Giuseppe’s Rainbow
This is an entry from my pet loss journal from Thursday morning, the day after we had Giuseppe put to sleep. I was going to add to it but decided not to, and missed sharing this yesterday.
This morning when I went into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee I found a rainbow in my kitchen sink. I’ve not seen a rainbow there ever before, but I determined how it got there, though it was by a very complicated confluence of circumstances.
I have a jar of plant cuttings in water in a Mason jar on the windowsill, just below my eye level. Denise gave them to me about a month ago. Just after sunrise, the sun was still low enough to stream in under the deck roof, but high enough above the horizon to shine through the water among the plant cutting stems and through the embossed letters on the outside of the jar at just the right angle to refract into rainbows.
Here is the whole rainbow:
But I stood there trying to figure out how it ended up down in the sink when it should have been shining on my face or the wall or something in line with where the sun was. My sink right now is a wash tub until my kitchen cabinets are installed. It’s quite deep with the base of the tub just above my knees, almost a right angle down from the windowsill. Possibly it was reflecting down from the underside of the surface of the water. Possibly this happened every morning and I had just missed it before.
Possibly, like Mewsette’s dancing lights when the windcatcher on the windchimes that have been there 33 years reflected a dancing spot of light out into the back yard, in a way that I’d never seen in all those 33 years though I step out onto the deck every morning and often through the day, exactly where Mewsette had loved to walk, two days after she had died. I have not seen it since.
The rainbow showed up in the sink when I randomly walked in there just about 24 hours after sitting on the bathroom floor with Mr. Sunshine watching Giuseppe after that last seizure, and I knew that Giuseppe was in his process of dying. I contacted Dr. Elgersma shortly after that and carried him down to the kitchen to spend his last hours in our communal room with all the other cats.
I’ll just say that sometimes our animal companions work very hard to send us reassurance that they are still with us, that they are okay, and they still love us. We just need to be open and aware. Sometimes that awareness seems more painful than comforting because it’s also a reminder that they are no longer with us. Physically, but in all other ways they are always with us.
Thanks for the donations and purchases…
One of the realities of veterinary care, especially at this critical stage, is that it’s expensive. I’ve been scurrying to finish work, skimping on things and making promises to utilities, so I totally appreciate even the smallest donation!
How about this—the framed original of the sketch of Giuseppe below is still available along with prints. Scroll down and click the image to visit the listing on Portraits of Animals.
I also have a freestanding website for my memorial votives: www.CustomPetMemorialVotives.com .
If you choose, I also have a donation button on this page on this website.
And if you did want to donate another way, my Paypal address is bernadette @ bernadette-k . com or paypal.me/bernadettekazmarski1 if that doesn’t work. My Venmo is @Bernadette-Kazmarski. And thank you for caring, whether you buy something or donate or not.
Art and Gifts featuring cats you know! Visit Portraits of Animals
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Feline Artwork from Portraits of Animals!
The framed original is still available! Read more, and purchase.
Copyright
All images and text used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission, although links to your site are more than welcome and are shared. Please ask if you are interested in using and image or story in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of an image or a product including it, check my animal and nature website Portraits of Animals to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.
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Weekly schedule of features:
Sunday: Essays, Pet Loss, Poetry, The Artist’s Life
Monday: Adoptable Cats, TNR & Shelters
Tuesday: Rescue Stories
Wednesday: Commissioned Portrait or Featured Artwork
Thursday: New Merchandise
Friday: Book Review, Health and Welfare, Advocacy
Saturday: Your Backyard Wildlife Habitat, Living Green With Pets, Creating With Cats
And sometimes, I just throw my hands in the air and have fun!
So sorry to read this sad and painful news about Giuseppe. Your post moved me to tears. I hope you can find some comfort in the beautiful memories of a wonderful cat. Sending you hugs, my dear Bernadette. My thoughts are with you.
Thank you, Herman, we can all use the hugs. This is a shock, but a beautiful moment eases things a bit. I have lots of memories, never too many. Thanks for stopping over.