March On!

As I went out to my first spot this morning, I could feel my head pounding.  I had a terrible headache.  All I wanted to do was turn around, go back home, take a pill, and lay back down.  But I couldn't.  I had to plunge on.  I don't say that for sympathy.  I say it because I had no other choice to do it.  Rain sleet snow, headache stomach ache nausea, it doesn't matter.  The cats are hungry.  I can't leave a cat hungry on my watch.  And each spot I went to, my body ached.  I was told yesterday that my friend, who I hung with for a few hours on Sunday, came down with sore throat, etc., and at 1 am. this morning, I woke with that feeling of being sick.  I am ok now, but boy, can germs spread!

Speaking of sick, there was some terrible news in my realm of the world yesterday.  My good friend Jackie, who adopted Willow, one of the baby kittens rescued this past summer, her nephew, 25 years old, was brought in to the hospital early Monday morning with terrible headache, and was diagnosed as having a brain aneurysm - the size so big it shifted his brain.  He was placed on life support, the family said their goodbyes, and he was then taken off the support in the early afternoon.  He passed away within the half hour.  Jackie's sister Rena, whose son it was - her two sons are her life.  She is a single mom and did the best she could for her boys.  She never went a day without talking about them.  I went to Catholic grammar school with these girls, so I've known them my whole life.  My point here is, in the blink of an eye, life can end.  As tragic as this story is, I am sure you all have your own tragedies you have faced - the death of a parent - one that will be huge for me with my remaining parent - death of a spouse, the death of a child - I have experienced quite a lot of young deaths in my life, from suicide to car accidents - there is no getting out of the grief you experience, the agony and despair. But each time something happens, it brings you to your own reality, your own mortality, and its just something we don't think about until it hits close to home.  There is no answer to this except for one:  Move forward with life.  And by getting through loss in your own life, it helps to accept death as a reality.  We must move forward and embrace life.

I like this quote:  "As long as there is life, there is hope.  As long as there is hope, there is life."  I must remember this as this sadness looms overhead.   We walk down many paths throughout out life which sometimes feel like there is no end to it.  I ask God to help accept that anxiety I feel that comes with not knowing the end beforehand, and eventually I replace that anxiety with faith, which is something I lose track of during these times of turmoil.

OK, so that was heavy, but this is sort of a diary for me, so if I lost you in the beginning, I promise it won't be like this always!  :)  (hopefully not!).

It started at 14 degrees this morning, and by the time I finished up, it had dropped down to 6 degees.  Crazy.  Crazy cold.  Just can't shake this chill.  I gave 'Ginger' a good pet at the Baldwin and Grand location - these babies are CRAVING human love.  Him and "Buttons' - I named the kitty on Sixth that lets me hold him Buttons.  It just fits him.  I need to get these guys off the street.  They are so vulnerable, and so so tired of living on the street.  Please consider foster or adoption.  Your life will change for the better knowing you have helped these cats.

Thats all for now.  Here are more pictures of my rescues over the years.  Click on each so that you can see them up close!

and Have a Great day!

Yes, dogs too!

"When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade, without further introduction."