A week ago today, I was awakened at 6 AM to strange guttural sounds. At first, I thought it was coming from outside, then my dog downstairs, and as I leapt out of bed, I knew instantly it was my beloved cat. There, on the closet floor, just under the hanging clothes, my cat of 15 years lay on his side as he struggled to breathe. I got down next to him, gently caressing his head, saying, “I’m here.” My voice caught in my throat and I called to my husband, “Bill,” and the way I said it Bill knew. He quickly came into the closet and sat down beside us, gently petting Kitay. A minute later, Kitay, my Furry Fur Fur, Paw-Paws, and Best Friend, had taken his last breath. His eyes were still open, his mouth slightly ajar, but he had died the way I had always hoped he would, with little pain and quickly, in the bosom of his home and family. Bill gingerly placed him on the folded towel I had … [continue reading...] about How to survive loss; the transformational power of art; and being fully present