This afternoon Jazzi and I were going stir crazy, so we decided to go to the pet store and get kitten Earl Grey. I have to confess, I've had a lot of apprehension about whether it was the right thing to do. Even as much as I love Earl Grey, there are many other considerations, like sinus health and training a kitty and adjustments all the way around.

So, I pray, Lord, if you want me to have Earl Grey, then please let him still be there. Jazzi and I walk directly to the cat cage and my eyes do a quick scan. I definitely don't see Earl Grey in his usual spot . . . or anywhere . . . just all the other cats. Then I glance at the bulletin board attached to the cage where photos of all the kitties are posted and the picture of Earl Grey is missing. The cute picture with Earl posing on a blue plastic round thingy, not sure what it was, but it reminded me of DTD'S blue soft plastic tubby when she was a baby, she had her baths in it. Earl was perched right in the middle of it, the darling little precious. In other words, Earl Grey is gone. Gone.

A chunk of my heart dropped off on the floor. I'll always remember loving little Earl Grey. If I hadn't been sick, I'm pretty sure I would have gotten him right away. I picture the fur ball walking around our house checking into everything and curled up in my lap purring. Or making Jazzi play. Or hiding in Mike's briefcase. But someone else has him now, maybe someone who needed him more than I did.

Funny how our brief acquaintance could mean this much to me. But it does, and that's the way life turns out sometimes -- someone or something graces you for a flicker of a moment, but it's unforgettable. I've learned a lesson, if you love someone, you need to act now because he who hesitates may be left in a pool of tears. I didn't act on instinct, even with a lot of encouragement. Still, I believe God could have waited for me, so I have to accept the loss. Strange to say, but I feel almost like you do when a pet dies or you have to give it away. Grief-full.

And you know something? There were plenty of 2 year old cats still waiting to be adopted. Jazzi and I visited three other pet shops, just to see. Kittens like Earl Grey go fast, but these other equally worthy and long-suffering cats are left behind. Wow, I'm having a hard time with this, maybe because I've had only one hour of sleep in the last 31 hours. I was happy to find out that some kind and big-hearted folk do adopt the older animals. All these cats are so willing, eager, to love us. It's a crying shame they have to wait what must seem forever. You can see it in their eyes, the sadness, the rejection, like they have a crushed spirit. Oh, pass the hankies, someone.

Good-bye Earl Grey, I hope you remember me,
KEM