A  treasured photo from days gone by when both my beloved Jazz and Harley were with me… A most poignant and timely reminder as we enter this new year, just how fragile, fleeting, and precious life truly is…

Within the course of 2014 there certainly was good, happiness, and much to be thankful for in my life. There was also an abundance of hardship, emotional discourse and sadness and my heart goes out to every one that had similar circumstances, as I know I am certainly not alone in that regard.

What were the lessons learned from it all? More so than ever, I think for me it was the realization that life truly is finite and extremely fragile. Not that I didn’t know it before, but losing Jazz in 2013 and then Harley unexpectedly in 2014, those were life altering moments for me that have indelibly colored my perspective on everything I see and do.

Living in the moment, appreciating what you have, and respecting the fact that none of us are perfect and not everything is as it seems on the surface are not just poster board euphemisms for me – they are the road map that drives me each and every day as I do my best to rise above the stress, negativity, tragedy, and heartache that seems to permeate our world with alarming frequency.

My beautiful Zee – still a handsome boy, but the telltale signs of his age are beginning to show…

I try to reflect on the tender and simple moments that life offers – for example, I look at our eldest cat, our darling boy, Zee, who is nine. While this is still relatively young in the scheme of the potential lifespan of a cat, in many ways it is not and I want to weep I love him so much. I don’t want to think that one day he won’t be with us, but those gentle reminders – his slower walk, his thinning fur, and his eyes that are brushed with the slightest tinge of cloudiness all serve to tell me to stop and take the time to appreciate him more.

So, all of it – those wonderful gifts he bestows on me – his increasingly more possessive cuddles, purrs, and belly kneading – all of those actions are burned into my heart and soul because I know just how precious and precarious it all is. And I know all of you understand exactly what I mean – our blogging world has been besieged with grief, tragedy, and sadness over the past couple of weeks and the circumstances don’t always equate to age or situations that make sense or are fair. That we all have an expiration date is the one common denominator we all share that has no exclusions based on age, sex, species, or anything else. Life is fragile, life is finite, life is borrowed time.

I think this hit me harder than it ever has this Christmas. Dan and I were so blessed to have a house full of family to share the occasion and I found myself stepping back from all of it, looking at it from afar. Sure, we have truckloads of problems, issues, and everything else you can think of. Sometimes we can get angry, impatient, or short with one another and our days are far from perfect, but the bottom line when all is said and done, is that we love each other and I am so grateful to have been able to share the time with them.

I find being calm and fair-minded serves me far better in life as a way to deal with the little things that might bother me as opposed to resorting to anger or a quick temper – emotions that tend to turn a “little thing” into an unnecessary, major ordeal. I think perhaps I learned that from my cats – they might have their moments now and again, but for the most part, they don’t sweat the small stuff. Seen here is Jazmine and Zoey. Click image to enlarge.

I know it can change in a heartbeat and I know not everyone is as lucky as I am. The holidays bring to the surface a wide berth of memories and emotions and they are not always happy, jolly, and joyful for everyone and I try to be extremely respectful of that when I share my own humble celebrations. I also caution people to understand that not is all as it seems in life. We are inundated on social media with images and quips of other people’s seemingly happy and carefree lives and  I daresay that many of us might think to ourselves, I wish that was me.

What we don’t take into account is that those images are filtered – a carefully selected slice of life’s pie and that is why I never assume anything about people, nor do I rush to judge, condone, or begrudge and that is my simple message for the New Year. No words of wisdom or great lessons to learn. Just be nice to one another because you never really know someone else’s circumstances or what they are going through and it does not cost anything to be kind. We need a kinder world – a world where we think before we speak in haste and where our actions are based on compassion, understanding, and empathy.

Thank you all for being a part of my life – I appreciate you all and hope that 2015 will bring with it inner peace, contentment, good health, and a furever home for every animal that needs it. Purrs to everyone and remember to enjoy the small moments that life offers us like finding a great pair of jeans on sale, or getting a kiss from a happy baby, or a hug from a friend for no reason, or reading a wonderful book with a cat napping on your lap. The list of small happiness’s available to us is endless and collectively they add up to a lifetime of wonderful moments.

All creatures seek love and compassion – a small act of kindness from Zee is greatly appreciated by Mia. Click image to enlarge.

I also offer my thoughts and prayers to all the people and animals of late that are going through a hard time and need some positive energy. Happy New Year to one and all and as a special treat, I would like to share a bit of my holidays with you – I hope you enjoy the pictures and that they bring you a smile or two!

Thank you to Jazmine for being such a spectacular cover model for our 2014 Holiday Memory Album!

A few days before the out-of-town family and guests were scheduled to arrive – all was peaceful and serene as Jazmine and Zoey demonstrate in is this tranquil picture under our Christmas tree.

A quiet moment for Zee as he regally naps on a chair decorated with a festive holiday afghan.

The holidays were full of surprises – the first one was when Christine Michaels of Riverfront Cats came to visit us. Jackie (my step-daughter) who flew in from Boston loves her and had NO IDEA she was visiting! Dan was able to capture the image and all that is missing here is the scream from Jackie that accompanied the picture!

Christine, Jackie, and I pose in our holiday outfits! Naturally I had an extra cap with leopard print for Christine to borrow!

It’s cookie making day! In the true spirit of keeping it real, you will note the presence of a cat (Peanut), cleaning supplies, and my tired face devoid of any makeup… Lovely…

With little miss trouble maker helping out (Jazmine), it was decided the cleaning supplies should be moved out of the way… Seen with Jazmine is my youngest son, Joe, who came in from Upstate New York and is meeting Jazmine for the first time (yes, he fell madly in love with her!)

Yum! Batch one of what seemed like hundreds of batches of Christmas cookies! These are M & M cookies and they are the family’s favorite!

Jackie and my oldest son, Chris, spend some quality time out in the tiki together. Sharing the moment is Rocco who is visiting our house for the first time.

It’s Christmas Eve and we are getting ready to put presents under the tree – because Rocco is not used to the cats and is a bit rambunctious, he did some crate-napping to keep the peace in the house! Zee, Zoey, and Peanut dare to look at him with cautious bravery!

The fun begins! Chris, Jackie, and Joe (with some help from Peanut) start putting gifts under the tree!

The presents are all under the tree but Jazmine reminds me not to forget the stockings!

Rocco got to visit Christmas Eve and Rick got to come on Christmas day! He is such a good boy and gets along great with the cats!

All the presents are unwrapped and Rick is completely exhausted from the whole ordeal (probably in large part due to the fact he got about 2 dozen dog toys and destroyed all of them in minutes!)

My mother surprised the group with a trip to a riding stable the day after Christmas. I used to ride when I was a young girl and it brought back such wonderful memories.

Chris, Joe, Jason (Chris’s partner), and Jackie get ready to saddle up for a ride!

Jackie looks like she has been riding all her life! Due to time restrictions, Dan and I were unable to ride with the kids, but we will be taking advantage of my Mom’s gift and will be riding some time soon in the future!

Sitting with my lovely Mom. Of all the blessings in my life, she is one of the greatest and I love her so much.