{"id":20780,"date":"2022-08-28T00:01:48","date_gmt":"2022-08-28T04:01:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/?p=20780"},"modified":"2023-04-18T08:01:34","modified_gmt":"2023-04-18T12:01:34","slug":"a-love-letter-to-zee-for-rainbow-bridge-remembrance-day-2022-and-blog-hop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/a-love-letter-to-zee-for-rainbow-bridge-remembrance-day-2022-and-blog-hop\/","title":{"rendered":"A Love Letter to Zee for Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day 2022 and Blog Hop"},"content":{"rendered":"

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My Dearest Zee,<\/em><\/p>\n

While it is true, I can now walk into the kitchen and see your empty food dish on the counter next to the seven others and not break into tears as I had been, remembering the 3 times daily ritual I would feed you from it, it does not mean my heart doesn\u2019t skip a beat, missing you being a part of it.<\/em><\/p>\n

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You always had the sweetest, most trusting look in your eyes.<\/p><\/div>\n

Your sweet face. Those precious, trusting eyes, looking up at me while I prepared your meal that required both pills and a specially formulated diet. You are gone, but not from my heart. Not from my memory, and I miss you so, so much since we had to say goodbyes to you on March 18, 2022. But now, for Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, I wanted to write a love letter to you, to share my thoughts and let you know just how special you are to me. But there they are, the floodgate of tears as I dare open my heart even the tiniest bit, to put the words on paper.<\/em><\/p>\n

You\u2019re gone and it still hurts so very much not to hear that sweet meow of yours, chattering away in a conversation with Dan or me as you follow us around, insistent on being a part of what we\u2019re doing. Sure, as you got older and started your decline in health, the following around was not nearly as constant, but you still wanted to be near us. Especially at night when we\u2019d sit on the couch to watch TV, or when I\u2019d finally go to bed. You\u2019d jump off the couch and eagerly trot by my side to join me, only then to juggle back and forth all night between Dan and me as to whose head you\u2019d be sleeping on top of because you loved us both so much and wanted to make sure you were fair with your attention.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The couch was one of your favorite hangout spots, probably because you could see where everyone in the house was from that vantage point.<\/p><\/div>\n

There are so many memories and so many things I miss. After all, you were with us for nearly seventeen years so that\u2019s a lot of reminiscing. There are far too many moments to list, but some of my favorites began when we first brought you home as a kitten. You had such an independent and curious streak in you, refusing to be the cuddly lap cat we thought you would be.<\/em><\/p>\n

You helped us with a major home renovation, and then, a couple of years later, we brought another furry house guest into the house \u2013 our Bengal, Zoey, and it was love at first sight for you. You towered over her, but instantly she was in charge of the relationship, and you reveled in it. So much so that a litter of kittens resulted. We didn\u2019t know about spay\/neuter back then like we do now, and honestly after she had the kittens, you were NOT thrilled.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Moments after Zoey captured your heart, the two of you were inseparable.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Can cats pout? It would seem so. This was you after the kittens were born.<\/p><\/div>\n

They upset your applecart, but you grew to love them. Your precious daughters, Mia and Peanut, and your son, Rolz \u2013 all of who adored you from day one, even if they initially annoyed you. As time went by, they would rally around you, and rarely were you ever without one, two, or all of them nestled by your side. Zoey, too. She remained deeply devoted to you. Really, anyone that knew you, loved you. Whether feline, canine, friends, family or even random company that would drop by. You made a mark on everyone. But of course, you did. You were a charming, intelligent, inquisitive, friendly, and charismatic cat. It was impossible not to love you. Even those self-proclaimed, \u201cI\u2019m not a cat person,\u201d people were charmed by your appeal.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Mia and Zoey – leaving not even an inch to spare, wanting to be close to you!<\/p><\/div>\n

And all your wonderful personality traits \u2013 bringing us endless plush toys at night, your \u201ccatch\u201d proudly presented as gifts to us. There was even a time you dragged in a stuffed teddy bear that was twice your size, dropping it at my feet to get my attention. You also would play hide and seek which I loved. I\u2019d run from room to room, hiding behind corners and you\u2019d always come running to find me.<\/em><\/p>\n

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A small sampling of the many gifts (and the teddy bear) you would bring to us.<\/p><\/div>\n

Sure, there were also moments of naughtiness. The time you knocked a full bottle of bright pink grenadine from the kitchen counter, comes to mind. It fell and broke into a million smithereens on the floor because you were upset we were outside hosting an evening get-together without you. You\u2019ve also broken candlesticks from the mantel and even broken the ceramic lid to the guestroom toilet in quest of a lizard outside the window. But the family would always joke about those incidents, saying Zee could never do wrong. And they were right, we never could get upset with you, because you were Zee and utterly perfect to us. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

My darling boy, I pray you are at peace. Your last days on this earth were probably difficult for you. I know they were difficult for us, knowing the inevitable to come. Bone cancer is cruel. But we did the best we could to give you the most beautiful last day ever. We also gave you the gift of dignity, so you did not have to prolong your pain as your body began its rapid deterioration before our very eyes.<\/em><\/p>\n

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One last precious time outside in your beloved tropical yard. It was our last gift to you, to let you enjoy one of your favorite things.<\/p><\/div>\n

The indent of your body and spirit remains in my heart, as well as on the couch, the counter, our bed, outside in your beloved yard, and everywhere else because you were such a huge part of this home, and your mark is indelible. I love you, Zee.<\/em><\/p>\n

Until we meet again,<\/em><\/p>\n

Purrs, hugs, and love from your human mom.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for letting me share it with you for Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day. Initially, I struggled with it. The pain of missing Zee hit me deeply in the gut and I wasn\u2019t sure I could finish writing. But then something happened. Yes, it was still painful, causing me to cry as I typed words. But somehow my tears became tears of happiness. Certainly not because I was happy I had lost my precious cat, but because that precious cat gave me so many wonderful memories to remember. How could I ever think it would be possible to bury my head to forget, so as not to feel the pain? Zee was a significant part of my life, my heart, my home, and my world.<\/p>\n

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Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day is a special day dedicated to honoring the memories of those beloved pets in our lives we have loved and lost but never forgotten. Whether a pet with fur, fin, feathers, scales, or something else \u2013 one pet, or many \u2013 this day was created for you to honor that pet in any way that feels most comfortable to you. Post a picture, write a poem, share a favorite memory, host a memorial event, upload a video, or write a special blog post and share the link.<\/em><\/p>\n

ABOUT RAINBOW BRIDGE REMEMBRANCE DAY:<\/strong><\/em>
\nRainbow Bridge Remembrance Day was founded in 2015 by Deborah Barnes, award-winning author, and blogger of Zee & Zoey\u2019s Cat Chronicles in tribute to her Ragdoll cat, Mr. Jazz, who she had to say goodbyes to on August 28, 2013. She shared the journey of letting him go in her critically acclaimed book, Purr Prints of \u2013 A Cat\u2019s Tale of Life, Death, and Beyond<\/a>, and decided to create the day in his honor as a way for others across the world to share memories of their own pets they had loved and lost.<\/em><\/p>\n

Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day logos designed by Deb Barnes<\/em><\/p>\n

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