Quote Originally Posted by jenn_librarian View Post
I just realized you'll be putting Barney to sleep on my birthday. It makes me sad, but I know it's his day, and all the candles on my cake will definitely light the way for him, lol. It's silly to be thinking of myself, how it's sad it's on my day, but I can share that with him, and will so gladly. He's grown to be such a part of my heart, across the miles, that I don't know that I'll ever forget about him ever.

I'll be thinking of Barney on Friday at about 5:15, and will have my candles ready and waiting, and I won't be blowing them out.

Love you Barn Barn, I wish we could have met. I wish you would have been able to get better and we all could have met you on a summer day full of sunshine and butterflies and a picnic or something that maybe we crazy Barney lovers could have pulled together. Just because.

I wish you would have gotten healthy enough because I really wanted to come and get you this summer and add you to my crew. I really thought of that a lot, and Lara knows if you had been healthy enough, I would have found a way to get to you and, if the trip would have been safe enough, I would have brought you back to PA with me (if Lara would have relinquished you at that point, lol).

I'll miss you, sweet Barney Frog. I'll miss the videos and the grumpy faces you made at the camera. I know you've gotten more love than you've probably ever received in your lifetime, but know that we all just wanted to see a miracle happen, and wanted you to get better. You're our Barney. You're in all of our hearts now, and it hurts to think of letting go.

Major LES here....
Well, try to look at it this way, Jennie: Jesus didn't command us to celebrate his birth, only to commemorate his death, emphasizing among other things, naturally, the importance of the transition from one life to the next. This will be a rebirth for our Barney. I think probably all of us at PT wanted to make him a member of our household; I know that I sure did. He'd make a wonderful member of our Fur Posse but he's right where he's meant to be, fulfilling his purpose. So many of us don't know our purpose in life and yet Barney lives his every day and he struggled against all odds to do it. All the days of cold, starvation, cruelty, illness and misery were erased w/one swoop of Lara's loving arms when she took him into her care and the outpour of love from the world over that he has caused transcends all belief, religion, race and color. He has united us all in love; that is his purpose and he's fulfilled it well and w/dignity. My hope is that I can learn from his example and fulfill my purpose in the same manner, that I can experience a similar symbolic rebirth, that we all can.

The instant that Barney takes his last breath there will be more kittens entering our world who, unfortunately, may experience the same conditions that Barney did but due to his brief sojourn into our lives, we all will have been changed and ever more alert to the suffering of cats and animals everywhere and will give them comfort in the way that Lara has done. I am humbled by this saga and although I would never want Barney or any animal to suffer, I feel privileged to have been a small part of it.