Goodbye My Friend

Smokey looking very spooky on dad's witchcraft altar. Right after this picture was taken he wiped out the statue of Isis and the candle. Superglue fixed Isis; I wish we could have fixed Smokey.

One thing that has bothered me about the whole Terry Schiavo thing (and this is a serious question, I am not posing this as some sort of ideological/religious gotcha question) is why are Christians fighting so hard to keep her alive in the condition she is in when they know that after she dies she will be welcomed by her Jesus into the realm of her God? Isn't that a good thing? Isn't that the ultimate goal: reunion with the Creator? So why not let her go? This truly baffles me.

See, this is an unfair comparison because to most Christians comparing Terry's life to that of my pet Smokey is comparing apples to oranges. As a Witch, I am not so sure that I have a soul that is all that different from Smokey's. I do know that if they don't let pets into Heavan/Summerland/Elysium/Valhalla/Otherworld then quite bluntly, I do not want to go. But the comparison is this: Smokey is ready. His decline over the past week has been shocking. He has lost coordination, cannot climb onto chairs, etc. He soils himself; say what you will about him, this cat was absolutely fastidious about keeping clean. His ears are yellow from liver failure.

In an hour we will take Smokey to the vet and hold him as he is put to sleep. I know that he is going to a better place, there is an odd contentment in my heart. We are doing the right thing, the kind thing, the best we as mere human parents can do for him. I love him more than I thought, I learned that this past week, but it is time and the truly loving thing to do is let go.

When my very dear friend Jim died early this year; we, his coven, were able to let go of him. That was very, very hard to do. But it was time, his body was failing and the Goddess was waiting to welcome him into Summerland/Otherworld. It was time.

Now it is Smokey's turn. This is so hard to do. But I must.

One final point, and I believe this is one everyone can agree on, it is simply wrong that I will take my cat to the vet and he will be given a shot and go to sleep and pass away in peace and Terry Schiavo must die of dehydration/starvation. If I witheld food and water from my cat, I would face criminal penalties for cruelty to an animal. This is a serious and inhumane disconnect in our society that we can treat our pets better than our wives, sons and daughters.

Go with the Goddess Smokey, She is waiting for you.

Here is a video of Smokey drinking pond water. It is very large so, don't do it without a high speed connection.

Good Morning Goddess Brigit, my name is Andy and I am an alcoholic. I have been kept sober since Imbolc 2001 by Your grace and Your grace alone. I'd like to take this moment to thank You, my Higher Power, for this daily reprieve. Today is a good day to be sober.

Please, Great Mother, be with me today all through the day and help me to stay sober all day long. Show me Your will for me and grant me the power to carry that out. Thy will, not mine, be done. Be welcome in me and to me; body, heart, mind and soul. Thank You, Blessed Be!