His soft, velvet gray fur tickled my nose as I drew a deep breath, taking in his smell one more time. His limp, warm body cradled in my arms as he rested his weary head in the crook of my arm. This gentle soul, body ravaged and spent from his illness. It was time to let him go. Even after his last breath, his presence lingered, leaving his newfound peace behind to dwell with us within our hearts.
Today I learned that, in facing our most significant moments, living in the now takes no effort at all. Every second is precious and counts and we don't want even one of them to escape.
My Boo Kitty left us today, but being totally present during his last moment was a gift that will never leave me.
How right your are that knowing that our moments with our loved ones, be they furry or human, drives home the importance of being in the moment, savoring each and every second until we have to say good-bye and let go. Four times I've waited for the second that my furry baby slipped from my life, and each second before that was oh so precious--each stoke of the fur, each kiss between the ears. I hear it in the voices of the family members I talk to working as a hospice nurse--they are savoring each moment before they have to let go. Nothing drives that idea home more than having to wait to say good-bye. Realizing that makes me more determined to savor the now moments as much as possible. We get so distracted by all the little things that don't really matter. There are lessons in loss. Our animal companions teach us so much.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't have said that better. How beautiful. I read a book once about hospice care and the theme was "You are alive until you die. Live while you are here." Thank you for sharing, and for what you do.
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