Monday Morning This and That

Another Monday.  Another storm.  By now I should be quite used to it, but this time I almost broke down in tears when I heard the forecast over the weekend.  It is so hard on those of us who just can't get about as freely as we once did. 

I did get out to Church yesterday.  I went early, before the storm.  People there know my name now, and it feels good.  As I told hubby when I got home, "All I had before was my co-workers.  Now I have friends and acquaintances."  I like that.  I like knowing that if I miss a Sunday someone will be concerned, and the next week ask if I was okay.  And they are not showing concern because you sit next to them at work, and they have to.  No, these people are showing concern because they care. 

Of course, I will be staying home today...again.  In fact, it will probably be until at least Wednesday before I get out again.  I do enjoy my home and love spending time with my loved ones, but I also need the stimulation of being around others. Thank goodness I took care of everything over the weekend. I feel much better knowing we have plenty of food in the house...including Miss Minga....

...who, sadly, is really beginning to show her age, and it is breaking my heart. She is still eating well and using the litter box, but she is beginning to have trouble getting up, and it is obvious that her kidneys are slowly giving out. The vet told me what to expect, and I can no longer live in denial. No more can I feel comfortable counting her time in months. Now, I fear it may only be weeks.  And honestly, dear friends, I don't know how I am going to handle it.  Even now, I break down in tears,  I want to hold and hug her so badly, but she has never liked being held...and right now all that matters is that she is happy.  She is my best friend, and I cherish her.  She now has her good days as well as her bad days, and all I can do is enjoy her spry days and cherish her through the not so spry ones.

Speaking of cats, I have a new spirit in my home, that of a cat.  Several times recently I hear the clicking of claws on my hardwood floors.  When I turn to look to see where Miss Minga is going, there is nothing there, and she is still sleeping at my feet.  And sometimes, when I am at my dining room table I feel a cat brushing against my legs.  My feelings are that this is Miss Minga's daughter, Twinkie, who has come to help her mother make the transition when the time comes.  Oh, if only we could go back a few years!!!

Do pets reincarnate? I've had many pets throughout my life, and I have loved them all, but only two that I have felt an intense connection with....Susie, my first dog who passed on 46 years ago and Miss Minga.  I read not too long ago that animals do reincarnate, and the animals in you life now have very likely been in your life before.  I wonder.  I wonder if Susie and Miss Minga are one in the same. Have you ever felt that a new pet was the reincarnation of a pet from your past?

I humbly apologize for starting this week out on such a dour note, but I hold so much of this in that it is beginning to eat away at me.  Thankfully, I have an outlet at the Center and have been talking a lot about it in group, but that is WHEN I can get there.  

Well, I am getting hungry about now, and so is Miss Minga.  She is very patient in the morning, but she has waited long enough.  Hoping you all have a great day.  Be safe and stay warm. Think Spring.