Monday, March 16, 2009

Our Newest Member



Meet Kathren, the newest member of our little family. Kathren is named after Catherine the Great because of her regal bearing, but my daughter likes to spell her name the other way. I'm not going to argue. :-)

We went to a local no-kill shelter here in the city and found Kathren yesterday. There were so many cats to choose from, but this one instantly came up to us and wanted us to pet her. Our hearts were won over and we brought her home. She's starting to settle in, though is still a bit skittish and shy. But she still loves to have us pet her and "talks" to us a lot. My daughter absolutely adores her.

After my personal life took a disastrous turn last week, I knew that my daughter and I would both need a loving animal in our lives to bring us joy and help us to cope with what we're going through. So when I mentioned the idea to my daughter on Thursday, she was ecstatic and couldn't wait for the weekend. We went to the shelter's website and looked at all the cats. She had a favorite one that she wanted, but when we went there yesterday, that cat had already been adopted. No worries! Miss Kathren was ready and waiting for us.

She has already stolen our hearts and made life a little easier to bear. I have every confidence that she will soon adjust to her new surroundings and love her life with us. :-)

And as for me, well, life continues on. Every day is a little bit better and I have received such a an amazing outpour of support from my friends, my family, and you, my blogging buddies, that I am deeply humbled. It is so wonderful to have such a caring group of people to surround my daughter and I.

I managed to get some editing done this weekend, and my daughter and I did quite a few fun things to lift our spirits. We both laughed a lot and smiled a lot, so that always makes things easier.

I've recognized that my healing process will be a slow one, and that's ok. I need time to sort through all my emotions and thoughts. Thank the Lord I am a writer. I've been filling up pages in my journal and I've also had the chance to take a mini "vacation" from it all by diving into my novel. I can't tell you what a blessing that is! It has helped so much. I hope to focus on the important things in life now - my family, my friends, my daughter, my faith, my health, and my writing.

Time for a new beginning.

15 comments:

  1. Oh, Melissa, she is gorgeous! I hope she brings you and your daughter many years of happiness. Looks to me as if she's settled in very well already.

    Glad you managed to escape to your writing. It does help, doesn't it?

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  2. I'm so happy you got a cat and I'm so jealous I don't have one as I love them but the SIL is allergice. UGh.
    The cat will be wonderful and grow as part of your family so fast. I'm glad to hear you are working through it all:))

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  3. Melissa, she's perfect! Just you girls; it'll be great. :)

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  4. Oh, she's adorable! Thanks for sharing the pics, and keep writing in the journal. *hugs*

    Great work on getting the edits!

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  5. Welcome Kathren! She's so pretty, and what a nice thing to do for your daughter, and yourself! Animals are such comfort, enjoy your new kitty!

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  6. Anonymous9:06 AM

    what a lovely addition to the family! Congrats.

    And yes, being a writer is helpful through the hard times.

    There will be ups and downs, but, ultimately, every day will get better, because now you are working towards the best life for you and your daughter.

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  7. Aw! What a lovely girl! I know there were down times where having my cats sure made a difference. She looks like she'll be a great addition to the family!

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  8. She's adorable and I'm sure you and your daughter will thoroughly enjoy having her in your family.

    Glad to hear you're feeling a little better.

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  9. "Kathren" is a pretty good name. Years ago my friend promised her daughter (about your daughter's age at the time) that she could name their new puppy. The dog's name was "Page". I laughed when she told me, but not as hard as I did when she told me it was either "Page" or "Barbie" :)

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  10. Kathren is a dollface! Wishing you many loving years ahead.

    When I was a kid, our first dog's name was "Kathy," only none of us kids could pronounce it correctly. We called her "Kaffy," and after a while, so did everyone else. She lived to be 17, and to the end of her life, she answered to "Kaffy."

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  11. Friend, you are one smart lady. Attagirls to you both for moving forward AND adding some more love to your daily lives. Yay! (Makes me smile.)

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  12. Awww... she's so cute! We love the name Catherine too! Our dog is Kathryn Elizabeth! LOL! How exciting for you both! Jenni

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  13. Now she is a gorgeous cat! A wonderful addition to your family.
    I am so glad things are looking brighter for you:)

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  14. Beautiful Kitty!

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