#MicroblogMondays: For the pretty lady

 Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

I'm not good at goodbyes. Especially the goodbyes that I know will leave me heartbroken. And yet this one deserves an extra special one. In 3 short months, she taught me so much.

The beginning of this story starts on a cold (for California) December night. Grey was driving home and had just turned into our street when a cat walked out into the middle of the road. Slowing, he figured she would finish crossing. Instead, she sat down in the middle of the road in front of the car, staring him down. Moments later, he would walk up to a neighbors house, assuming that she belonged with them, asking if they were missing her. Later, he would walk through the door to tell me the story about how he unintentionally homed a stray cat with strangers. 

And with that, Scruffy entered our lives.

Over the next couple of weeks, the neighbors and I began piecing together Scruffy's history. She came off the streets extremely thin, leaving us worried she was recently homeless. What we learned following a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism was that she had been living on the streets for 11+ years, having been abandoned with her siblings. While they quickly found homes through neighbors capturing them and adopting them, she spent her years roaming the neighborhood, making friends with a select few who would feed her, and finding shelter where she could. That wisdom came through with each interaction, with her quickly assessing people and deciding whether she would come to say hello too. And though the neighborhood rallied around her, she quickly picked her people, allowing me, Grey, Maddie, and Teddy into her circle.

The pandemic has been hard for many reasons, but one of the hardest is revealing people's true selves. It has been hard to read about all the selfishness and pettiness that people have been inflicting on one another during a time when community is most needed (even though we can't physically be together). Worse still has been watching those in positions of leadership fail to model love, compassion, and sacrifice needed to weather this virus. Scruffy coming into our lives did what so many leading failed to do. This small, elderly lady reminded us all of the importance of loving one another, even though we didn't know one another well, and why we need to work together. Compromise and empathy were essential for weathering this relationship over the past few months, as it was not only her health that was on the line. Yet those purrs, headbutts, and snuggles were worth it. The evening visits resulted in new relationships being forged. And above all, there was love.

This pretty lady died this morning on a beautiful warm California spring day. It was a good death and her soul left this world so peacefully. Though there are no regrets and am forever thankful that this soul came into our lives at the end of hers, my heart hurts so much today. I'm missing the scruffy one.