Big Bad Bobcat...RIP

August 1st  sends me into a reflective mode.  Our 11 year old cat, Bob, breathed his last kitty breath this morning.  He was but a fraction of his former self as he lay, bony, submissive and soft, while Rachel, the family rock, and I attended the end at the vet's office. With our hands gently upon him, he entered a relaxation that protected him from pain, and then came the end of his life.

Here, about 10 years ago, he stretches, full of vigor and kitty- handsomeness.  We enjoyed his scratchy voice,flat-topped eyelids and his blubbery laziness.

Oh Bob was not perfect.

But he was handsome and commanded his own space with the heart of a lion.

When they first arrived into his territory, our grandchildren developed a healthy fear of his personal space, taking wide sweeps as they passed him by.  Over the years, however, they braved nail and tooth to win his confidence. And recently even held him in their arms.

Bobster was known for his greatest pleasure -- eating.  As he matured, however he became famous for sharing his food with the dove we called " Bob's pet".  Robert would lay contentedly only feet away from his birdie friend while the feathered thief stole his kibble. Today I am certain Bob's pet dropped a feather instead of a tear.

He now rests in the garden where he used to cool his belly, and sometimes pee.  A feather and some pretties marking the spot where we touched him last. We also decided that it would honor Bob if we left his pet the final bowl of food to enjoy above where he lay.   We will all miss Bobby-boy's fat and furry stripes at the door, his squinty- eyes demanding his rightful two squares a day.

And I will remember the thing that the end of his life reminded me:

We touch one another, we love.  We breathe in and out, the air in our lungs and the beat of our hearts are a gift.  Each day is a present to open and enjoy for what it is.  

So this first day of my Trek of Trust, after Bob breathed his last and was tucked lovingly into a curl in the heart of the earth, after flipping through the sharp edges of  four boxes of old friends, family, babies, little girls, weddings, birthdays and trips -- looking for photos of him...I am reminded that it is the living things that we touch and love and hold that matter most on Earth.  

To everyone reading this I say.  LIVE, live well; breathe the precious air around you, and with your heart beating in your chest --  LOVE other living things while you are able. And thank God for his precious gift.

Good bye Bob.  Thanks for the lessons.