It’s been 10 days since we lost our beloved Boots. Holidays are probably the worst time to experience loss. It’s difficult to feel festive and cheerful when you’re grieving. We took for granted how intermeshed Boots was in our lives. Little things like coming downstairs in the morning and there he was waiting at the foot of the stairs. While I prepared my morning coffee he loved to rub up against my leg as if to say “I’m ready for breakfast!” He also loved to come over to the dinner table (always after we had finished our meal) to receive the obligatory cat homage he so richly deserved! Ken and I both have missed his presence in our lives and we both have experienced periodic moments of realization (Oh, no Boots to give lunch to), or thinking we glimpsed his movement out of the corner of our eyes. We have received sympathy cards from both his primary veterinarian https://prahvet.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gmb&utm_term=website as well as the emergency hospital https://bluepearlvet.com/hospital/westside-atlanta-ga/?utm_source=semrush&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=online_listings The card we got from Blue Pearl included a slip of paper on which Boots’ pawprint was affixed. We plan to place this in the urn with his ashes. We also have a small portion of his fur (there was plenty of it on our sofa!) that will be placed in the urn as well. I had the pleasure of donating all of the remaining pet food we had on hand, litter, bedding, and toys to a local no-kill shelter https://www.pawsatlanta.org/ I had a nice conversation with the attendant at the front desk while she was preparing my donation tax form. We shared our common experiences of pet loss (in her case, 5 cats!). I find that talking about my experience has been very therapeutic. I am always appreciative of all the texts and messages I received from friends and loved ones. I know that as time passes, the pain we’ve felt over his loss will gradually fade and we’ll be left with the fond memories of our lives with him. The image above is of the urn we had specially made through Etsy. https://www.etsy.com