***

No one knows comfort better than a cat.

They will assess the situation thoroughly before picking their nest, then curl up in a tight little ball so that all you can see is a pile of fur and paws.

We recently had to say goodbye to our original furball Tiki. We adopted him and his sister when we were newlyweds living in the Washington D.C. area. Tiki and Bella were so attached to each other that the vet we adopted them from would not separate them. It was abundantly clear we made the right choice once we got them home (see photo above for proof).

Tiki and Bella went everywhere together. In fact, they were never apart until Tiki got sick a couple of weeks ago.

In the midst of our grief as a family we had to pause and address Bella’s grief as well.

Her lifelong companion – and the source of her ultimate comfort – was gone.

***

It has been a rough few weeks.

I have lost pets in the past, but this was the first time I felt the full weight of responsibility for the loss.  Add into the mix grieving kids (and animals) and it all became a bit too much – I wanted to curl up into a little ball and hide myself.  In the end, Tiki knew he was loved and would be missed.  That made all the difference.

If you are in a season of grief – big or small – I would like to give you a big virtual hug and let you know that you are loved and you are not alone.

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up!  Every Friday a community of writers write for 5 minutes on a single topic – no editing, overthinking, or worrying about proper grammar.  

To learn more about Five Minute Fridays visit http://fiveminutefriday.com

The *** indicates where my 5 minutes started and ended.

—

The post above may contain affiliate links.  More details here.