103. Stormy: "We've Got to Stop Meeting Like This"
BACKGROUND
No. 83 was the story of a beloved family pet, the tortoiseshell feline "B.J". Her passing left a painful hole in our family, and so, months later, we adopted a kitten from the local Animal Rescue Shelter. However, our joy in her enthusiasm and sheer animation was short lived, as she died only a few weeks later.
The phrase "we've got to stop meeting like this" has become a modern literary trope or device whereby we share with others a coincidental unhappy occurrence of some kind, and impliedly pray for no further repetition of such sorry events. I still grieve for both losses. [Some readers may note recurrence of a line or two from earlier pieces. It was not the first nor will it be the last time. Sometimes, it just seems "right".]
103. STORMY
Too cute eyes in a fuzzy face;
Feet that tickled in our hair--
Nothing ever can replace,
This family member draped in fur.
A stealthy stalk and a sudden pounce;
Acrobatics in the air--
Pound for pound and ounce for ounce,
None to our Stormy could compare.
Sleeping for hours on our lap;
Losing herself in a bag or box--
We were all held captive by this little cat,
Whose love, alone, kept our hearts’ lock.
A lingering illness cruel and dark;
A life-force every day less bright--
We grieved to watch her final spark,
Gone as a mercy in God’s sight.
In selfishness our tears still fall;
And sorrows pierce our pain-filled breast--
For this little kitten who gave us all,
Until her final Heaven-sent rest.
A promise made of eternal life;
The witness of an empty grave--
‘Midst current tumult, grief and strife,
We plead that Christ yet heal and save.
LESSONS LEARNED
Stormy succumbed to "FIP" or Feline Infectious Peritonitis. It is a virus found in many cats but only symptomatic in some. We learned that experts warn that "rescued cats", which have shared a common home with many others, are the most likely to develop FIP. There is no cure. Thus, we learned that "studying things out" with regard to pets appears to involve pre-purchase research. Desperate for a replacement for B.J., we bought a $10 cat "on sale" at the animal shelter only to pay hundreds of dollars for futile care and suffer another bout of mourning. We will "stop meeting like this" by purchasing (in some future happier day) an animal only after "due diligence" and collaboration with long-established breeders.
A more profound insight came when my study of Doctrine and Covenants historical background affirmed how many early converts lost many children to disease and exposure arising from expulsion from their homes at the hands of mobs. Despite such repeated, horrific losses, faithful LDS women rallied, endured to find refuge in the Utah Valley, and raised up outstanding new generations. Both my wife and I (Benson and McClellan lines) are the progeny of such LDS heroines.
(c) www.servingjesuspoetry.com
All non-commercial usage allowed.
BACKGROUND
No. 83 was the story of a beloved family pet, the tortoiseshell feline "B.J". Her passing left a painful hole in our family, and so, months later, we adopted a kitten from the local Animal Rescue Shelter. However, our joy in her enthusiasm and sheer animation was short lived, as she died only a few weeks later.
The phrase "we've got to stop meeting like this" has become a modern literary trope or device whereby we share with others a coincidental unhappy occurrence of some kind, and impliedly pray for no further repetition of such sorry events. I still grieve for both losses. [Some readers may note recurrence of a line or two from earlier pieces. It was not the first nor will it be the last time. Sometimes, it just seems "right".]
103. STORMY
Too cute eyes in a fuzzy face;
Feet that tickled in our hair--
Nothing ever can replace,
This family member draped in fur.
A stealthy stalk and a sudden pounce;
Acrobatics in the air--
Pound for pound and ounce for ounce,
None to our Stormy could compare.
Sleeping for hours on our lap;
Losing herself in a bag or box--
We were all held captive by this little cat,
Whose love, alone, kept our hearts’ lock.
A lingering illness cruel and dark;
A life-force every day less bright--
We grieved to watch her final spark,
Gone as a mercy in God’s sight.
In selfishness our tears still fall;
And sorrows pierce our pain-filled breast--
For this little kitten who gave us all,
Until her final Heaven-sent rest.
A promise made of eternal life;
The witness of an empty grave--
‘Midst current tumult, grief and strife,
We plead that Christ yet heal and save.
LESSONS LEARNED
Stormy succumbed to "FIP" or Feline Infectious Peritonitis. It is a virus found in many cats but only symptomatic in some. We learned that experts warn that "rescued cats", which have shared a common home with many others, are the most likely to develop FIP. There is no cure. Thus, we learned that "studying things out" with regard to pets appears to involve pre-purchase research. Desperate for a replacement for B.J., we bought a $10 cat "on sale" at the animal shelter only to pay hundreds of dollars for futile care and suffer another bout of mourning. We will "stop meeting like this" by purchasing (in some future happier day) an animal only after "due diligence" and collaboration with long-established breeders.
A more profound insight came when my study of Doctrine and Covenants historical background affirmed how many early converts lost many children to disease and exposure arising from expulsion from their homes at the hands of mobs. Despite such repeated, horrific losses, faithful LDS women rallied, endured to find refuge in the Utah Valley, and raised up outstanding new generations. Both my wife and I (Benson and McClellan lines) are the progeny of such LDS heroines.
(c) www.servingjesuspoetry.com
All non-commercial usage allowed.