Sunday, December 07, 2008

Goodbye Jack.....

Nearly 23 years is a long time old friend, and I wouldn't have missed a minute of it. Oh,how we could dance! There's a new bright light in the Universe now. Shine on.










Jack and I, 1988

















Jack Aug. 2008
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3 comments:

billie said...

you made me cry. i love james and my sister is having to say goodbye to her best friend of 20 years- her beloved cat. she is going to have to put him down. animals are not just animals- they are fellow sentient beings who are part of us and we are part of them. shine on.

6:24 PM
Anonymous said...

My beloved Miles, a 22 pound black monster of a cat passed from this plane a few years ago. He was my cat before I started dating my wife, and she was the only other person he took to. When you saw his face, you could see him think...literally. He was the smartest cat that I have had the pleasure to be his Human to.

I had to take three vacation days leave after we were forced to put him out of his pain (he had an inoperable and cancerous tumor). It was the hardest decision I have ever made in my life to this day, and the pain of his loss was incredible.

But the pain was replaced over time by fond memories of his antics and his love for myself, my wife and eventually my children. He was a gift and a treasure from The Universe...and as a result of his passing, I have learned to appreciate our cat Patches (who he "showed the ropes" to for six months before he died after we adopted her) more as a result. A year after he left us, we adopted two kittens named Harley and Marley who are brothers and who are so incredible. They too have begun to share their love with us, and the cycle continues.

But we shall always miss Miles, as I'm sure you will always miss Jack. The greatest way to honor him is to keep his memory burning brightly in your heart and share that love with others.

I am sorry for your loss...but time does indeed heal and faith always manages.

Peace,

Ark

9:58 PM
fjb said...

I met Jack as a very large (17.2 hands), bad tempered 6 year old Anglo-Trakehner, who had been abused. He'd received very little training and didn't trust anyone. The first day we met he tried to kick me! Within minutes I knew he would become my partner in my dressage aspirations and my friend.

The first picture was taken by Peter Gabriel's mom. One of the others she had taken that day was of him threatening to bite my bum as I was grooming him, which was completely normal procedure. She thought it was hilariously funny and couldn't believe that I would put up with it. Jack and I had quickly developed an understanding that he could look as ferocious as he liked and threaten as much as he wanted when having something done to him that he didn't like, but was not to actually make contact. I in turn would simply ignore it. This worked for both of us for the next 22 years. He had friends, family, vets, instructors and farriers fearing for their lives with the faces he could pull, but no one was allowed to lay a finger on him for it.

When I brought my son home after he was born in 1990 I took him to introduce him to Jack, knowing there may be trouble. Sure enough, Jack pinned his ears and looked disgusted, which he continued to do for the next 18 years every time the poor boy got within 10 feet. It took Kevin 14 years to finally put his fear aside and just ignore it. I have another picture that I took this past Sept. of the old stinker pinning his ears at Kevin's back as he was walking away. As I took the shot, I asked my son if he knew what was going on and he laughed as he said "Yah, what else is new?".

I miss my old friend terribly but I also know he's not suffering anymore as he had done in his last few days. He'll always shine on in my heart.

7:13 AM

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