Lucy!
Today marks a red letter day in the Taylor family history as Lucille Ball Taylor turns twenty years old.
No, Lucy is not my daughter or granddaughter, she is my faithful companion in life, my beautiful calico cat.
Lucy came to us in the early fall of 1995 when my then wife was attracted to her stunning good looks and the fact that she purred all the time when she was picked up. She was the family cat for several years until the family broke up and then she was assigned to me to care for her for the rest of her life. In actuality, it is she who has so often cared for and watched out for me. It is our firm belief that there is nothing comparable to being watched over by a loving cat for a portion of your life. We don't know how many times we have awoken during the night to look over and see Lucy simply gazing at us as we have slept. And then there was the time that we were going to celebrate the first birthday of our life alone and were woken up early that morning to find Lucy giving us hundreds of face licks to remind us that we were not really alone at all and that there was someone there who loved us so very much. And, speaking of sleep, there is something really soothing about watching a beloved cat sound asleep in a secure environment where they can really be themselves safe in the knowledge that there is only love in that place for them.
Cats thrive on love and attention and Lucy is particularly so in that regard. It is our firm belief that part of the reason that Lucy has lived so long is the great love that she and I share for each other. For so long Lucy was an independent sort but now she needs me for survival and I am pleased to be able to provide that for her as I take her on a 65 mile round trip jaunt to the vet five days a week to get fluids dripped into her that help to insure that she is a healthy and happy cat into her senior years. I do not have any idea how long Lucy will live and some of you may be thinking, what will this guy do when this cat is finally gone. My answer is that I will celebrate her life and safe arrival back in the safe haven from whence she came so many years ago while, at the same time, I mourn her loss through the shedding of many tears that will help cleanse me as they always do. It took me a long time to learn how to cry and what a privilege it is to be able to do so. It does not affect ones manhood at all! There is no limit on the number of tears one is allowed to shed and it takes as many as it does to get the job done.
Pope Francis recently made the comment that animals have souls and there will be a place in heaven for them along with their loving masters and we heartily agree with that. When we see Lucy's many expressions of love manifested in so many ways we see her great soul on display each and every day and there is no question in our mind that we shall see her again when this great and consequential journey is over and we all meet again at the end of it. We have made a pact with Lucy that if she ever begins to suffer we will see that does not persist. She has trusted us for so long with her life and well being and we will never, ever betray that faith. But, until that happens, we thank God for each precious day that he gives us with her. People and men in particular so often have to take second or third place throughout their lives as children and grandchildren come along who demand so much love and attention. With Lucy we have always been number one and that is a very precious thing indeed. It may be about as close as a human being comes to being a God to be adored by a loving pet who can do no wrong in their precious eyes. And, if we all loved our own God as well as our pets so often love us this might be a much better world indeed.
IOVHO,
Regards,
Joe
To say that "God exists" is the greatest understatement ever made across space and time.
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