My Friend

My friend and companion, Blitz died today. She would have been 21 years old this August, '08. Blitz actually found me after her original owner's daughter was found to be allergic to her. My mother-in-law told me about a 8 week old kitten that the owner was looking for a good home and I showed up one day with my my young preschool age boys to take a look. I remember the day so well, it was a duplex on Military Road just south of 144th in Puyallup. This little kitten had been sequestered to the garage in order to stay out of the way of the owner's child. As they opened the door that led to the garage, this wild flash shot out and across the kitchen, flew over the back of the living room sofa, eventually hopping up on the back of an easy chair and landing right smack in my arms. Unbelievable! I responded with, "I guess she's decided she is going home with us.", We turned and said our mutual thank yous and left. Twenty years later she was really the only thing that seemed to be a fixed part of my furniture after many moves between Eatonville and Puyallup. My kids have grown now, moved in, out and almost all out of college, and away for good. Perhaps today was one of the hardest days I've ever had, and it symbolizes how fluid and fast our lives are as we come and go in this world. Blitz was a survivor and the bond between humans and animals is very strong. As far as I could tell today she wanted to stay with me until the end when I decided the right thing to do was to end her pain.