I had to quit blogging for a little while. My heart was filled with sadness that I didn't want to write about. Death comes tragically, gently and sometimes with so much notification, it is just a relief to have it over.
Over the last few weeks, I have lost more than a couple of friends. One in particular is of the feline variety, and that is maybe the hardest of them all. Rufus is my sister's cat of over 20 years. He had more personality than most people I know, and was smarter than a lot of them, too. When a pet dies the rest of the world does not notice. We don't have a wake and people don't show up for the ceremony, and you don't get any time off of work to grieve. But for all of us, we will make an effort to support my sister who feels every moment of the loss, and to grieve in our own way for a family member whom we all loved.
Another death that almost went unnoticed was the lady across the street. I knew she had been ill, and I had last spoken to her before Christmas, apparently, just before she died. She had been suffering from cancer, and that didn't get communicated in our little french conversations. I knew she was shut-in, could come to her front gate, and that she would always say hello, and ask if we liked living here. I think that was all she could think to say, to someone who didn't speak her language, didn't know her customs, and usually looked a little confused. But had I not spoken to her one day, many months ago, I would have missed the opportunity to know her. I am thankful that we met, even if it was briefly.
Take the time to meet someone new. Welcome a stray cat to your warm kitchen. Say hello to a passerby. Time will pass, even if you don't do any of these things, but your life will improve by the contact. And you might spread some kindness in a sometimes very bleak world.
