- Heartbroken and Healing
- Since You’ve Been Gone. Our Message to Gracey
- Being Brave and Feeding Bossy Backyard Blue Jay A Message to Gracey
- Collecting Your Ashes. Our Message to Gracey after Two Weeks
- Trying to Save Birds Our Message to Gracey after 3 Weeks
- Cheetah Love Our Message to Gracey after Four Weeks
- Our Message to Princess Gracey after 5 Weeks
- Summer Blues Our Message to Gracey after 8 Weeks
- First Snow Without You Our Message to Gracey After 6 Months
- Blue Christmas Without You Our Message to Gracey
- There is Something About Winter. Our Message to Gracey after 10 Months
- Our Message to Gracey After One Year
- Our Message to Gracey After Two Years
- Our Message to Gracey After Three Years
- To Gracey, Four Years Later.
- Five Years Later. Bad Kitty Tells Annie Stories of Gracey
Our Message to Gracey After One Year
It doesn’t seem possible that a year has passed and yet it seems like forever. How can time go by so quickly yet feel like slow motion? Grief takes its toll and then some as we put one foot in front of the other forcing ourselves to move on.
Cats are creatures of habit, but so are we, using routines and calendars to organize our lives. Our memories associate what else was happening at the time of our loss, like the date, a song on the radio, a conference, etc. I was supposed to speak at BlogPaws last year, but canceled last minute because you were so ill. We won the best Facebook award at the conference and our friend Carol Bryant accepted on our behalf.
I was able to go to BlogPaws this year and just got home last Sunday. This was the first time I saw many friends face to face after losing you and so many had wonderful things to say about you. It was nice to hear.
We lost you on the 17th of May, which is also Norwegian Independence Day. I have great memories of time spent in Trondheim. A grand parade, people dressed in beautiful bunads (the traditional Norwegian dress) and flags waving everywhere. I remembered it was the 17th of May while driving home the day we said goodbye. I thought about your own freedom from pain on this special day of independence.
I knew we would feel a mix of emotions ranging from sadness and heartache to bittersweet memories on the anniversary of losing you. It is cold and rainy for May and that suits us just fine because we needed an excuse for a lazy day.
I spent today looking through photos of you and reading through many of the kind words friends wrote to us.
The messages bring comfort and I confess I wasn’t very good at responding. I hope everyone realizes how much their words mean to us. I found videos I made of you but didn’t get posted. I think I might finish them and share with your friends. They might like them too.
You so loved to drive the car into the garage with your dad. You would get on his lap and he would pretend you were driving. It was one of those silly things that made us laugh. I loved the colors highlighted in your fur when the sun would shine on the back of your head and I tried to capture them in this photo. I never dreamed this would be the last photo I would take of you. I found it today on my cell phone.
Today looking for a photo of the Weeping Angel our friend Carolyn sent to us, I found myself overcome with sorrow. Carolyn passed away in late March and we miss her. She was the sweetest friend and my heart is heavy with sadness.
Yesterday I saw this quote by Paul Boynton and thought it was perfect for today.
When we experience the kind of loss that leaves us broken hearted, lonely and somehow inconsolable, it’s because the love and joy was and is just as powerful as our grief. And so it’s never really about pushing the sadness away; but it’s about remembering and letting in the joy too. It’s in those stunningly beautiful, joyful moments that we catch a glimpse beyond the mystery and know in our hearts that love is not only stronger; it is forever. And we smile. Paul Boynton
Gracey, we will love you forever. And we smile when we think of you. Thank you for sharing your life with us.
Today we remember Carolyn and Gracey as we do our best to let the joy back in our lives. Thank you for sharing this journey with us and for your patience while we work through our loss. We are ready to continue Gracey’s mission and are grateful to have you as our friends.
Joanne and Paul
Joanne, I rarely have time to comment but wanted to stop by to send hugs on your tender day of remembrance. Every time I open your emails the first thing I notice is “Gracie, always in our hearts” and so she is, always. Love your screensaver and quote. I hope to see you at Blogpaws. It’s touch and go with 20-year-old Merlin.
Gracey is in our thoughts and Prayers everyday. We Pray to meet our dear sweet Gracey, one day, at the Rainbow Bridge. Thank you again for sharing her with us. Sending you all snuggles and purrs. xoxoxo The SDR Clan
I miss Gracey also. I still carry my Tiniest Tiger tote bag that has the drawing of her cute little face on it. Such a powerful spirit will never be completely gone! Love you, Gracey!
Margaret, that is so sweet that you carry The Tiniest Tiger tote. That really warms my heart. You just gave me an idea too. xoxox
Thank you for sharing. I lost my beloved 17 year old SpankyDoodle on May 4th two years ago, so May is a greiving month for me too. I feel a little better when I know others understand how much we love our kitties, and miss them so much.
Andrea, I am sending you a hug. It is so hard and yes it really does help when others understand how much of a loss it is when we lose a family member. Thank you for being a part of The Tiniest Tiger community.
love and prayers. . .God bless you in all you do for the kitties. . . <3
Thank you so much. And thank you for being our friend and part of our community.
Joanne & Paul; I haven’t followed the Tiniest Tiger for as long as some others, and I am not on facebook, so I appreciate the newsletter I received.
It affords me an opportunity to learn about a truly amazing cat; your Gracey. I GUARANTEE you, Gracey is and always will be, closer than you think. She lives on as a part of this community, she lives on in the memories she left behind with you and countless others; more importantly, she lives on in both your hearts and souls…hence…. she is never more, than a heart beat away. First year “bridge” anniversary’s are always the hardest; I hope she left you both a “sign”, to reassure you she is ok……… Laura
Laura, Thank you so much for your kind words. Yes, I think she is nearby and guiding Annie and Eddie in her pawprints. Thank you so much for being a part of The Tiniest Tiger community.
I’m glad that you sent this in your newsletter too, as I get so much on my FB feed, I miss most of what I really want to see (I’m in the slow process of winnowing everyone into various ‘like lists’, so I can pick and choose what to see :P). Thank you for continuing to share your precious memories of Gracey with all of us out here, and for giving us the opportunity to get to know Annie and Eddie and Mercy, too. I will be the first to admit, the minute I see a post from you on FB, or when the newsletter pops into my email inbox, I am immediately smiling, and I very much look forward to find out about the latest escapades of the ‘kids’ and Mercy, or your sweet memories of Gracey. Your little cats enrich my life, too. <3
Ann, you just made my day, maybe my year. That is the sweetest thing that you immediately smile when you see our newsletter in your inbox. I will try to keep up the positive energy as we continue to care for all cats big and small.
I did not see this when it was posted on FB, so I am very glad I saw it in your newsletter. Gracey will always be one of my favorite kitties, and I am so glad you shared her with us. As Gracey always said, “Super hooray” for your love and caring.
So glad you found us again! Facebook is making it difficult on all of us. Thank you for thinking of Gracey as one of your favorite kitties. That means so much. xoxoxo
Gracey was lucky to have you. I am living through terrible times here, Florida. Sometimes I read things online by people who are not in touch with how deviant people are to animals and to women. Last year I was angry when I wrote a note to you about the dumb video contest sorry, I did not realize you lost Gracey. I also quit BlogPaws, they are out of touch in many ways. We were shot at in my house, it was deliberate – I saw them set up the shot. My cats were safe but me fighting back has made it worse – as usual. We will lose our house…I’ve lived in a home with no running water because of local corruption…this year my cats were attached literally by termites swarming from underground…and it goes on and on. I’ve written about corruption in the South for over 20 years, my cats center me. I am lucky to have them and hope they will not die too early. If you get involved in a fight for animals, don’t be symbolic and put on a happy face. Tell it like it is. Thanks for your newsletter.
Pamela, Thank you for being a member of The Tiniest Tiger community. I hope things work out for you soon. xoxo
so lovely tribute to Gracey. Lost my Freddy (he looked a lot Gracey) to diabetes also on 7/13/13 at 16 yr old.he is on left next to Domino.
Awwww Freddy was so handsome. Both Freddy and Gracey had diabetes. Thank you for loving Freddy so much. Sending you a hug. Thank you for being a part of The Tiniest Tiger community.
I always hesitate to read these because I always cry….. they’re wonderful…. but still make me cry!! LOL!
Gracey was the very first cat page I found on Facebook….. and I always enjoyed it… still do, just wish I got to see more of the posts… *hissssssss* to Facebook!!!
Thank you for mostly making my life brighter and helping the kitties!!! <3
Trish, fat tails and hisses to facebook. They have made it so hard for us to see the things we want to see. I plan to send out weekly newsletters with highlights, updates, news and special giveaways too. Thank you for being a part of The Tiniest Tiger community.
And Annie and Eddie might make you laugh a bit because we don’t want you to cry too much. xoxo
Your messages to Gracey are very touching. She will always be in our hearts.
Sue B
Sue, thank you for being such a good friend of The Tiniest Tiger. Gracey has a big part of our hearts.
I’ve just come across your message to Gracey, and intend to read the rest of them. I too had a Gracie that I lost a few years ago, and still miss her dearly and always will.
Thank you for being a part of The Tiniest Tiger community. Both Gracie and Gracey will be in our hearts forever. We will always miss our special girls.
Thank you, Joanne, for sharing this last year with us, for allowing us to grieve along with you. Gracey will forever be in my heart also, I think about her often and hope she is running and playing with my furkids who have crossed the bridge. I hope I get to meet Gracey one day when I come to collect all my babies and continue our journey wherever it may take us.
Margaret, thank you for thinking of Gracey as one of your babies too. I think they are all having a great time together.
I wish I had known you were at BlogPaws. :/ I would have loved to meet you.
I’ve enjoyed reading your beautiful letters to Gracey. Thank you for sharing this little part of yourself – and her – with the world.
Christina, I would have loved to meet you too! BlogPaws was so busy and full of energy, it seemed the time just flew by! Thank you for reading and being a part of The Tiniest Tiger community.
What a beautiful tribute. I was thinking about you and Paul and Gracey today, remembering what happened a year ago. I am glad that you shared Gracey and her adventures with all of us.
Melissa, thank you for joining us on this journey. Your kind words and support mean the world to us.
your letters to Gracey are beautiful I am in tears every time I read one I also lost my darling Firecracker last year I started a memorial page on Facebook as my way of dealing with the pain I too wrote a one year later message(took me a week to write) to Firecracker and I thank you in the note because writing to him made the day a little less painful not much just a little So thank you for your beautiful messages
Sending you a hug. I know how hard it is to lose our family members. Do you have a link to Firecracker’s memorial page? Thank you for being a part of The Tiniest Tiger community.
Another touching entry that embodies the love you have for sweet Gracey. May her memory (and Carolyn’s) continue to guide you as your life journey continues. Thank you for allowing us to join you vicariously through your posts.
Thank you for being a part of The Tiniest Tiger community. Your kind words mean so much to us.
What a lovely tribute. I remember sitting at the awards ceremony at Blog Paws last year and so many cat bloggers were in tears when your nomination was announced. I know Gracie heard the catbells over thr Bridge.
That is so sweet you remember the awards ceremony at BlogPaws. I was watching the live streaming video and heard them too. Thank you for your kind words.
Your beautiful words about Gracey never fail to tough my heart. It will be a year on July 7 for my Tara and can’t believe it’s been that long, yet it feels like forever since I held her in my arms. I will never forget that 4th of July weekend as long as I live.
Sending you a hug. I know it is so hard and the anniversary day brings so many emotions. Be gentle with yourself. xoxo