An awful week

It began with the realization that our two senior cats, Patches and Mittens, would have to be put to sleep. They were eighteen and nineteen, respectively. Both were losing weight and becoming incontinent. Mittens had arthritis and frequently stumbled while trying to walk. It was time. Putting them down would be a kindness.

Then Jordan found a job working for a marketing company in Tulsa. It lasted three days until he found out that his normal work week would have only one day off, and he couldn't have flexible hours in order to go to night classes. He didn't like some of their less than ethical practices. He told them he was quitting on Friday afternoon, and called me to see that it was OK that he do so.

Shortly after talking to him, my phone rang again. Mary was sobbing and I couldn't understand what she said at first. When she calmed a little, she told me her brother had just died.

Danny was 47 years old when he died in his sleep. He hadn't been healthy for quite a while. As a teenager, he was seriously injured while cutting down a tree with a chainsaw. The tree split unexpectedly, hit him in the head and nearly killed him. He endured the after effects from it for the rest of his life.

Dan wasn't perfect. He suffered from depression, drank too much, and had trouble holding a job. Yet his funeral service was so crowded it was standing room only. He touched other lives in ways he never realized. The family discovered just how much effect he'd had when the funeral director told them an anonymous donor covered the entire expense. Dan left behind his son, Jimmy, his step-daughter, Christa, and his former spouse, Debbie. He'll be missed.