I wanted to try to answer some of leslie's questions!

I surely will encourage Alana to join pt. I bet she'd love to keep you all updated!

As for how I am doing... Well, it was very hard to say goodbye to Cora, and to Romeo, and to Peach. The grief is too overwhelming for me to even begin to feel. Right now, it is simply too heavy for me to carry. I can't bear it.

In addition, my good friend who was in the hospital died on Sunday. Her family got to be there and was at her side as she passed away. I didn't know her for very long -- only as long as I knew Cora -- but loss like that always brings on strong emotions.

I take a TREMENDOUS amount of encouragement from knowing that all three of my dearly loved pets and companions are now beginning to bond with their new owners, people who I can trust to love them and to care for them well. It's like I have had kids, and have been blessed to know that they are loved wherever they are. That is what we really care about, isn't it? Even if I am inexpressibly sad that Cora, Peach and Romeo are no longer living with me, I can still love them from where I am, and I can still feel that sweet satisfaction that comes from taking tender care of a pet. I can feel that love that is glad, and even joyful, to know that the one you love is being loved, even if not by you. I can take joy in knowing that they are being cared for.

I have been talking with Alana on the phone, and we have been emailing quite a bit, too. I plan to call her tomorrow to hear in person how things are going at this point, as well as how Cora acted after her flight (scared? withdrawn? tired?)

I took RichB up on his offer to help pay for the plane flight. He is sending me a check for half of the cost! That amazes me.

As for whether I stick around, I sure want to! And I will definitely keep you posted and send pics when I get them. By the way, since I've never done this kind of thing before, how do we keep chatting? How do we keep finding one another amongst all these threads and posts? Do we keep talking on this thread, or start another one together? ?

Leslie mentioned the idea of me writing about how Romeo is doing. I really would like to say a few words about Romeo and how things have worked out for him.

I found Romeo several years ago when I was working as a baker. He was sitting outside the door to an apartment each time I went by on my way to and from work. After a week of seeing him every day sitting in exactly the same place, I realized that he might be waiting for an owner who had not come back. Sure enough, he was bony, and terribly hungry. He had faithfully waited a full 7 or 8 days right by that apartment door, hardly budging an inch! It took me about two tenths of a second to decide to adopt him.

He has been a joy of a cat. Burly and big-headed, he looks like a fighter, but he's not. He only wants to have lots of people to love and be loved by, and to go outside and do cat-kinds of things for at least a few hours each day. He's a fun cat, and an extrovert.

The person who adopted him is the first one who knew that I had adopted him: my coworker at the bakery. Now, she has adopted Romeo into a home that houses three animal-loving teenagers. Her two girls love to cuddle and to hold him. Her teenage son didn't like the name "Romeo" at first, since it didn't sound tough enough, to him. But now, his commentary on Romeo is that he's "tight". (I guess that means "cool" in current teenager language.) Romeo will get to go outside a whole lot (especially since teenagers will be going in and out the front door all the time); but, best of all, he'll get to live in a household where there's lots of love, and a whole lot of company to pay attention to him.

What Romeo loves best is to get in the center of a group of people and roll onto his back and just drink in the attention and the delight of the people that are around him. I think he may wonder whether he's found heaven, once he's adjusted to leaving me and he has staked out his new environment.

So, you can see that I have reason to feel very grateful for how things have gone since I realized I'd have to give up Cora, Romeo and Peach. Each one -- count 'em: all three! -- have been taken in by owners who have a whole lot to offer them. A whole lot.

Well, I've talked your ears off. We certainly will have to keep in touch!

And hopefully I can hear about YOUR pets!!!!

love,
Sara