Ingrid King

One of the many joys of Zee & Zoey’s Chronicle Connection for me has to be all of the wonderful people and animals I am meeting along the way.  I never in my wildest dreams thought my life would be so rich a tapestry, filled with so many people that share my love and passion for animals. One of these wonderful people is former veterinary manager, turned writer, Ingrid King. While Ingrid and I have only just begun to strike up a friendship, she is one of those kind souls that I somehow feel I have already known my whole life. I am very drawn to who she is as a person and we share a lot in common,  in particular, our love, respect and devotion to cats. It was this common bond that caused our paths to cross and how I came to fall in love with Buckley, a sweet, joyful, and wise beyond her years little cat that was sharing her forever home with Ingrid and the inspiration for the book Ingrid wrote, Buckley’s Story.

Let me just tell you right off the bat, the book was excellent and I highly recommend it to anyone. Ingrid writes the story of Buckley’s life with enormous gentleness, kindness, compassion, wisdom, and frank honesty. The book tugs at your heartstrings and will affect you profoundly as you root for this little cat with all of your might. That being said, I have to let you know that is was with enormous hesitation and reservation that I read the book. I purchased it with the intention of reading it right away. Then, when it arrived, it sat on my kitchen counter for several days as I prepared myself mentally to read it. I know this may seem contradictory to what I just said, but it really is not. Any of us that has had a pet in our lives, knows the unconditional love and joy they bring us. We also know that there will almost certainly be an inevitable and often unbearable heartache to deal with at one point or another.  I honestly did not know if I had the emotional stamina to handle that again by dredging up old memories of past pets I had lost that were so beloved to me.

I decided meeting Buckley far outweighed any personal issues I had. Clearly she was a special cat with lessons to teach all of us. So, I got myself comfortable on my bed and settled in with my sweet Zoey on my lap. She somehow seemed to understand I was dealing with some emotional issues and she was not about to leave my side. I opened the book and took a deep breath and somehow I was instantly brought into the world of Ingrid and her little tortoiseshell Buckley. Ingrid first met Buckley when she worked as a veterinary manager at the Middleburg Animal Hospital. Buckley was dropped off there one day by a kind woman as a stray and had a deformed left hind leg and more personality and grit than any cat Ingrid had ever known. She immediately fell in love with this creature who embraced life with pure delight and had no concept of a disability whatsoever. That was lesson number one that Buckley taught Ingrid in what was to be an infinite number of lessons she taught her. Because of  Buckley’s enormous wisdom and mindset, she consequently caused Ingrid to re-evaluate her own thought processes. She inspired Ingrid to understand that our lives do not have to be defined by our past circumstances, but rather how we live in the present and open our minds for the chance of a new future. For Buckley, the dream for her future was a forever home.

Once Ingrid overcame some personal obstacles, Buckley’s dream did indeed come true as she found her forever home with Ingrid, and Ingrid’s other tortoiseshell cat mate, Amber. Buckley was then diagnosed with heart disease only two years after living with Ingrid and the rest of Buckley’s story is detailed by Ingrid as she shares how the illness defined the bond between the two of them, as well as other people who knew Ingrid and Buckley (and Amber too). This story will no doubt cause everyone to react differently, especially for those of us who have lost pets. The circumstances are very personal and Ingrid shares the details with a very real honesty that allows the reader to know they are not alone in the vast range of emotions they most probably went through themselves,  if they too had  lost a dear companion.  Confusion, anger, despair, profound grief, guilt, second guessing themselves and so on.  I know for me, I had to deal with two extremely different passing’s – one was a very young dog of mine, a beautiful Golden Retriever, Bailey, that was diagnosed with cancer at only 2 short years of life. Then there was Kit, my beloved Tabby, who was 18 year old and who had lived a very full life, but her body just began to shut down. The way I dealt with each of these deaths was very different, but the overriding commonalty, including what Ingrid went through with Buckley, is how amazing these animals really are. They genuinely seem to communicate to us when they are ready to go, almost like they are telling us it is okay and that they know we still love them. They seem to understand the decision to let them go is almost impossible for us to determine on our own, and that we need their love, guidance, and support to tell us we need to let them move on with peace and dignity.

As I suspected, it was extremely difficult for me to get through the book. I had to put it down on several occasions to wipe my eyes and steel myself up to keep reading to the end. By then, I was sobbing uncontrollably. Not just for Buckley, but for the loss Ingrid and Amber were feeling, for the loss of all my past pets, and for the collective loss anyone feels losing someone so dear to them. It literally took me a couple hours before I felt strong enough to get on with the day. But, despite all that, it really was an incredible experience and Buckley has now come to be a  part of me – she pops into my head at random times and causes me to smile. I never met her, but I fell in love with her joyful spirit and perennially happy ways and I am a better person for knowing her. I marvel at her bravery and I applaud her for reveling in each and every day she had on this earth. I also thank her for letting me to remember my past loved one’s again with a renewed respect and joy. She opened a door for me that I normally try to keep closed and locked and taught me to enjoy remembering them and how blessed I was to have them in my life, however short or long it was. The floodgate of emotion was almost a therapeutic purging of all the pain I had kept bottled up for so many years and it actually felt good to let it go. Thank you for that, dear, sweet Buckley.

Buckley’s Story is a finalist in the 2011 International Book Awards

Thank you also Buckley for what I think was probably the most important lesson you taught us – to learn to live our lives in the moment and appreciate each and every day for the gift it truly is.  I know that resonates with me more so than any other message. I make certain that the people and animals in my life know each and every day how much I love and cherish them.  Pain and heartache is part of life, but so is love, compassion, and understanding. While it can seem extremely difficult to move on after one has to say goodbye, actually, almost virtually impossible, the other lesson that we learn is that it is still worth it. The unconditional love and joy that these creatures bring to us, far outweighs any emotional difficulty we might experience. And that is why it is important to try to keep our hearts and minds open for the next Buckley that might happen upon our own lives, certain to enrich us with their unique personalities, wisdom, endearing qualities, and endless devotion.

As Zee and Zoey would say, little Buckley dared to embrace the ordinary in her life and make it extraordinary! We give this book 5 out of 5 paws up and hope you will take the opportunity to read it yourself. For details, just click here.  I am sad to say in closing, that Amber too has passed on. But the good news is,  Ingrid has opened her heart and forever home to Allegra,  and most recently, Ruby, two beautiful  feline companions that carry on the tortie legacy. You can learn all about them at Ingrid’s blog The Conscious Cat.