Saturday, October 15, 2011

Not Quilting for now

Life once again gets in the way and that is the case for me right now. I am still learning the right way to do physical, occupational and speech therapy at home. It has been at times daunting and difficult. I think I am finally developing a routine, but it still takes a long time to get through everything expected. Even if we begin by nine o'clock, we do not finish until well past two. Then there are days like yesterday.

I will begin by introducing you to Danny, our adult son with developmental disabilities. Danny is a pretty good guy and he definitely loves the girl in his arms. "Samantha" hasn't been herself lately and so Dan has been pretty concerned. Over the last few weeks we have observed that she was hard of hearing and shortly thereafter that she was also losing her sight. She appeared not to be hurting because every time someone petted her she would purr and push against your hand. Yesterday was different. She stopped purring and simply went to sleep. Before long she was gone. I have to admit that she and I were not always compatible. Over the course of her life and mine, she bit me viciously , twice. Each time she was provoked by a strange cat walking across the patio. I had the audacity to move and she struck.

Now, having said that, I have over the years come to an understanding with Sammy because Danny loved her so much. Danny never a vet appointment, not one. He held her closely after she had her shots and reassured her that this was good thing, and babied her always. Sammy lived with my husband and myself because it cost a lot of money to keep a cat in an apartment. He visited her often. When he comes to visit he he always sought her out and they had some serious conversations. I found myself weeping yesterday while I buried her. Weeping for her and for Danny. Danny has taken a stance of no speaking about his loss, period. He is my son, I have known him for 45 years. I know we will speak of this but not until he processes his feelings.

Another thing you should know about Samantha. She was born 23 years ago on Halloween day. I had hoped she would still be here for her birthday but it was not to be. For now I will keep my eyes and ears open and Dan will talk about her again.

14 comments:

Elizabeth Ann said...

I wish I was there to help you and give you a hug. Thinking about you this evening....

Hanne said...

I am so sorry for your and Danny's loss! Hugs (((( ))))

Kathy said...

Give Dan a hug from me. I know how much he loved Sam. Aunt Kathy

Leeann said...

wow 23 years is amazing she must have been well loved & cared for.

vintagefindings@me.com said...

I am so sorry, Nadine. Sorry that there is one more thing in your life to be sad about, to handle. But I'm so very sorry for Danny, to loose his beloved Samantha.

wish I could give you 24 hours of respite.

Karen

Anonymous said...

I'm so sorry. That's a beautiful story, though. ((((((Danny))))))

Janet

Anonymous said...

Danny sat with the girls last night at dinner and talked about Sam and how much he will miss her. She has been a part of this family for so long. I love you, Mom. I wish I could make life a little bit easier for all of you. ~Kelly

Margaret said...

23!!?!?!?
Wow!
I know it's hard to replace a wonderful cat like Samantha, but hope Danny can have another kitty friend. In the meantime, you could show him Mandu's blog. (He's the same color, at least!)
http://mycatmandu.blogspot.com

Sending hugs your way,
Margaret

Tammy said...

So hard to lose a beloved pet. He needs a keepsake for his pocket or on a chain. If like my cat, the hair would be there no matter how much you cleaned. Maybe it could be incorporated into something for him - a locket perhaps? Or a laminated picture. Just a thought.
His eyes are so bright in the picture.

antique quilter said...

I am so sorry to hear about Dannys' loss of his beloved Samantha. Its so hard to lose a pet they are a member of the family, wow 23 years, you must have taken very good care of her.
Kathie

Purple Pam said...

So sorry to hear of Danny's loss of his dear Samantha. Hope things will get better for you all soon.

Sandra said...

Sending a virtual hug. Maybe you could make a memorial wall quilt of Sam for Danny.
Don't forget to take care of yourself.

Moni said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Moni said...

I am so sorry with you and Danny. But Samantha was waiting on a very beautiful place for you to see you again.

Moni