--and piercing through the heaviness in your
heart--there will come a realization that belongs only to you.
It will be as unique and strong as our relationship with each animal we
have loved, and lost.
This realization takes the form of a Living Love--
Like the heavenly scent of a rose that remains after the petals have
wilted, this Love will remain and grow--and be there for us to remember.
It is a Love we have earned.
It is the legacy our pets leave us when they go--
And it is a gift we may keep with us as long as we live.
It is a Love which is ours alone--
And until we ourselves leave, perhaps to join our Beloved Pets--

It is a Love that we will always possess.

===========================

Since you have gone the sun has left the sky,
No breezes blow,
No birds sing
To ease the aching vacuum in my heart.
I shall not forget your gentle ways;
No judgements made,
No difficult demands,
No needs save one,
To share your life with mine.
Now kind, uncomprehending people say
"Cheer up, you'll love another pet some day."

--Hilda Lunn

===========================

Pet was never mourned as you,
Purrer of the spotless hue,
Plumy tail and wistful gaze,
While you humoured our queer ways,
Or outshrilled your morning call
Up the stairs and through the hall--
Foot suspended in its fall--
While, expectant, you would stand
Arched, to meet the stroking hand;
Till your way you chose to wend
Yonder, to your tragic end.

Never another pet for me!
Let your place all vacant be;
Better blankness day by day
Than companion torn away.
Better bid her memory fade,
Better blot each mark she made,
Selfishly escape distress
By contrived forgetfulness,
Than preserve her prints to make
Every morn and eve an ache.

From the chair whereon she sat
Sweep her fur, not wince thereat;
Rake her little pathways out
Mid the bushes roundabout;
Smooth away her talons' mark
From the claw-worn pine-tree bark,
Where she climbed as dusk embrowned
Waiting us who loitered round.

Strange it is this speechless thing,
Subject to our mastering,
Subject for her life and food
To our gift, and time, and mood;
Timid pensionor of us Powers,
Her existence ruled by ours,
Should--by crossing at a breath
Into safe and shielded death,
By the merely taking hence
Of her insignificance--
Loom as largened to the sense,
Shape as part, above man's will,
Of the Imperturbable.

As a prisoner, flight debarred,
Exercising in a yard,
Still retain I, troubled, shaken,
Mean estate, by her forsaken;
And this home, which scarcely took
Impress from her little look,
By her faring to the Far,
Grows all eloquent of her.

Housemate, I can think you still
Bounding to the window-sill,
Over which I vaguely see
Your small mound beneath the tree,
Showing in the autumn shade
That you moulder where you played.

--Thomas Hardy

===========================

When humans die, they make a will
To leave their homes, and all they
Have to those they love.
I too would make a will, if I could write.

To some poor, wistful, lonely stray
I'd leave my happy home,
My dish, my cozy bed, my cushioned chair, my toy,
The well-loved lap,
The gently stroking hand,
The loving voice,
The place I made in someone's heart,
The love that, at the last,
Could help me to a peaceful, painless end,
Held in loving arms.

If I should die,
Oh! Do not say:
"No more a pet I'll have
To grieve me by its loss."
Seek out some lonely, unloved cat
And give my place to him.
This is my legacy,
The love I leave behind,
'Tis all I have to give.

--Margaret Trowton

===========================

Is Heaven all you asked of it,
O little cat? Did Peter fit
A halo for your graceless head?
Is there a quilt for your special bed,
And a bowl of cream just out of reach
Of your thieving paw? Or do They teach
You not to steal in paradise?
Does the flapping of Their wings entice?
Do you scamper and swing on a golden fence,
Or are They teaching you reverence?
And are there really golden thrones
Up there? Or do the Mighty Ones
Have nice fat chairs that you can claw
And tear and snag with an impious paw?
And do the angels understand
That a little cat in a lonely land
Still longs for a kiss and a friendly cuff?

Celestial joys are not enough.
Please, some small saint in shining white,
Hold her close in your arms tonight.

--Bianca Bradbury

===========================

Dancing ribbons pushed by time
Float through an old kitten's dreams.
She chases them into eternity,
And catches them,
As they change into angels' wings.

--Daryl Douglas Foyer

===========================

CHOICES
by Anne Kolaczyk

The little orange boy stopped. Behind him, kitties were playing, chasing
each other and wrestling in the warm sunshine. It looked like so much
fun, but in front of him, through the clear stillness of the pond's
water, he could see his mommy. And she was crying. He pawed at the
water, trying to get at her, and when that didn't work, he jumped into
the shallow water. All that got him was wet and Mommy's image danced
away in the ripples. "Mommy!" he cried.

"Is something wrong?" The little orange boy turned around. A lady was
standing at the edge of the pond, her eyes sad but filled with love. The
little orange boy sighed and walked out of the water. "There's been a
mistake," he said. "I'm not supposed to be here." He looked back at the
water. It was starting to still again and his mommy's image was coming
back. "I'm just a baby. Mommy said it had to be a mistake. She said I
wasn't supposed to come here yet."

The kind lady sighed and sat down on the grass. The little orange boy
climbed into her lap. It wasn't Mommy's lap, but it was almost as good.
When she started to pet him and scritch under his chin like he liked, he
started to purr. He hadn't wanted to, but he couldn't help it. "I'm
afraid there is no mistake. You are supposed to be here and your mommy
knows it deep down in her heart," the lady said.

The little orange boy sighed and laid his head on the lady's leg. "But
she's so sad. It hurts me to see her cry. And daddy too."

"But they knew right from the beginning this would happen."

"That I was sick?" That surprised the little orange boy. No one had ever
said anything and he had listened when they thought he was sleeping. All
he had heard them talk about was how cute he was or how fast he was or
how big he was getting. "No, not that you were sick," the lady said.
"But you see, they chose tears."

"No, they didn't," the little orange boy argued. Who would choose to cry?

The lady gently brushed the top of his head with a kiss. It made him
feel safe and loved and warm--but he still worried about his mommy. "Let
me tell you a story," the lady said.

The little orange boy looked up and saw other animals gathering around.
Cats- Big Boy and Snowball and Shamus and Abby and little Cleo and
Robin. Merlin and Toby and Iggy and Zachary. Sweetie and Kamatte and
Obie. Dogs too--Sally and Baby and Morgan and Rocky and Belle. Even a
lizard named Clyde and some rats named Saffron and Becky and a hamster
named Odo. They all lay down near the kind lady and looked up at her,
waiting.

She smiled at them and began:

* * * * * * * * *

A long long time ago, the Loving Ones went to the Angel in Charge. They
were lonesome and asked the angel to help them.

The angel took them to a wall of windows and let them look out the first
window at all sorts of things--dolls and stuffed animals and cars and
toys and sporting events.

"Here are things you can love," the angel said. "They will keep you from
being lonesome."

"Oh, thank you," the Loving Ones said. "These are just what we need."

"You have chosen Pleasure," the angel told them.

But after a time the Loving Ones came back to the Angel in Charge.
"Things are okay to love," they said. "But they don't care that we love
them."

The Angel in Charge led them over to the second window. It looked out at
all sorts of wild animals. "Here are animals to love," he said. "They
will know you love them."

So the Loving Ones hurried out to care for the wild animals. "You have
chosen Satisfaction," the angel said.

Some of the Loving Ones worked at zoos and wild animal preserves, some
just had bird feeders in their yards, but after a time they all came
back to the Angel in Charge. "They know we love them," they told the
angel. "But they don't love us back. We want to be loved in return." So
the angel took them to the third window and showed them lots of people
walking around, hurrying places. "Here are people for you to love," the
angel told them.

So the Loving Ones hurried off to find other people to love. "You have
chosen Commitment," the angel said.

But after a time a lot of Loving Ones came back to the Angel in Charge.
"People were okay to love," they said. "But sometimes they stopped
loving us and left. They broke our hearts."

The angel just shook his head. "I cannot help you," he said. "You will
have to be satisfied with the choices I gave you."

As the Loving Ones were leaving, someone saw a window off to one side
and hurried to look out. Through it, they could see puppies and kittens
and dogs and cats and lizards and hamsters and ferrets. The other Loving
Ones hurried over. "What about these?" they asked.

But the angel just tried to shoo them away. "Those are Personal Empathy
Trainers," he said. "But there's a problem with their system operations."

"Would they know that we love them?" someone asked.

"Yes," the angel said.

"Would they love us back?" another asked.

"Yes," the angel said.

"Will they stop loving us?" someone else asked.

"No," the angel admitted. "They will love you forever."

"Then these are what we want," the Loving Ones said.

But the angel was very upset. "You don't understand," he told them. "You
will have to feed these animals."

"That's all right," the Loving Ones said.

"You will have to clean up after them and take care of them forever."

"We don't care."

The Loving Ones did not listen. They went down to where the Pets were
and picked them up, seeing the love in their own hearts reflected in the
animals' eyes. The Loving Ones did not listen. They went down to where
the Pets were and picked them up, seeing the love in their own hearts
reflected in the animals' eyes.

"They were not programmed right," the angel said. "We can't offer a
warranty. We don't know how durable they are. Some of their systems
malfunction very quickly, others last a long time."

But the Loving Ones did not care. They were holding the warm little
bodies and finding their hearts so filled with love that they thought
they would burst. "We will take our chances," they said.

"You do not understand." The angel tried one more time. "They are so
dependent on you that even the most well-made of them is not designed to
outlive you. You are destined to suffer their loss."

The Loving Ones looked at the sweetness in their arms and nodded. "That
is how it should be. It is a fair trade for the love they offer."

The angel just watched them all go, shaking his head. "You have chosen
Tears," he whispered.

* * * * * * * * *

"So it is," the kind lady told the kitties. "And so each mommy and daddy
knows. When they take a baby into their heart, they know that one day it
will leave them and they will cry."

The little orange boy sat up. "So why do they take us in?" he asked.

"Because even a moment of your love is worth years of pain later."

"Oh." The little orange boy got off the lady's lap and went back to the
edge of the pond. His mommy was still there, and still crying. "Will she
ever stop crying?" he asked the kind lady.

She nodded. "You see, the Angel felt sorry for the Loving Ones, knowing
how much they would suffer. He couldn't take the tears away but he made
them special."

She dipped her hand into the pond and let the water trickle off her
fingers. "He made them healing tears, formed from the special water
here. Each tear holds bits of all the happy times of purring and petting
and shared love. And the promise of love once again. As your mommy
cries, she is healing. "It may take a long while, but the tears will
help her feel better. In time she will be less sad and she will smile
when she thinks of you. And then she will open her heart again to
another little baby."

"But then she will cry again one day," the little orange boy said.

The lady just smiled at him as she got to her feet. "No, she will love
again. That is all she will think about." She picked up Big Boy and
Snowball and gave them hugs, then scratched Morgan's ear just how she
liked. "Look," she said. "The butterflies have come. Shall we go over to
play?" The other animals all ran ahead, but the little orange boy wasn't
ready to leave his mommy. "Will I ever get to be with her again?"

The kind lady nodded. "You'll be in the eyes of every kitty she looks
at. You'll be in the purr of every cat she pets. And late at night, when
she's fast asleep, your spirit will snuggle up close to her and you both
will feel at peace. One day soon, you can even send her a rainbow to
tell her you're safe and waiting here for when it's her turn to come."

"I would like that," the little orange boy said and took one long look
at his mommy. He saw her smile slightly through her tears and he knew
she had remembered the time he almost fell into the bathtub. "I love
you, Mommy," he whispered. "It's okay if you cry." He glanced over at
the others, running and playing and laughing with the butterflies. "Uh,
Mommy? I gotta go play now, okay? But I'll be around, I promise."

Then he turned and raced after the others.

===========================

Grieve not,
nor speak of me with tears,
but laugh and talk of me
as if I were beside you...
I loved you so--
'twas Heaven here with you.

--Isla Paschal Richardson

===========================

Farewell, my humans, yet not farewell,
Where I go you too shall dwell.
I am gone before your face,
A moment's time, a little space.
When you come where I have stepped,
You will wonder why you wept.

--Edwin Arnold

===========================

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.

I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.

I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room,
I am the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die.

--Mary E. Frye (attributed)

===========================

Aionía aftís e mnéme--May her memory be eternal.

--from the Eastern Orthodox funeral service

===========================

Warm summer sun
Shine kindly here,
Warm southern wind
Blow softly here,
Green sod above
Lie light, lie light—
Good night, dear heart,
Good night, good night.

--adapted from Robert Richardson's poem "Annette" by Samuel Langhorne
Clemens (Mark Twain) as the epitaph for his daughter, Olivia Susan Clemens


Take care,
Nicholas
  #5  
Old February 20th 08, 04:07 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Noon Cat Nick
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 145
Default Farewell to Tortle

mlbriggs wrote:



"....Rise up slowly, Angel" It's hard to let you go.

condolences for those who mourn MLB


Rise up, slowly, Angel.
I cannot let you go.
Just drift softly 'midst the faces,
In sorrow now bent low.

Ease the searing anger,
Born in harsh, unyielding truth
That Death could steal my loved one
From the glowing blush of youth.

Rise up slowly, Angel.
Do not leave me here, alone,
Where the warmth of mortal essence
Lies replaced by cold, hard stone.

Speak to me in breezes
Whispered through the drying leaves,
And caress my brow with raindrops
Filtered by the sheltering trees.

Rise up slowly, Angel,
For I cannot hear the song
Which calls you through the shadows
Into the light beyond.

Wrap me in a downy cape
Of sunshine, warm with love,
And kiss a tear-stained mother's face
With moonlight from above.

Then, wait for me at sunset,
Beside the lily pond,
And guide me safely homeward
To your world, which lies beyond.

Just spread your arms to take me
In reunion's sweet embrace,
And we shall soar, together,
To a different time and place.

--Diane Robertson
  #6  
Old February 20th 08, 04:46 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
-Lost
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 458
Default Farewell to Tortle

Response to "22brix" :

Goodbye, Tortle, sweet dreams--I will be looking for you when I
reach the rainbow bridge. I miss you so much.


Let not your heart be heavy -- whilst you dream of her dancing across
the rainbow bridge, she dreams of dancing in your heart.

--
-Lost
Remove the extra words to reply by e-mail. Don't e-mail me. I am
kidding. No I am not.
  #7  
Old February 20th 08, 05:34 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
blkcatgal
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 389
Default Farewell to Tortle

I am so sorry for your loss. I share your tears. You have my heartfelt
condolences.

S.

"22brix" wrote in message
...
Dear Tortle,

You have been part of my life for almost ten years. You are much too
young to leave me. I remember when I first saw you--tiny enough to fit
into my pocket. You were the mistress of the inaudible meow even then,
although you broadened your repertoire into a wonderful assortment of
meows, maus, mrrrrraghs, and other untranslatable verbalizations. You
have been with me through many other difficult farewells--you would sit on
my shoulder (sometimes on my head!), your head pressed up against mine,
purring, purring, purring.

You were beautiful--as only a tortoiseshell kitty can be. Soft,plush
light colored tortie fur competing with the odd bit of orange tabby--big,
round green eyes. You looked so different from your brother Hailey--he
always was bigger than you, long haired color point manx that he is. But
you could always outrun him. I remember you chasing him, screaming like a
banshee, just for the hell of it. You made me laugh. Even after you'd
gotten a little older you were always playful--more than any other of my
cats you always acted like a kitten.

I still remember the time you inadvertently got chased outside at night by
Kellie, our dog; I remember my DH having to climb the neighbor's fence in
only his socks and underwear and a flashlight clenched between his teeth,
to catch you and how he only found you by your eyes shining in the light.

I have a row of puncture marks on my side of the table where you would
hook the table with one paw, asking for some attention (and the odd bit of
people food you could purloin). I remember you sitting on my DH's chest,
kneading biscuits so very vigorously he'd sometimes cry out in pain. When
you were sick, you'd crawl under the covers at night for warmth and
comfort--I finally had to kick you out of the room as you began to recover
because in a joyous ecstasty you'd give me love bites and you'd bite hard.

You've been seriously ill several times--once with pancreatitis and then
last year with acute kidney failure. Each time you fought it (and any
medical intervention) with great diligence and vigor. You lost your best
cat friend, Molly, last spring when you were so sick. You battled back
stronger than ever and the last eight or nine months have been an absolute
joy.
I knew that you might eventually lose your battle with your sick kidneys
but I was hoping to put it off, put it off indefinitely, maybe forever.
But hoping doesn't always work. You left me much too soon, you should be
enjoying many more years with us. You got sick so quickly--Saturday you
looked perfect--today I'm saying farewell.

Goodbye, Tortle, sweet dreams--I will be looking for you when I reach the
rainbow bridge. I miss you so much.

Bonnie



  #8  
Old February 20th 08, 06:07 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
mc
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 213
Default Farewell to Tortle

So sorry for your loss. So very sorry. I can't say it any better than
anyone else on this thread has already said it...

My sympathies...
  #9  
Old February 20th 08, 06:20 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
mlbriggs
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,891
Default Farewell to Tortle

On Wed, 20 Feb 2008 03:07:23 +0000, Noon Cat Nick wrote:

mlbriggs wrote:



"....Rise up slowly, Angel" It's hard to let you go.

condolences for those who mourn MLB


Rise up, slowly, Angel.
I cannot let you go.
Just drift softly 'midst the faces,
In sorrow now bent low.

Ease the searing anger,
Born in harsh, unyielding truth
That Death could steal my loved one
From the glowing blush of youth.

Rise up slowly, Angel.
Do not leave me here, alone,
Where the warmth of mortal essence
Lies replaced by cold, hard stone.

Speak to me in breezes
Whispered through the drying leaves,
And caress my brow with raindrops
Filtered by the sheltering trees.

Rise up slowly, Angel,
For I cannot hear the song
Which calls you through the shadows
Into the light beyond.

Wrap me in a downy cape
Of sunshine, warm with love,
And kiss a tear-stained mother's face With moonlight from above.

Then, wait for me at sunset,
Beside the lily pond,
And guide me safely homeward
To your world, which lies beyond.

Just spread your arms to take me
In reunion's sweet embrace,
And we shall soar, together,
To a different time and place.

--Diane Robertson



Thanks for posting the complete poem. It is one of my favorites. Best
wishes. MLB
  #10  
Old February 20th 08, 01:56 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
cybercat
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,212
Default Farewell to Tortle


"22brix" wrote
Goodbye, Tortle, sweet dreams--I will be looking for you when I reach the
rainbow bridge. I miss you so much.


Bonnie, I am so sorry you lost Tortle. She sounds so lovely. I know she
could
not have had a better home.


 




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