Strange Things

For the last 16 years, I have had a cat. And for the 22 years before that (give or take), minus 4 years for college, I have had a cat. When Buster Brown died 11 years ago, I still had Mookie, & though it was sad & strange to have Buster gone, I still had a cat. Now, I have cat things. I have a cat condo with no resident. I have cat food with no one to eat it. I have 2 litter boxes (that need to be cleaned out). Kaarin goes out into the laundry room, looking for Mookie: "Itty? Itty?" During the day, I can tend to forget. Mookie usually hung out in the laundry room until nap time, so I don't miss him before that. Every once in awhile I think I hear him meow at the door to come in. It is strange to go to bed without putting him in the garage. I still want to block the cat door with the box (since Mookie was too smart & could unlock the cat door to sneak in). I forget that I don't have to remember to look for Mookie under Kaarin's dresser when I put her to bed (a favorite place for him to sleep). I don't have to worry if I leave clean laundry in a basket in the laundry room that he will climb into it & sleep... It is these times that I miss him the most.

The kids have been really cute about Mookie. Kellen & Annika understand that he died & is not coming back, but that he is in heaven waiting for us. On Tues. a.m. (the day after) Kellen woke up singing a song about Mookie & how we will miss him but we'll see him again.:) Cute. He later told me, "I should have gone to the Dr. for Mookie with you, that's what I was thinking about when you came back." I'm not sure why he was thinking that (probably curiosity about what Mookie looked like when he died), but I am going to give him a little benefit of the doubt & say that he was thinking of me.:) Today while we were outside playing, Kellen gave me instruction on how to stand on your tricycle to reach the mailbox (which he was doing) without falling off...because if I were to fall off I might fall on my head & get a big owie & get dead & then they wouldn't have a mommy anymore.:( I told him that would be very sad. And he said, "Yeah. But then you would be with Mookie!" Can you tell he grasps the AWESOMENESS of heaven??

Of course, the first question the kids asked when I got home from the vet was, "When can we get another kitty?" All in good time.:)