Greetings Beloved Kin,

In memorial  to Love…

Shadow was the longest-living resident at the shelter. There was a senior discount for adopting a cat over 7 years old. Shadow was 12, the last cat anyone was looking for with a report card that included litter box issues, a heart murmur and “doesn’t get along with others.”

I had to take her. Everything “wrong” with her, was everything I was trying to prove “wasn’t wrong” with me. It was a rainy day, December 12, 2015 – the year I started the journal (11 Transformer/CIMI). She was perfect and we changed life for each other.

She had been passed around, displaced, and cast out for the litterbox. Other pets were woven in and out of her story. She lost the place she belonged. I didn’t think to know she was “Shadow.” You could hardly see her face when her eyes are closed. She lived in the cage for 3 months. I was dreaming a cozy Christmas together, though her favorite spot was staring from across the room.

She loved every gift she was given. Her first and favorite was the “scratch lounger” – a box of corrugated cardboard on the bottom and up 2” on either side. She lived in it from the moment it was given.

There was a Divine Communion between us over time with milestones marked on the Tzolk’in calendar. The first breakthrough was on Flint/ETZNAB when she had an accident outside her box. It was a grooming issue with her long wooly fur. Though, when it happened she took off like the end was near. That was why she was given away. I KNEW it was her Truth of the Moment. Love created the Truth that she was “Home.”

There were 4 milestones of Love I can count over the past 6 years. That was the first… she wouldn’t be abandoned. The 2^nd was her stint at the vet. When I returned, she knew, “She belonged to me.” Just as clearly, I knew the day she knew, I wasn’t another shelter – I chose a companion. Then, there was a day she knew, “I chose her.” And, I knew God had chosen me.

She never missed a meal. I watched for her last breath in September, and one last chance with steroids brought her back. She sat close yesterday with such affection. It was unexpected and only lasted for a moment together. She turned 20 in October. I returned all the LOVE she created to the Whole of the Elemental Beings, and to shine with the Light of the Universe – through another that can carry on.

Shadow was a reflection of Divine Love and marked the Time between Dog/OC and Monkey/CHUEN to “finish” her creation. I am grateful for the Divine Communion. Her ashes are kept at the altar.

Love, in lak’ech, Debra – PS. Thank you, Shadow, for always being there.

 

A SANCTUARY CREATED FOR GIRLIE: November 29, 2021

I didn’t wait long to adopt another Senior Cat. Shadow created a place and I knew there was another one waiting weeks in a cage. Girlie was kept alone in a closet sized room without windows and the lights on 24/7 with a blanket thrown over a cage. This was the shelter’s best photo (right).

Like Shadow, she was misplaced by a kitten and other animals in her home. She had also developed diabetes in need of insulin treatments to get her back on track. I imagined it would be hard to control a special diet with multiple pets. She was a one owner cat, 12 years old, in need of special diet, and – another matting long-haired cat. I figured it was right up my alley, worth taking a chance.

Also like Shadow, she ran to hide in the tightest corner when I brought her to a brand new home, cleaned out from all of Shadow’s things with new accommodations. She must have been lonely. She was next to me for  a Hallmark movie by the end of the night.

Girlie is the talking cat. That’s another story. She has a broad vocabulary. She made the 2,000 mile pilgrimage with me from Washington State to Kansas, two months in. Though it hasn’t been a year, she knows this is forever home and we made best friends.

I didn’t realize how much she changed in our first season together. She’s only recently started to spend some time next to me when I go to sleep at night. I’m grateful for the extra space a home provides for her to explore and hide. Like Shadow, she’s thriving – no problems at all. Love and a place you  know you belong changes everything. At least I’ve seen it happen twice in a row.

love, in lak’ech, Debra