Friday, March 29, 2024
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Quiet Moments

image of cat with shadow
Quiet Moments

It’s been a week just about to the moment that I let Kelly go, and all those of us who have lost a loved one of any species know how important it is to stop and observe those first anniversaries after the event.

This morning Mewsette and I were in the basement with the door open to the garden on a lovely summer day, and as I photographed Mewsette at her antics in the sun and shadow, I remembered Kelly on a similar morning in 2002 when I took a series of photos of her, one of which inspired one of the first of my animal sympathy cards, above.

This photo, in particular, always described Kelly for me in those moments when she was within her own memories.

Kelly inspired many things, which I’ll be mentioning as I post new prints of artwork and photos. I have so much to thank her for.

Below is a slideshow of other photos from that same morning, some cropped, some angled, some including my toes, but Kelly is perfect in every one. The little tail you see next to my foot in some of the photos is Moses, a sweet and gentle former feral as well, and Kelly’s mentor; she quietly showed Kelly all the good places in the house, including the basement door on a sunny summer morning.


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All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in purchasing one as a print, or to use in a print or internet publication.

Bernadette

From health and welfare to rescue and adoption stories, advocacy and art, factual articles and fictional stories, "The Creative Cat" offers both visual and verbal education and entertainment about cats for people who love cats, pets and animals of all species.

22 thoughts on “Quiet Moments

  • Managed to see the slideshow, though it’s jumping around a bit!! Such a beautiful soul xx

    Reply
    • Carolyn, I don’t know how anybody managed to comment. You just don’t know how these things will work until you try them out, but I’m glad you got a chance to see the photos. She really was a special girl.

      Reply
  • Paulette Smith

    Thank you, Bernadette, for posting these beautiful photographs of Kelly. I love them all, but especially #14. I love the way the light casts shadows of
    the cats and the screen door grid on the beautifully mottled paint of the floor, plus the little touch of blue from the basement door.

    I have shed many tears, and have not been able to stop thinking about Kelly since reading of her passing. I feel like I know all of your cats since discovering your website and reading all of your wonderful posts. Thank you so much for sharing with us all! Kelly’s passing has brought up many sweet but also some still painful memories of our beloved tortie, Abigail, who had to leave us 11 years ago after being like a daughter to us for 16 years! I don’t know if it ever gets easier. I would love to be able to meet you all in person some day. My thoughts and prayers are with you!

    Reply
    • Paulette, I’m always sorry that my losses hurt others, but I always hope by sharing that they also help others. This was a special moment and I couldn’t get enough of it. Even though all the other cats were around, it was all about Kelly. And there is such beauty in everyday things so I remember them all as it really was, sad and precious at the same time. I will miss her forever as the last little sister of that group.

      Reply
  • Of all your sympathy cards, this is my favorite one, and now it’ll have even more meaning. I love seeing all these photos of sweet Kelly. You’re in my thoughts and prayers.

    Reply
    • Ingrid, thank you. It was the first I designed once I’d assembled all the images and other materials because the idea had waited the longest, and it’s the one that is used for many other reasons than pet sympathy. I’m so glad to share all these photos again as well. Thanks for thinking of us.

      Reply
  • Precious! In the photo named “Kelly 3”, it looks like Kelly has something important to share. The photo caught her in mid-meow. Thanks for sharing this wonderful medley of photos.

    Reply
    • Anita, Kelly always had something important to share! She was talking throughout, and in those days I removed the ones that were blurry or I thought I might not use, but that one was clear so I kept it. I’m sure she was telling me about the lovely sunny morning and the birds and chipmunks, her usual conversation.

      Reply
  • more leaky eyes…what a precious soul…so happy knowing she lived such a long life. paw hugs, Savannah

    Reply
    • Savannah, it’s why I love having my cats as art subjects. Now Kelly will live on in what she inspired.

      Reply
  • Thank you for sharing those lovely pictures. I’ve been thinking of you and Kelly all week and I appreciate how you keep the memories of your beloved cats so much a part of your everyday life.

    Reply
    • Deb, with all your photos I’m sure you do the same thing with those everyday moments that become extraordinary–we do share that for sure. Thanks for thinking of us.

      Reply
  • Thanks for sharing Bernadette. Kelly was such a sweet, gentle soul, and I’m glad I had a chance to get to know her through your posts before she crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

    Reply
    • Vicki, it makes me very happy to know that others will remember her too.

      Reply
    • Texas, thank you. Those were taken with my very first “2MP” digital camera–it didn’t even have a zoom and was very limited, but the thing I liked best about it was that when you clicked the shutter it was already focused and just snapped the photo. I took many, many photos with that, including ones like these that I would not have caught with my film camera because Kelly was right at my feet.

      I love them all too, and even ten years ago I knew I’d be doing something with them. I sold them as prints for a while, perhaps I will again.

      Reply
  • Thanks, you two–first I discovered I didn’t have all the photos on the upstairs computer, which is where I’ve been remembering Kelly, and then I couldn’t remember the code for the slideshow. It’s there now.

    Reply
  • That is a beautiful photo.
    We cannot see a slideshow though. Is it just the human needing more coffee?
    Many purrs

    Reply
    • Glad it’s not just me unable to see the slideshow… kept refreshing the page and imagining possible reasons why it wasn’t visible (like browser excentricities). I’m sure it will appear when it’s ready to be seen… it IS a slideshow of CATS after all.

      Reply

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