Death
has and will touch everyone in someway throughout his or her journey. Whether it is the passing of a loved one or a pet or even a personal greeting. It’s hard to talk about such a sensitive subject as to not offend anyone with personal beliefs but on the other hand, how can you not be curious about such things.I was awoken this morning by a neighbor banging on my door who found one of our cats on the side of the road, still breathing but losing consciousness. We all rushed her to vet in good hopes but received nothing but heartbreaking news. She had spinal cord injuries along with obvious brain damage. Her legs and tail were completely paralyzed, the only thing she was able to move was her neck. She was suffering. Our options were very limited and with the vet’s advice it seemed there was only one solution, which didn’t sit well for me but at that time I had to put my selfish reasoning aside and think about what was best for my sweet pet.
My tears were gliding down one by one, as if each time a memory with my kitty passed through my mind a single tear would fall. The vet said we could have a couple minutes to pet her and love on her before her fate. Even with the tremendous amount of pain the poor creature was in while we were petting her, her purrs could be heard over a mile away. We left very soon after our arrival with one less heartbeat than we came with.
Delilah, my kitty, was the fourth cat this year that has been hit by car and left to die on my block alone. We suspect that the same driver caused each fatality. Picture it, the typical south Florida stereotype, young, spoiled, money, fast cars, not a care in the world. I understand that no one would want to admit, let alone take responsibility for, such a horrible thing but what other option do you have? I would not want that much karma following me around, especially being that careless. We have a lot of young children on our street as well and though parents are always present there is very few, if any, yard space separating the street and the properties. What is going to happen when he looks down at his phone for an instant or blinks while switching gears and accidently hits a person instead of an animal? Try getting away with that one.
Though the vet was such a kind lady and had genuine compassion for the animals and owners, the words about putting my sweet to sleep slid from her mouth way too easily. To take a life, even if it the best and only option, means that a living, breathing creature, human or not, will no longer be able to experience sunlight or a good meal or the warmth that invades when a loved one expresses similar emotion. I think many of us underestimate what death actually is. He could be your neighbor or a freak stranger that is lurking down an alleyway. Our doubts, our fears, and our bad decisions are what powers him to keep going and that power is undefeatable. When he decides that it’s time to introduce himself to you even the strongest ones are helpless beneath him. He can cause such pain and heartache but nothing else out there has the ability to bring that much hurt. And that must mean something.
My point is there is no need to go searching, he will one day make his presence known. No matter how much you try and hide and to forget, death will find you and when he finally does, don’t hide any longer, instead close your eyes and embrace him with your open heart. He will acknowledge the kindness and make sure that your soul goes on to another universe. His intentions are never harmful. My sweet kitty was holding on so tight even though death was in next room, waiting. He knew the time was near and didn’t want her to feel the pain any longer, he just needed me to be the messenger and that’s what I did.
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