“cat bearding” with Rolo. :)
Not on the agenda today is planning a funeral for my 11-year-old cat Rolo who died unexpectedly last night in an accident. I keep thinking of how I should tell the boys and it’s just a sad situation. I really didn’t expect to feel this deeply like I lost a friend. My house just seemed a little darker this morning without the light of her life.
She was a great cat- perfect with the kids, chill and never biting or scratching them.
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I remember when my Granny died when I was young. I asked my mom the hard questions about heaven and hell and suddenly was freaked out about my beloved cat dying. “what happens to Cocoa?” I asked, tearfully.
My mom pursed her lips, forehead wrinkled, thinking. Finally, “heaven is a perfect place, without pain or suffering, where you will be perfectly happy. Animals don’t have souls, at least that is what I believe, but if having Cocoa in heaven is the only way you can be happy, I’m sure God knows that and she’ll be there.”
Perfection.
Probably not biblical but it was the right thing to say to me and helped me build the framework of my faith. I understood that God must be all-loving. As an adult I still don’t Cocoa will be in heaven but I do believe that part of our job as humans is to those unable to help themselves and that goes from other humans to animals.
Thinking of my cat passing so unexpectedly reminded me of life- how precious it is and how thankful I am for my family and friends. They could be gone in a moment and every (sometimes annoying…) second is just precious.
Which reminded me of faith.
One of the definitions of faith is belief in something for which there is no proof.
and I realized how firm my faith is in God and in heaven. I don’t doubt that he is there even if sometimes I think that I do. I don’t doubt that he is all loving. I don’t doubt that there is a heaven or hell and I know if I lost my family today that I’d see them again.
What joy there is in that faith. What absolute calm, certainty that I feel blessed to have today!
So, RIP Rolo, you were an amazing cat. Thanks for loving my family and being a part of the most precious moments of my life. You were a blessing, dear cat, and even in your death I can rejoice.
and I kind of think that I’ll see you again. 
