Thank you Demeter

I lost a dear friend and companion of twelve years...

Demeter was a cat of abundant love and nurturance; she epitomized all of the kind, giving nature of a mother, willing to sacrifice all she was or had to others. Scarcely a cross 'word' ever escaped her in the twelve years we were together; certainly none that I can recall. A foster cat with kittens originally, I felt like I didn't name her -- Demeter, a great mythological mother Goddess, simply was who she was.

On Saturday, September 11th, our sweet and huggable cat Demeter died in my arms. Demeter was eating and good until Friday morning; within 36 hours, she was gone. I feel honored that she waited until that moment of togetherness to depart this world of form; each time this has happened, when a beautiful soul chooses to be with me when they let go, I feel like I have been given a tremendous gift - one that I will treasure always.

I have found cats to be particularly good at hiding serious illness; in Demeter's case, though, I feel like she consciously chose to give us a very special year extra. Last year, she experienced what seemed to be a 'stroke' of some kind; with lots of TLC, Reiki, Flower Essences, and Homeopathy, she recovered beautifully. This past weekend, though, she seemed to have a similar one, but it felt very different to me. Indeed, she only waited until the evening until I was relaxed with her cuddled in my arms to transition all on her own. Demeter left as quietly and gently as she had lived; no fanfare, no drama. She leaves a huge space in our hearts and home.

To see more photos and read about the lovable, remarkable and devoted Demeter, click here.

p.s. in hindsight, I see that on Friday I posted about aging, acceptance, and death, so a part of me must have sensed that Demeter's dying time was near...