Mavis

I'm starting this blog on gratitude as I sit in a dark place called grief. Today we buried Mavis. She was the source of my purest moments of love. I know I am deeply broken, and that those moments of loss will rise again and again in the days to come, but for a moment, I want to float upon that goodness she inspired and dwell in joy of Miss Mavis.

Below is the letter that my husband M and my son C, and I wrote to her.

Dear Mavis, 

We loved you because...
Because you were playful. Because you were fun. Because you were a good snuggler. We loved the way you talked to us and how you hid in the clothes baskets, and did backflips in the air with your toys, or chasing string. We loved how beautiful you looked, your soft Abyssinian  fur, and loving mysterious eyes. We loved how you stretched out your arm when you felt close to us, stretching it across our stomachs, or touching our cheeks. And we were always amazed at how you could climb up things, like ten foot cement walls. You were a good mouse trap. We liked it when you ran across the park with Wendy to get Cole from the YMCA. We drove up North, hoping to get a good cat, and we got the best one! We liked how Daddy could flip you over on your back and rub your belly.

We are going to miss many things about you: Wendy is going to miss how you snuggled with her in bed. Cole misses you because you let him pick you up and then you cuddled on his lap and watched "Tom & Jerry." We're going to miss the sound of your bell ringing when you ran back from the park. We liked it when you would come visit us in Sunnyside Park. We liked it when you chased your tail in circles. I loved it when you jumped up on my chest with both paws stretched out and stared into my eyes. We liked it when you climbed up the bookshelf and curled up to sleep.

We will never forget you - our most beautiful and loving kitty, Miss Mavis! Thank you for being a part of our lives.

(heart) (heart) (heart) Mavis (heart) (heart) (heart) Wendy, Matt & Cole (heart) (heart) (heart)