Much Ado

Well, only a few days remain in the life of my little cat-friend, Jade - or so it would seem. She has surprised me before - lending credence to the "nine-lives" mythology of her species. But this time, a recovery would probably classify as a bona fide miracle. So we'll see ...

A couple days ago I brought home a bouquet of cut orchid stems - my current favorite among flowers. So vibrant, so vital, so animal-like. And they tend to last a really long time, for flowers - a month or six weeks, most likely, before the last blossom falls ...

As I was giving them a fresh cut, and putting them in a vase, it occurred to me that this particular bouquet of orchids will probably be around longer than will Jade - which, in that moment, felt quite strange. I readily accept the passing away of a flower, yet am finding it more difficult to accept the passing away of my feline companion. Perhaps if I were an Immortal, or a fully-enlightened Buddha, I would experience them as exactly the same?

If I were an ancient Redwood, or a Bristlecone Pine - certainly if I were a Mountain (say Bear Peak, just five miles south of here) - I'd most likely view the passing of both humans and cats in much the same way as Elizabeth-the-human now views the passing of flowers: no big deal.

Jade was born in 1997 - around the same time as the passing of my adopted brother, J.D. (short for "Jonathan Dean"). J.D. was of Lebanese origin, and came to our family as a young infant. He was 27 years old when he died, in circumstances which almost certainly were not pleasant. I adopted Jade about two years ago, from a family that had just added a newborn to their pride - and were noticing Jade being quite unsettled by the change.

Families are funny, aren't they? How we define who belongs and who doesn't. There are orphans and there are adoptions; initiations and ex-communications; births and deaths; coup d'etat's and coronations. Wow. What was it my friend William used to say? Much ado about nothing ...

At any rate, I am feeling rather sad - and in moments just plain curious - about Jade's immanent transition; doing my best to support her in being as comfortable as possible, bathing her in the energy of love and acceptance. And feeling, also, rather pregnant -- with a growing aspiration to view all living beings as my family, as my friends, as Divinely-romantic lovers and playmates ... and wondering, quite sincerely: Is this possible?

~ * ~