Sad and Thankful

This past week I had to put to my sweet cat, Cordelia to sleep. I had only had her for about a month, so it came as quite a shock when she became so ill that I had make the hard choice to put her down. It's not really clear what the problem was, but in the end it would have cost too much both financially and emotionally for me, and too much suffering for her, to keep prolonging the efforts of trying to figure out and solve the problem.

I was surprised at how hard it was for me to make this decision. She found her way into my heart pretty quickly, and having to say good-bye so soon after getting her was very sad. But, because this is the season to reflect on things to be thankful for, here's what I'm thankful for with this ordeal:

I'm thankful for the memories I have of Cordelia jumping into my lap the instant I would sit on the couch, and curl up and purr.
I'm thankful for the memories of her curling up by my legs on my bed at night, and sleeping there.
I'm thankful I have a Mom who cried on the phone with me when I called her, sobbing, telling her I had to put Cordelia to sleep.
I'm thankful for my friend Karen who called me about 2.5 seconds after getting my text telling her what happened. I'm thankful she cried on the phone with me too, and was able to relate, having gone through a similar situation with a pet a few years ago.
I'm thankful for all the kind words, calls, and texts I've received from friends, family, and co-workers. Even though she was just a cat, it was nice that people acknowledged it was still a sad situation.
I'm thankful I could return to the vet the expensive prescription cat food Cordelia never ate, and get my money back. (I may be sad, but I'm still frugal.)
I'm thankful for having had this experience. I think it can be good for our souls sometimes to be in situations where we have to really feel our emotions.
I'm thankful that, at the end of the day, she was just a cat, and that my sadness over an animal reminded me to pray for people I know who have recently lost so much more and whose grief will last much longer than mine.

Rest in peace, sweet baby.