Pets

Cori had to put Newman down. It got me thinking.

Newman was a part of my life too.

That is the magic of pets. They belong to a family and they belong to every family member and friend who is close to that family.

I am proud of the fact that my family is a pet family. It is a sign of sensitivity and a loving nature.

Carol and I have loved Onyx (our dog), Lokai and Max our cats, all of whom are now gone. I cannot accurately express how much it broke me to put these guys to sleep.

Now we have our two cats Maka, who we have had for 13 years, and Lakota, who we have had for 19 years.

These cats are the loves of my life. On Thursday and Friday mornings now I get up at 4:45. I don't have to do that, except for the fact that I need time for coffee and a book before I go to work.

Most of those mornings I have both cats in my lap. I look at them every single time, and a powerful feeling of contentment washes over me. Strong medicine at a difficult time for me.

My first pet was Sundance. Sundance was a neighborhood cat who used to come around late at night when I got home from a night of insanity with my friends, when I was still living with my parents. I named him Sundance and I loved him. I would sit outside petting and talking to him for as long as it took to soothe my tortured soul.

Keith and Emily had a cat named Liska. She got sick and had to be put down way too early. Broke my heart. I was cat sitting her once. I laid down on the futon, Liska climbed up on my belly and fell asleep. You can never take that memory and the emotions that accompany it away from me.

Keith now has Cooper (dog) and Jack (cat). I love them both. I cat sit Jack a lot and he makes me smile. A lot.

Cooper is hard to get close to. He is high strung. But when I look at his cute face and especially into his eyes, I see love. Especially when I see him and Keith together. I love their relationship.

Craig had a cat named Marley, courtesy of his girlfriend Karen. Marley got sick and had to be put down way too early. Broke my heart. Marley used to fetch things, like a dog does. Pretty cool.

Craig and Amanda now have Murray, a dog. Just got him recently. He is so goddamn cute and lovable it should be illegal.

I just name checked twelve pets that have touched my family. I love and have loved them all.

It broke my heart when Cori  posted the news she had to put Newman down. Another chapter closed.

I am proud of my family. The fact that they have pets and the way that they love them is all I need to know about their sensitivity, their empathy, their open-hearted approach to life.

These are the qualities I treasure in people. I love all the pets and I LOVE my family.