joy

Onyx went missing for just about 24 hours. We were heartsick during his uncharacteristic absence. Late Saturday afternoon there he was in the driveway, appearing as suddenly as he had disappeared. He headed straight for Michael's lap in the patio and the guys just sat together in comfortable silence for an hour. Then it was time for me to secure him and the three other outside cats into the garage for their dinners and safe beds. Onyx ran ahead of me to his own space, obviously ready and grateful for his meal and a good night's sleep.

But not even his wildest kitty dreams could envision the cloud effect that I saw minutes later behind our house. The setting sun in the west shared some of its splendor with the eastern sky, and the clouds seemingly could not contain their joy.

We understood. It was an altogether beautiful evening to be alive.

 

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No tears for Onyx..... yet

Autumn Tears by Lucia Masciullo

There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief...and unspeakable love.

~Washington Irving

I wish I was more eloquent in the language of tears than I am. One of our cats, Onyx, who is a favorite of my husband's, has inexplicably gone missing. I don't want to give power to my greatest fear so will not express it here at this time. He is one of the stray cats that adopted us and who sleep in the garage cozy in their beds. Onyx is a real homebody and he has never before been away all day and night in the years we've had him.

I wish I could cry myself to sleep now and wake up tomorrow with Michael telling me that Onyx is home.


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