In October of 2011, our lives were changed forever when we adopted Jamie from the Animal Rescue League of Boston:
There was a post on Facebook from radio personality Mauzy Stafford that it was free cat adoption day at the ARL Boston. Our cat before Jamie, Alex,, was only 3 years old when he became ill and crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. We vowed that was it! No more cats. Tom and I had cats before we met and knew both the love they bring into our lives and the heartbreak when they leave.
But there was something about the Free Adoption Day and the photos posted on Facebook that gave us 'pause' to at least see what animals were there for adoption.
We filled out the pre-adoption survey and then visited with the cats. There were kittens that were too feisty for us. As we let the staff know what we needed, they led us to Jamie. She was a 2 1/2 year old cat who was very shy. She wouldn't let staff pick her up. One of the volunteers made the bed for Jamie to bring her comfort. She was found on the streets in Medford but apparently had come from a home because she was spayed. She was in ill health but the ARL nursed her back to her health and she was ready to find a furever home. Because of her shyness, it was hard to find a furever home for her. We just knew she was the cat for us.
It took Jamie 3 weeks to have any interaction with us. We knew she was okay because her food dish would be empty and her kitty litter box had waste in it. We gave her the space she needed to adjust to our home and once she did, she would sit in our lap. She would not let us pick her up which of course was a challenge when she had to go to the vet but she loved to snuggle and have her belly rubbed on the kitchen floor.
She did not like any toys or to play in the way many cats like to play but she had a sense of play watching animals through the window as she perched on the top of 'her' sofa. She loved running up and down the stairs from the 2nd floor all the way to the basement. One of her favorite times of day, besides meal time was to meditate with me. Whenever she heard Dr. David Hamilton's voice come on for a meditation, she would come bounding up the stairs to meditate next to me. She loved just being around us. She would often meow or do the "call of the wild" as we liked to call it for us to come downstairs just to be with her. She'd 'watch' shows on the computer with us by coming in between Tom and me to have a good view of the "West Wing" or a movie we'd be watching.
As we rescued her, she rescued us by infusing our home and our lives with a love that only an animal can bring.
Here are some of our favorite Jamie moments:
Her favorite blanket year round.
During meditation, she held my hand.
During a Sunday strength training workout. She loved to be in the middle of where the action was.
If I got up from my chair, she'd hop right up and make herself at home.
This is one of my favs. I wonder what she was thinking about!
Here she is with my book Hope is a Garden:Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic. She was reading about herself in several essays and poems.
Her favorite spot in the sun on her favorite 'blankie' - our comforter.
Last Tuesday, Jamie had a sudden weight loss and stopped eating and drinking. She has had other episodes where she couldn't eat or drink for a few days and we thought she was ready to transition but then she would suddenly bounce back after we sat with her and played Dr. David's meditations, the Heal Documentary soundtrack and sent her lots of love and healing energy.
By Thursday we knew this was not meant to be this time. We explored what to do if she transitioned at home and also called our vets to see about helping her make her transition. Tom was in his office and Ruth Anne and I were at the table doing our work when all 3 of us heard her jump off the couch... only she hadn't! She was fast asleep. When she went downstairs a short while later and lay down in her kitty litter box we knew we needed to take her to the vet to help her along. When she was well she never let us carry her but during the three days she would let us hug her and carry her up and down stairs. There was one moment on Wednesday when she was lying on our bed that her eyes sparkled and her head was on her paw and she looked healthy again. Such a great memory to cherish of those final days.
They have a beautiful living room set up at the vets where animals and families can experience a loving and peaceful transition. The doctor who cared for her was an angel as was everyone we met. We sensed she was gone before they even administered the medication but they gave it to her anyway to ensure her comfort. It was a beautiful way to say goodbye.
She is sending lots of signs to let us know she is still with us although we do miss her physical presence. I couldn't meditate yesterday because it was too painful so I honored those feelings. Ruth Anne and I went through pictures and I started this blog post as a tribute. Thank goodness we have so many wonderful photos of her life with us and Facebook reminds me daily of moments we shared.
Thursday evening after dinner we did what we always would do when Jamie was alive; we'd vacuum to make sure she didn't 'snack' on any crumbs that we may have dropped. We have a cordless vacuum that Jamie hated although as time went on, at times, she could tolerate being in the same room with it. It was fully charged and we had not used it during the day. Ruth Anne was with me and when we got to the part of the kitchen where Jamie's tray with her food dish and water dish had been, the vacuum stopped. It.just.stopped. I started it up again after moving from that spot and it started flashing low battery. When I put it back on the charger all the lights started flashing AND it was going on and off. I tried to turn it off and couldn't! I took it off the charger and waited a few minutes before I placed it back on the charger.
On Friday afternoon, we heard what sounded like a plastic cap dropping on the floor in the kitchen. Ruth Anne and I looked at one another; Tom asked from his office, "What was that?" We all shrugged. A little while later, I went in the kitchen to stir the chili on the stove and was stopped in my tracks. In the middle of the cooktop was a green bottle cap from Tom's salad dressing bottle that was in the sink to be washed out. She loved jumping on the counter and playing with whatever was in the sink!
Ruth Anne and I ran an errand yesterday. As I went to pick up my keys, one of the pendants I have hanging from it was separated from the rest of the key ring. There was no opening on any of the rings nor on the "Broadway" pendant.
We looked at each other and said "Whoa."
Tom and I woke up at 6am this morning feeling chilly. We 'accused' each other of 'stealing' the comforter. Jamie would wake us up early morning to get fed or even if she had food left in her dish, to have company. Neither Tom nor I had the comforter on our side of the bed. There was one corner of the comforter on the corner of the bed; the rest of the comforter was in a kind of 'nest' on the floor in front of the bureau. I remembered we had taken a photo of her on the blanket in front of the bureau. I found this photo from February of 2021:
We are heartbroken that we no longer experience the precious gift of her physical presence but she is letting us know she is still with us from the other side.
Oh how we miss you Jamie but you sure are sending us a lot of signs to help bring us comfort.
As my friend Jenn Solomon said, "Grief is love with nowhere to go."
We are wrapping ourselves in the blessing of love you left in our hearts to heal the ache of the absence of your physical presence.
From my heart to yours,
In health and wellness,
Mary
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