Thank you, Beth. I have seen through your posts you have a gift for words that comfort and it makes me smile to read your posts because so many times I think.............................I couldn't have said it better myself........................
I believe you have come a long way inside from when you first posted here and that is what all this is about.....to find some joy and light to push aside the sadness and darkness when we can.

Bue's Mommy and Joanne: Thank you for coming by and sharing your thoughts with me. You two are perfect examples of the warmth and caring that is so much a part of this forum and that's why people who grieve do find understanding and sharing and that lightens all our loads so much, doesn't it?

Hugs to all of you!

Little Guy:

We miss you so much. Last year on this date, you were with us, happy and healthy and galloping all over our home. It helps to have your pictures here and in the Tributes section. What is also special is the notes people have posted here and especially the pictures and avatars of their babies.

We have your beautiful pictures in every room along with your twin brother Keeper. It was sad he had to leave 5 years before you as you always loved to wash his face and even though he didn't do that to you, you two looked so much alike there had to be a bond between you. Of course we remember your sister, the little diva, would have nothing to do with either of you but she was ent*itled to a home too.

There are so many beautiful babies on this forum who have gone wherever you are. You were very special in our lives and as I read how others miss their special ones, I find it only right we send you these thoughts of love and hugs.

From: your "Mom" and "Dad" .....soul-mates forever!

Thanks, Joanne for your thoughts. And missing our babies is a universal feeling in here. They mean so much and we have such a bond and each bond is special and different but the end result of loss creates the same intense pain in all of us, no matter which one of the babies we lose.

We miss them everyday. And I know that missing will always be a part of our lives. But I would never give up having them in order to avoid the later pain....there are too many days and years of love and happiness that will be a part of us because we had them in our lives.

Hugs to you for being here.

Hi Judy.......Thanks for sharing your thoughts and feelings on how dear you hold your precious memories of Little Guy. It is those memories of our furry kids that keep us alive and make us smile out of grat*itude for having had the privlege of knowing them and loving them.

Take care.........Beth

Welcome back from vacation. Thanks for stopping by and I totally agree with your words.

Between the pictures that you have posted and the replies you have posted to others, I see a healing in you that you have said helps so much and I think that all you have said has helped many others through a rough moment that there are lots of good feelings coming back to you. Unfortunately, it takes things like your loss of Goliath and my loss of Little Guy for us to feel such emptiness we reached out and found this forum and so many wonderful people here who truly care about these babies so much and they help us and so, in turn, we try to help them and when someone says we have touched them in a certain way that helped...it just feels so right, doesn't it?

I always look forward to reading your posts wherever they are as your caring and feelings always show through as real and from the heart.

Hugs to you, Beth

Thanks, Joanne. I always stop by your thread to see how things are going. I do enjoy your updates, especially about your kitten Mario. His antics are so sweet. It is nice to post good happy things when we can because we know the sadness we will always feel is just out there on the edge of everything but good things help push it back further and further. And yes, it does mean a lot when we let others know and/or they let us know..we are in each other's thoughts with best wishes and hugs being sent to the other. We just can't seem to stop being fragile about our babies but that's part of the love we have all shared with our special ones.

Take Care and we will talk again.
Judy

Hi, Joanne:

Yes, I definitely agree...we cannot spoil our babies too much. The time we are given with them is a gift and it is something to treasure because when it is gone, we can't get it back and it is that time that we did have...that is what we have left..as memories that can't be taken away.

Thanks for stopping by here to see my Little Guy.
Judy

Hi, Joanne: I am so glad you have pictures! I regret I didn't take more of Little Guy's brother Keeper but I really thought I had more time with him than I did. After he left first, I started taking pictures of Little Guy and his sister and I am so glad I did. As an adult I only have 2 of Keeper but I used to joke that since they were twins, all I had to do is take a picture of Little Guy and it would look exactly like Keeper. But, you know, Keeper had his own picture in his eyes and he loved having his belly rubbed. He was a very very sweet boy and not quite as scared as Little Guy. I do have a few pictures of them as kittens and I may scan and post those and I do have new ones of Lucky but there are other things that need doing first.

I know a lady in my community who lost her cat 2 years ago. They would go outside together and sit on the porch in the early morning. Apparently one day her cat saw a strange cat was sleeping under her car and he took off after it and was never seen again. She said she never thought to take a picture of him and she wished she had one. He was a sick kitty she adopted from a kill shelter. He needed medicine and she wanted to take care of him and had him for 2 or 3 years. He even had a microchip and she visited all the shelters trying to find him and told Animal Control he had a chip and they told her they were too busy to check for chips and she would have to just come down constantly and look at all the animals. She never found him. But she would give anything for a picture. She did adopt a kitten who needed a home and he is a lot of company for her and she never goes outside with him to sit on that porch.

Yeah, pictures really mean so very much...look at all the beautiful babies we see on this forum through pictures. We can smile at the pictures because we know they were happy and healthy and safe when they were taken. Yes, a picture is worth a thousand words or so the saying goes.

Thanks for the comments and checking on Little Guy.

I would love to see more pictures of Mario. Never too many kitten pictures!

It's odd you mention seeing a cat that looks like Rassy. I saw a stray here this morning that was black and white and reminded me of the coloring of Rassy. I
hadn't seen this one around here before. He looked right at the window I was looking out of.

Yes, computers can be a pain especially when the software written from them is usually full of "bugs" that can keep a program from working right sometimes but the big companies that sell the software really don't care as long as it is good enough to sell.
That's why it gets scary when I read Microsoft's Bill Gates sounds like he was to take over the world by controlling our homes and our cars with his buggy software. I see the ads on TV advertising cars with Microsoft stuff in them. You couldn't give me that
car free.
On their own or when programs written by real people are done, computers work very well. A user usually doesn't have any problems using well-written programs. Computers can only be perfect because they are machines. So if they don't do something right....you have to be a detective sometimes to find the problem. There is a saying that goes "garbage in = garbage out" for computers and that can also refer to the programs used by computers. If the programs are garbage...then that's what you get trying to use them. But the public has no protection against sloppiness. So if something isn't working right, the last person who should feel blame is the user because if it is written right, it will work right and allow for user errors. I better stop cause I have lots I could say about computer programs which I know is boring reading. Anyway, if you have a problem and explain what it is, I have no problem trying to help.

By for now.
LoveThem

I think I will post some kitten pictures of Little Guy and his twin Keeper and his sister. I don't have many but they do need to be scanned into the computer. Right now of course it is tax time and I'm doing that but soon I can take the time to size the pictures and also update elsewhere some new pictures of Lucky.

It seems like when we lose one and have some pictures, each subsequent one has more pictures taken to make up for not having many of the prior loss. I think right now I have more pictures of Lucky than Little Guy. But then you can only take so many of them lying around...cause that's what they do...but there are times they can be caught doing silly things (like Bue's Mommy catching Bue inside a pillowcase)...you just HAVE to take that one! I was lucky enough to catch some cute ones which I have posted of Little Guy and also his sister, Little Girl. But then I had lost Keeper, Little Guy's twin and so I realized I had so few pictures of Keeper, I took more of the babies that were left.....at least I did that and am glad I did.

That was such a wonderful major breakthrough you had with Charlie. You didn't give up and neither did he. Now he eats on his own....no force feed, no stomach tube. He has some quality back. Now if he had been able to talk to you earlier, he might have said he wanted to try that stinky stuff.

Take Care ...of yourself as well as your babies. Moving is never an easy thing to do.

Thanks for stopping by, Joanne. I love your cat stories. You do so much work taking care of those babies...that hearing of the lighter moments does make us smile, doesn't it?

I look forward to seeing that picture of your baby with a Coke can on her head. She actually kept it there for a picture....how precious is that?

Of course, Lucky is right here as I am typing. He is standing on his hind legs , meowing, like he wants attention or to get into my lap. He did give me a couple of "kisses" on the cheek this morning. His rough play is somewhat calming down. He doesn't mean anything mean by it...he doesn't realize he has sharp teeth that hurt even on slight contact. Someone must have taught him to play rough in his first 2 years and he thinks that's how to have fun. Sometimes I think it is easier to teach a baby something than trying to unlearn it from a bad habit.

Take Care...

I understand what you are saying, Joanne. I also remember taking my pictures and sometimes wish for a moment I could go back in time to that moment. Now what I think is I am so glad I took the ones I did. I know after Keeper left and then we lost the Little Girl in 2006, I tried to hug Little Guy as much as possible, whether he was just laying on the bed all curled up and I would walk by but then stop and go hug him and tell him how precious he was and such a good boy. I'm glad I thought to do that, it helps me now to know I got in some extra hugs even though I really thought he would make it into his twenties...which I have read about can happen. Wishful thinking I guess but I didn't expect what happened to him...he is the first one to really catch me by surprise (losing him). Oh, now, this makes me cry so I am stopping typing now.

Hugs to you, Joanne. We are survivors, aren't we?

Awww-Don't cry, Judy. You are definitely a survivor and so is Joanne. I know Little Guy treasured all of those extra hugs as much as you did. I still visit your posts to look at your pics of Little Guy and Little Girl. I can almost see how they interacted by your narratives. I love Little Girl in the bookshelf. And I also love to see Lucky pics. They help me get through the day.

Thanks for your thoughts, Joanne and ForDuffy. When we write in our topic and many times..it may be a short note to our babies...we know when we come back....there will be no reply from our special babies so when others, like you, do post...it does mean a lot, doesn't it? Next best thing to actually hearing from our lost ones.

By the way, ForDuffy..you mentioned pictures...well, I am close to posting some new ones of Lucky and I believe I will post a few kitten pictures of Little Guy, Keeper, and the Little Girl. I didn't take many but at least I thought to take some. So as soon as I decide which ones and scan them and shrink them for viewing....there will be more pictures coming. Otherwise, the only "new" ones I can ever post anymore will be of Lucky cause I can't take new ones of my 3 sweet babies no longer here.

Take Care, you two wonderful friends, and we will talk again.

Judy

Hi Judy............I hope to see your new pics very soon. You know how much I enjoy them. Little kittens are so cute and frisky.

One time long ago I took in a very young cat who was pregnant. She gave birth to 5 kittens. (I have their pic somewhere and will have to look for it) Anyway they were all chocolate colored with black ears, black paws, black nose, with a black M right in the middle of their foreheads. Yhey were just the prettiest kittens I had ever seen. I had no problems finding good homes for them.

It's funny how a post can remind me of something like that after over 30 years.

I will look for your pics and send you hugs in the meantime...........Beth

You're very welcome, Judy. I can not wait to see more pictures, especially kitten pics. It makes me sad because most of my pictures of Duffy were taken with an old fashioned 35mm camera and I don't have a scanner. Bue's mommy showed me how to take pictures of pictures with my cell phone so that's what I have done but the quality of my pictures seems lost. And, like you said, I can't take any new ones anymore.

Hi, ForDuffy:

You mentioned taking pictures with an old 35mm camera. Well, the pictures I have taken were with the new throw away 35mm cameras. You know, 27 pictures then take the whole camera in for developing and get prints and negatives? So I see 35mm in both our conversations.

I do ask for 4x6 prints and then I get prints and negatives. I do scan the prints into my computer.

Since we are talking of pictures of Duffy, which have to be the most precious things to you.... do you know you can take your prints and/or negatives (you'll have to ask the photo place) and they can put your prints on a CD as picture files that you can print out on paper or you can post here once they get resized if they are too big.

You can copy the pictures from the CD onto your computer and then open them and see them on your screen (you probably have a graphics program or photo program on your computer). You might want to call or go to a place like Walgreens or Walmart or Savon or whoever has a photo section that develops photos and ask if you bring in some prints and/or negatives, could they put them onto a CD?

If you lived here, I would do it for you with my scanner. But when I have my pictures developed..one choice is to put them on a CD so I can copy them to my computer. And, once you have the CD, you also have those pictures forever and can put them on a newer computer in the future, etc. You can also have them take a print or negative (you have to ask which is better for them to work with ..if you still have both) and create an 8x10 of your favorite picture of Duffy. Joanne has done that with Rassy Cat's pictures and she said they turned out great.

So your "old" 35mm size is exactly what is used today in the throw-aways so the photo places know how to make more prints, make bigger ones, or create a CD so you can copy the prints to your computer. What do you think? Hope this helps.
Judy

Hi, Joanne: About getting rid of your old camera, just remember all my pictures were taken with the $4.99 35mm modern throw away cameras. I just take the pictures and then the whole camera goes in for developing. If you don't want to wait for Jim to use his digital...you can find these throwaways at the grocery store and at the drugstores like Walgreens, Savon. They really take very good pictures and they have a built in flash. I'm not an expert at pictures so I am glad to have such an easy way to do it.

Talk to you later.
Judy

I just wish you the best of everything, Joanne. You are doing so much trying to help so many babies...I hope you get all you try for and they make your home fill with laughter and smiles. You have Mario, your kitten, doing lots of that right now but adding these others..and they are beautiful...that's a lot of love. You really will need a bigger house!

About my babies:

Momma cat really was beautiful and her eyes..you could drown in them.
The picture does not do her justice and I was sorry when we moved because our home was a place for food and our back yard was safe for him but she was 100% not friendly. She would let me talk to her only through the screen and always kept a certain distance away. I don't know what happened to her because we moved to another State but she survived before us and at least she was spayed cause she appeared to be one who would get pregnant every time she could.

My 3 were a delight for many years. Actually when I was about 10 years old, a neighbor of ours had a beautiful black cat that I used to pet all the time and so I guess deep down...they were special. I didn't actually have the kittens born in my yard until 20 years later....it seems as though it was meant to be. Momma cat carried them into my yard, then moved them to my neighbor's yard, then back to my yard and one day we opened our shed on the side of the house and there were all the kittens waiting for momma. I eventually coaxed her into bringing them into my screened in back patio and left the door ajar so she knew she was not trapped and could get in and out and I put food in there and she taught them to eat. I didn't shut her out until they were about 8 weeks old and only cause my Little Guy got very sick and the mother's actions told me there was a serious problem. I rushed him to the vet on the 4th of July and he had pneumonia. I had to give him antibiotics and so I had to keep him safe in the patio and shut the mother out and take over for her.
I felt badly but she wouldn't let them come near me outside. Except Keeper, Little Guy's brother would walk toward me and the mother would make all kinds of warning noises but he would stop a few feet away and listen to me talk to him. I never tried to touch them in front of her because I heard years ago a mother cat can attack anyone she thinks is "hurting" her babies. Thanks for doing and seeing them.
I do have some new ones of Lucky which will go in New Beginnings soon.

Joanne: You are welcome about the pictures of Black Wonder. They will bring smiles to any who stop by and see them and this way you can look at him as much as you want to until he is there with you in your home.

Judy

Joanne: I LOVE that story about Mario. It kind of reminds me that where our TV is there is a glass door behind which are our stereo receiver, cassette player, etc. and I have when Lucky looks in that..he too goes a little nuts and all I can think of is he may see his reflection there and is reacting to it.

I remember my first cat years ago...a good memory is we had a big mirror and I would prop it in the middle of the floor and that cat used to see himself and go crazy and the funniest part was he would peek around the back of the mirror to see if that cat was there since he couldn't touch him when he touched the mirror!

They can do things we absolutely would never think of..everything is play for them and that's a good thing.

Talk to you soon.

Hi Judy................Just wanted to let you know I went back and looked once again at all of your pics and stories you have posted of Little Guy, Little Girl, and Keeper as well as Lucky. I needed to change my att*itude as a result of a very hectic day from the time I rolled out of bed this morning until I arrived home, after locking my keys in my car. Your pics and stories always put me in a heathy state of mind and I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate all the love and smiles you bring to me.

Hugs to you my friend sent with a heartful of thanks and love.

Thank you, Beth. It makes me feel so good inside when I hear others have used the pictures I posted to make them feel better even if only for a short time. So many say that it even surprises them that pictures actually brought a smile to their face. But then when you love these special ones as we do, that means we also can smile and feel warm looking at ones who are special to others because we know the bond, the connection, the feeling between us and the furbabies. We understand because we feel our own and so can feel others.

I will be adding a third set of Lucky's kind of silly pictures soon in a new topic in New Beginnings. The more smiles the better the healing.

Hugs back to you.

I will be looking for your "silly" pictures. Revisiting older posts as well as seeing new posts is what allows me to remember why I come here. The continuing exchanges we make with each other helps to keep our furloves alive and well in our hearts. That can only bring happiness and joy and o what a joy it is for me to remember.

Warm hugs Judy

Hi, Joanne:

I saw the pictures on your thread of your new baby. I'm glad you figured out how to post. It is hard to explain something sometimes when one is not there in person but you did really really well and your pictures being posted shows it.

Whiskers looks like quite a doll.

I wonder what Little Guy would have thought of him...or of Lucky.......

I was glad to find this forum after Little Guy was taken away in September 2007.

I never got a chance to answer people who were grieving before then since I did not find the forum until afterwards.

Years ago when I was losing pets there was no real Internet to reach out and touch others but now in the present, just by being in this forum, we can see there are many people being helped by coming here. That's a good part of the Internet.

Unfortunately, we have seen examples of the not so good part also..but that is life, isn't it?

Thanks for stopping by my boy's thread....you know this is one place I can be found always.

You are so right, Joanne. There are no words to express the pain. We try to put words to it but emotions are difficult to describe. And yes, the support I have found here does mean a lot...that is what it is all about, isn't it? Hoping to work through the grief and pain as best we can...as the song goes...with a little help from our friends. And there are many special people here who truly care about helping others..you can read it in their posts.

Indeed we do have many friends here. We learn from each other and care about each other. When we give from the heart with love and respect and everything that lies within our souls we all grow together in peace and harmony.

I am sooooooooo thankful for each and everyone of you here. All of you have added a different kind of flavor to who I am today and I love you all for it.

Beth

Okay, Joanne, you have done it. You have said such beautiful words that I am typing this reply through tears. Thank you for your kind thoughts. Sometimes I get so caught up in checking around here to be sure people who are crying out are being heard and it never fails that there are so many here who do not hesitate to jump in and let them know they care. You are one of those and whenever I see these type of responses it makes me smile and know that a soul in pain knows they are not alone because of many here who truly care about helping others in spite of their own grief. I see Goliath has been here recently..I have noticed her also being there for others without hesitation. And, there are others.

When we help to heal others' pain.....we are working on healing our own at the same time. While it is true our pain and grief will never disappear entirely, no matter how much time goes by, the good memories we shared with our babies, as well as new memories made by some of us with our new ones, and helping others to smile even for a moment by responding to them letting them know their pain is shared.....all these things helps keep the pain and grieving that is always in the back of our minds...stay more in the back of our minds and let us move on in the present.

Thank you again. I have always admired the care you are able to give your babies, being a nurse as well as a "mom" and all of them are blessed when they have you taking care of them and giving them your home and your heart.

You have gone through so much this past year and yet you don't hesitate to open your home to a new one again. Anytime you want to talk about Whiskers here in my thread, I'm listening. I know Little Guy wouldn't mind. He was special too.

Hugs, Joanne.
Judy

For some reason I was drawn to your post and I hope you are doing well. Perhaps because you too are the parent of a black kitty and I recently lost a black kitty. I can't believe that for me it has been over a week. Everyone goes through different stages, and then they overlap and repeat themselves. I start crying in stores and restaurants. I make jewelry. I already made a piece of jewelry to honor my boy's 20th birthday, but will make something for him again as soon as I can bring myself to begin to design it. That is one way that I deal with loss. I am working on memorial pieces for everyone, human and animal, who I have lost. It really helps.

One big thing that has helped me was to stop bottling up the tears -- except when I'm in a restaurant or in the mall or something. I don't like crying in public.... When I threw a coin in a wishing well in honor of my kitty a week or so ago I cried and people were looking. That made me feel uncomfortable, but I'm glad I threw the coin.

Anyway, I put photos of him up around the house and talk to him, his spirit, whatever you want to call it. Poor thing was sequestered in the kitchen with its linoleum floor the last few months of his life because of his CDS and the physical symptoms that went with it. He'd lost much of his litterbox training and was on hospice care. I made nearly hourly visits to the kitchen to check on him, clean up any messes, change his bedding, wash his pads so his feet would stay healthy...

But it's helped me to keep talking to him. Silly things I used to say to him. For several days, I figured nothing would help me. Seemingly insensitive things that people said stuck in my brain instead of the sweet things that friends who also loved Mister were saying. We are planning a wake for him to be held probably in June, and we're planning to get him a kitten brother or sister. I'm hoping his paw wil somehow guide me to the perfect kitten and he'll be okay with that.

I apologize for talking more about me than anything else here, but the thing is not to bottle your emotions. Talk about it, talk to your cat might help, photos, just don't distract yourself too much regardless of what people say or what might seem 'logical.' Keeping them with you, that feeling, that love, may well help and if you do get another kitten if may help you to be a happier parent to the new kitty. Something tells me that many of us on this board are some of the best parents that animals could get. My friend told me not to even think of not getting another kitten.

Mister's Mom

Hello, Claire

Thank you for stopping by here and seeing my Little Guy. So far I have found here that those of us who have lost a black furbaby do seem drawn together..there is something so special about them..we all agree.

I did have 3 of them, siblings, and I loved watching them all. Well, you can see from my signature below that I have lots of pictures in Tributes on my 3, as well as in New Beginnings for Lucky, the shelter cat I recently adopted.

Stop by and talk about Mister anytime..I love looking at his picture as your avatar.

I can understand all you have said you are feeling. While I read your post, I feel myself in your shoes and I nod that I do understand all that you felt. I know you have put up photos of Mister in your home and do see him when you walk into a room and can talk to him also. I do that so much with my babies, especially Little Guy. He was my last one and the one I had the longest and I guess he was special because he almost died of pneumonia as a kitten but he was strong inside and survived and I think that care I had to give him to help him when he was only about 8 weeks old..created a special bond between us so that even though he had a twin brother who I loved dearly, there was always something extra special about my Little Guy..the survivor.

I believe Mister's little paw WILL guide you to know the right one when you pick out a new baby. Something will feel right inside you and that will be Mister in your heart helping you decide.

I totally agree with your friend about getting another and I will tell you that if I had my preferences my babies would still be with me but since they are not, I see no reason to have an empty home that just keeps my sadness going when I can have a new one here who thinks the world revolves around him and right now, it kind of does.

I hope you do get another black furbaby. The similarity has helped me so I feel my black beauties are not totally gone...not as long as I have one of them in my home as a good feeling reminder and my new one does that.

I have posted to your threads also, as I am also drawn to one's black cats and I hope my words have made you feel better, just as your stopping by here today has done for me. Come by here anytime and talk about Mister or whatever makes you feel better to talk about.

Take Care and I do wish you peace and healing and I know you will feel a joy when you meet your next furbaby....it is just their nature to make us feel that way.

Judy

Joanne: I am glad Whiskers got his first vet visit over. Whew............

You are going to be so knowledgeable about food and kitties you might be able to write a book.
Although I know you would prefer to just have everything easier.

I can imagine how excited everyone was at the vet to see the new kitty. He is so pretty.

It really is a treasure when we find a vet that goes the extra mile...and it doesn't have to be lined with dollar bills.

Judy

Sorry Whiskers and Charlie aren't friends but then I guess everyone can't love everyone else. That's not life. Maybe someday..they may find a bond but then if Whiskers gets to be put with the ladies...well...that's one boy that's not really dumb, is he?

I'm glad he is settling in. It is always hard with a new environment but with all the thunder, lightning, and tornadoes you have been having...I thought I saw him at the bus station buying a ticket...just kidding. He now just has the best home ever.

Whenever my husband and I went out for a few hours, we would always kid that Little Guy and our others would be waiting at the door with their little suitcases and we would just laugh at that thought. But they were always there waiting for us...while we still had them.

Awwwwwwwwwww Judy...................he is beautiful. How comforting for you too to be able to look into those eyes and know what he brought into your life. We never stop missing them though, do we. The pictures we take are forever captured in these kinds of special moments caught on a camera. I find much happiness and gratitude in looking at all the pics I have of my special ones. It helps in mending my broken heart.

HUGS Judy and thanks for sharing Little Guy with me.

You're right, Beth. We never stop missing them....EVER. I believe that pictures help heal our souls and just do something special for us that nothing else can...when our special ones are gone.

This particular picture, as I said is my desktop wallpaper. What I didn't say was when I put this picture on my desktop...Little Guy was alive and healthy. I feel as though even though he is physically gone...I just can't change this picture....looking at him on my desktop just forms a special tie...I don't know if I will ever change it.

I do know I find it very comforting to look at when I first turn my computer on and when I turn it off, it is as though it is time for him to sleep but he will be back the next time I push that monitor On button....he can't ever leave this way.... I am very grateful that I took the time to take pictures, not realizing what they would mean some day.

Hugs back to you, Beth.

Joanne: I recognize so many of the feelings you talk about.

One thing you said again reminded me:

For you, For Beth, and For me.....one year ago...we still had our precious ones with us. That shows how short the time has been since we lost them.

I have some more pictures of Little Guy I think I will post....pictures are a way of "touching" them again. As long as it is their pictures.

Judy

Oh Judy- He really does have beautiful eyes! What a great picture. Little Guy looks so content and happy. Pictures allow us the luxury of snapping a happy moment and freezing it in time. To look at that picture can bring us right back into that happiness and we all need that sometimes...actually quite often. Thank you fo sharing- that was nice to see tonight.

ForDuffy: Thank you for your comments. I am glad you felt a warm feeling seeing that picture of Little Guy....that's what it does to me also. You are so right about freezing a moment in time.....pictures just help so much and mean so much.

As I see my post above responding to the replies above it.....I talk about me and Goliath and Joanne having our special ones last year at this time and as I see your reply...it brings the thought to me that not only are you with us in that group (as so many here really are) but I remember that for Duffy and for Little Guy....September was a month they had in common with each other...I hope their souls bonded together at the Rainbow Bridge and they are looking down at us and know that in Heaven we WILL be all together again one day. Sometimes it seems so long since I had him and at other times it seems a short time ago.

I enjoyed that beautiful picture of Duffy you posted on your thread and hope you post more there. I will look for more of Little Guy to put here. It seems like using a camera was not second nature to me....I think I just thought....there is plenty of time and...someday I will take more pictures, etc. etc. I am so glad I took the pictures I did because those moments, as you say, frozen in time...right now are more important in my life than I can say.

Hugs to you for your thoughtful comments. They really help make my day.

Judy

Joanne: You said:
For you, For Beth, and For me.....one year ago...we still had our precious ones with us. That shows how short the time has been since we lost them.

You know this is what makes me cry. Its just so hard knowing this is my first year without them. Its been the longest I have ever been separated from my babies.
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What you said above...just shows how alike and intense is the pain we all share...I think especially in the first year. There is something difficult in thinking.....last year I could hold Little Guy in my arms and in this month...last year...he was healthy.

But then I do feel blessed to have had him for many healthy years but I still would keep him here and healthy if I had had the choice...which of course gets taken away from all of us. We just cannot keep them as long as we wanted because we know we would never give them up and I guess fate doesn't want that.

We all can look at each other's words and nod our heads in agreement that we could have writtten those exact words about our pain and our feelings and about missing our special ones. It just helps so much to know one is not alone in their grief...the sharing helps the healing.

Judy

That's right, we have each other. Out of a tragedy we all came here and found wonderful and loving friends who inspire us to recover. Out of such a deep loss and missing our babies, we learn more about ourselves and each other. I have truly learned the importance of expressing gratitude in all things. There is comfort in knowing that the separation between here and Heaven is only temporary. In other aspects of my life there is so much to love and nurture, including me. Everybody around me benefits when I feel happy and fulfilled.

I too would bring Goliath back to me if I could. But since I can't have him here.............I am grateful for where he is and have faith that we will reunite one day. All of us are born to die. When it is my time, I will go with a smile on my face. For I know in my heart and soul what awaits me. There is no fear in me for what is yet to be.

Blessings of a new day is the opportunity to set a new intention. There is a reason for everything and all will fall into place as it was meant to be. My faith is strong and I trust that through acceptance of all things, I will continue to have wonderful opportunites for spiritual growth and loving relationships.

Beth: You have such positive beautiful words in your reply. It makes me smile to read them.

Do you ever read what you first wrote when you first came here and then compare that to how you feel and write now and see what I see as an amazing transformation from an overwhelming grief into a positive and happy outlook for each day? Never forgetting what we have lost but also thinking of what we have gained through talking to each other here.

Your writings actually feel like you have managed to put a big smile into words. That's what I feel as I read your posts.

Hugs to you, Beth, for lighting the way every day.

Judy

My attitude comes from gratitude in all I have been so blessed with. The true loving spirit in me was shaken horribly when Goliath passed away. Darker spirits will take advantage of anybody during a low time in their life. They will do their best to cripple us mentally, physically, and emotionally................If we let them. No dark spirit is going to take away my joy and happiness and keep me crumbled and broken, for it would like nothing more. The true spirit that lies within me is a much more powerful spirit than a dark one. My prayers are answered when I look within and allow my true spirit to bring sunshine to me and all others around me. That divine intervention is what lights the way for me and in turn I can share this with others and help them find their way.

No Judy, I don't read back to my original posting of Goliath's death anymore. But, I can remember where I was at that horrible time. I feel the distance I have come just through how I feel and how I present to others here and all of the other people in my everyday life outside of this forum. There is so much to gain in life from birth to death and all that happens inbetween.

I am sooooooooo glad that you feel my smile Judy, for it is genuine. There is much for me to smile about today and if there is a tomorrow I may just have something brand new to smile about. And if there isn't something new to smile about, all I have to do is close my eyes and look deep inside for the sunshine in my heart and let it's rays radiate upon me.

Hugs right back atcha Judy and much love to you as well. Beth

I know how hard this can be. I lost Sherry only 4 weeks ago and am having horrible guilt for not taking her to the vet in time.

Rena

Joanne: You said: Love isn't supposed to hurt, is it? You would think not but when it is taken away, after you have had it, that is what hurts but that's why we have to remember the good memories that don't hurt to think about.


Rena: I am so sorry to hear you lost Sherry 4 weeks ago. I see you have started a topic about Sherry and I will go and read your story. Just think about the fact that: we can't feel guilty about something out of our control. When it is time for these babies to leave us..that is when it is taken out of our control.

Joanne: I think you had something very special with Rassy cat and while you loved all the others...that special bond you had with him is holding onto you and you are holding onto him as best you can even if it means thinking about guilt. Just remember the good memories and let go of the others. Letting go doesn't mean you are letting go of him..only of anything negative connected to his passing.

Judy

Yeah, Joanne: I know what you mean about missing the little things.

I realized this morning when talking to Lucky, I called him Little Guy...it seemed so natural to say without thinking. I guess after having him 16 1/2 years....it was too automatic. I usually catch myself cause it only happens once in a while but today it slipped out before I thought to catch it.

Do you ever call any of your others Rassy Cat?

Judy

Joanne: I used to have trouble telling Little Guy and Keeper apart so I understand what you mean about looka likes.

It was easier when they became adults but even then I wasn't always right. Except if I picked one up then I really knew who I was holding cause their fur was so different even though they were brothers.

I hope to hear good news about Moose. I have been watching your thread for the vet results on him.

Yeah..blue days...I do miss my boy, Little Guy. There are times I just sit and wish all 3 were here again, each doing their own thing. The boys were so gentle all the time. the girl was simply a diva.
Those years seemed to go by fast.

I know you had Rassy longer than I had Little Guy but we can only be grateful for each day we were blessed with them when they had a quality of life. I know it was reaching for the moon but I wished many times mine would go into their twenties...I had read so many do.

Little Guy groomed his brother and followed his sister everywhere (usually much to her annoyance). I guess he was the one who bonded of all 3. His brother was friendly too but there was something about Little Guy's gentleness and being so careful he never hurt us by claws out while walking on us..things like that. He was more into allowing hugs...that was nice.

I see them all everyday in the pictures I have everywhere. They are happy in those photos and that makes me smile but also makes me miss them even more.

May you find some peace and comfort Judy in looking at the moon. This is such a quiet and peaceful sight for me.

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Beth: Thank you for the moon picture...it is beautiful and yes, it is a peaceful scene..I can imagine you outside looking up at it and the universe that is so much bigger than all of us and yet it is the problems we have down here that we have to deal with but it is nice to imagine a peaceful feeling. I used to feel that way about waterfalls..they seemed peaceful.


Joanne: I am so sorry to hear about Whiskers. I hope all this gets cleared up soon. It is heartbreaking enough when we lose our special ones but when very young ones are put through hard times....that too is heartbreaking. Best wishes for Whiskers and all your babies.

It has been 8 months yesterday since I lost Little Guy. Again, I can't help but remember last year at this time he was here and he was fat and sassy, healthy and happy. How much can change is so little a time............

Joanne: I am glad to hear Whiskers is doing better. This past year has truly been a horrible one for the both of us..in losing the precious ones we did. I know in my lifetime I have lost many over the years because I always had one or more in my life but I never went through what you did..losing 3 within a few months of each other. That's like triple shock and triple grief.

My triple grief was losing my 3 only a few years apart and that is heartbreaking also.

We so wish we could have them here again but we can't have that. Even so, we are always glad we had them in our lives.

There is something special all animal lovers have in their lives that people who do not like animals will never know. They will not go through the pain of losing a special furbaby but they will never ever know any of the joy of having them as part of their life.

I'm glad I am part of the caring group for when I receive that wonderful love these babies give us so unconditionally..it helps bear that part of life that can seem so uncaring and cold at times. These babies enable us to truly be ourselves at all times with them and feel very loved in spite of our faults.