Princess graced our lives
and home for close to 20 years. She
passed away while being held in my arms last Friday evening. If love could keep her alive she would have
lived forever.
Although still heavy
hearted from her passing, I wanted to keep her memory alive by sharing some of
the things learned from being blessed with her company for so long.
Princess always knew that
she had my number. She knew that I would
go to great lengths to keep her content.
Lesson Number One: Don’t do anything for yourself that someone else
is willing and able to do for you. Life
is short and you should take advantage of any moment of pampering available to
you.
We live in a close to 200
year old farm house that has been under renovations since we moved in. I hate to admit this but we have had unwanted
visitors from time to time in our home.
Although I have spent several different periods of my life as a
vegetarian because I really don’t like the idea of eating animals, Princess was
a very good hunter. Picture the classic
pose of a kitty prancing up with pride with the mouse she caught held in her
mouth.
Lesson Number Two: Take Pride in all of your accomplishments. Don’t be afraid of sharing what you have
achieved.
Princess lived her life
fearlessly. In situations where her
brother Tiger (we are so creative with names) would go hide under a table,
Princess would face whatever got in her way without a shred of fear. She actually bit a huge snake three times her
length.
Lesson Number Three: Don’t let fear get in the way of facing the
challenges you find along your path.
Princess took a very
active interest in whatever I was doing at the moment. She would sit on my lap while I sipped tea
and looked at magazines with me. She
literally would turn her head to look at the pictures as I turned each page. She also liked to sit with me while I worked
on my dolls and when I engaged in any art or jewelry making project. She would try to knock all the pins out of my
pin cushion while I was sewing. She
would try to chew on the wire while I was working on jewelry. She would try to add texture to any paintings
I worked on by shedding some hair wherever she could.
Lesson Number Four: Maintain an active interest in the activities
of those you love.
Princess was rather
finicky about the food she ate. She knew
that if she snubbed her nose at what was offered to her, I would find something
more delicious for her to eat.
Lesson Number Five: Don’t waste your appetite on anything that
isn’t absolutely delicious.
Princess always explored
her surroundings with curiosity. Every
spring when we would open up the screened in porch she would come outside with
me to check everything out. In the porch
she would eat a few spider-webs and look
for the chipmunk that was smart enough to remain hidden until she was not
around.
Lesson Number Six: Keep a healthy curiosity in your surroundings
throughout your life.
Princess liked to play
with her toys and silly things like pipe cleaners, candy wrappers, whatever
caught her fancy throughout her life.
Lesson Number Seven: You are never too old to be able to play and
have fun.
Princess was the queen of
relaxation. She would spend a good
amount of time each day taking naps while basking in the sunshine.
Lesson Number Eight: Whatever needs to be done, it is never more
important than taking time to rest and relax.
When Princess was first
brought into our home by my husband, she was malnourished, fragile, and
frightened. I had to dip my finger into
milk and let her lick it to feed her until she was able to eat on her own. This small amount of time that I spent
nurturing her back to health was given back to me so many times over. Princess always seemed to know when my
husband, son, or I were under the weather.
Whenever I was home and not feeling well, Princess was a constant
companion at my side. She wouldn’t leave
my side but for a moment and then would quickly return as if to make sure I was
okay. She brought so much comfort to us throughout her life.
Lesson Number Nine: Take every opportunity you can to nurture and
comfort those around you.
Princess never accumulated
many things in her life. But what she
did accumulate was love. As I mentioned
before, if love would keep her alive she would live forever. She
will live forever in our hearts. She
will never be forgotten and our love will always be with her.
Lesson Number Ten: It really doesn’t matter how many toys or
things one accumulates in a lifetime.
What truly matters, and what is always remembered, is the love you
nurture and share with those around you.
