In Remembrance of Casper

Practicing charitable acts is so important in our home and giving to the animal shelter is just as important as donating to the church food pantry. Looking back, I can still see the look on Allison's face as she burst out with emotion when this commercial came on TV. For a while there, I could swear it came on 4-5 times a day. And yes, each time she would cry.

Now why would she have been so effected by it, you may ask? It's amazing how a 4 year old can be so moved by something like that. Now, those closest to Allison know very well how emotional and sensitive her heart is. Raising your voice at her can "break her heart" sending her off to cry for hours. But, Allison was there when we put Casper down. Casper was our "kid" for the first 8 years John and I were together and was a part of Allison's life until she was 2-1/2. John and I never really caught on to how close she actually was with him until he was no longer around. Before Allison, to me, he was my everything! I LOVED that cat more than anything and he was VERY attached to me. Every night he slept on my pillow and was on my lap if I was sitting down. John would probably never admit it but I know he was fond of him as well. Putting him down, because of the cancerous tumor in his lymphnodes, was probably one of the hardest moments for me. We struggled with the thought of having to place him at rest for a good 2-3 months, all the while he was struggling to live each day.

I came across a great deal on cat treats while shopping Kmart's Double Coupons a few weeks back. I bought the treats and waited for Allison to have a really good day--this is a day with very few issues. Friday was the day...no backtalking, meltdowns or timeouts for bad choices, so I decided to tell her about the treats and what I had planned for us. It was a trip to the Safe Harbor Animal Shelter! Boy, was she EXCITED! I guess I would have expected her to forget about Casper no more than a few weeks after his passing. Boy, was I ever wrong! A few days before our big trip to the shelter, I suddenly awoke to her screaming, "Casper, NO! Please don't go to Heaven yet!" That broke my heart and I knew I needed to somehow remind her that he is now sitting in the Lord's lap. So-to-speak!

As we headed off to the shelter, I reminded her that Casper was very sick and that all of the angels are now petting him and "making his heart feel good". Unfortunately, the cats were quarantined due to a virus and the only cat available to pet was "Dora", the shelter mascot who hangs out in the front lobby. We also took a tour of the dog area while we were there. All in all it was a good day to remember our lost loved one and to donate the treats we picked up for those cats who have been abandoned or gone lost. We will be doing this again!