We’re going to do 2 posts in one here today. I haven’t had a fiber related post in a while but I also have a story to tell you. So…I’ll tell you the story and the pictures will tell you about all things fiber related.

Ready?

Okeedokee……

Y’all may recall that back in December our cat Lily died. She had breast cancer and was recovering from the mastectomy when she had some complications and passed away. Well, we had visited her “in the hospital” during the week she was there and Anna Grace knew that Lily had “a boo boo on her belly”. So, she was a plenty confused when I told her that Lily died and she couldn’t come back home, etc.

Anna Grace kept asking and asking about Lily and about when she would come home from the doctor and this was just killing me. I finally told her that Lily went to live with Jesus. Now, I realize that this is not the most theologically sound thing I have ever said to my child but I was desperate.

Well, one little statement swirled out of control and the next thing I know I’m spinnin’ tales about how Lily is very happy living with Jesus and there are birds to chase and toys to play with and, and, and….. you get the idea. What started out as one little half truth turned into a faith-based slippery slope.

After about a month, Anna Grace stopped asking about Lily.

Here’s the spinning wheel needing some surgery. That string is supposed to be attached to a high-tech gizmo.

 

Then one night Dana and Anna Grace went to Petsmart to get cat food and litter. And they see a cat up for adoption that looks a lot like Lily. Anna Grace comes home and promptly announces that Lily is not, in fact, living with Jesus, she is “living at the pet store”. The next day I did actually go to the store to look for the cat that looked like Lily but she had been adopted.

Now, in the time since Lily has died we have read books about losing a pet, we have talked openly about the fact that she died, we lied like a dog as evidenced by the detail we gave regarding Lily’s current “living” conditions and we even played a game at speech therapy that was all about death. (That was cheery!). No luck. This kid ain’t lettin’ this go… and when she finally did start to move on… she thinks she sees the cat at Petsmart.

So… my mother, the speech therapist, everybody said the same thing: Find a cat that looks like Lily and announce that Lily came back. The husband, however, said nope!

The “high tech gizmo”. A.K.A. a rubber band.

 

Anna Grace is now obsessed about the Lily thing. We talk about it every day.

Her: Where’d Lily go?

Me: She went to live with Jesus.

Her: Nope. She’s at the doctor.

Me: No, honey. Her boo boo was too bad and she went to live with Jesus.

Her: She’s at the pet store.

Me: No, Lily went to live with Jesus.

Rinse and repeat. Over and over again.

Post surgery. All better now. Didn’t need to go and live with Jesus.

 

Fast forward to last week.

As we were leaving Melbourne I pulled into a Wendy’s to get us a snack. There’s a little cat outside and it looks a smidge like Lily. Anna Grace sees the cat and starts up.

Where’d Lily go?

She went to live with Jesus.

No. She’s at the doctor.

No Anna Grace. Lily went to live with Jesus.

And then that kid looked right at me and said “Is Jesus gonna give me my cat back?”

And my response? “Here. Have a french fry”.

Single sock. Victim of my notorious Second Sock Syndrome.

 

Fast forward to this past Saturday.

We go to visit Dana’s parents….who have just had their 17 year old cat die. Anna Grace was told last visit that the cat was sick but this time, when she asked, we told her that Muffy had died and (say it with me, people) that she had to go and live with Jesus. Anna Grace got this crazy look on her face and just stared at me. If I could read her mind I’m sure she was thinking something about why Jesus would need all of these cats. My MIL and I decided to just move on and and act like nothing happened.

The sock…that “second sock syndrome” sock. Why yes, those socks are fraternal. What’s yer point?

 

Fast forward to Monday.

Anna Grace wakes me up in the morning and immediately starts asking about Lily. We have a heart to heart, again, about how Lily died, she was too sick to come home, Jesus fixed her boo boo, she lives with Jesus. I even went so far as to tell her that when you die you go to be with Jesus and you can’t come back. I told her that even though we miss Lily she can’t come home, that once you go to live with Jesus, you stay with Jesus.

About that time Anna Grace started messin’ with Chloe. Now, this never makes Chloe very happy. Chloe tolerates Anna Grace’s existence but that’s about it.

I am Chloe.

I rule the universe.

Just ask me.

Now, Chloe is declawed but she knows how to pack a punch. And she was in a particularly foul mood prior to Anna Grace deciding she was going to mess with her. So Anna Grace is messin’ with Chloe and Chloe gives a few warning shots but AG refuses to be deterred. Finally, Chloe just starts poppin her on her hand. BAP! BAP! BAP!

Anna Grace wasn’t hurt but she got the message. She thought about what happened for a second or two and then she looks over at Chloe and blurts out….”Hey! You wanna go live with Jesus?”.

*sigh*