The Popeye Expression

"I am what I am!" ... or is that, "Oye, Olive Oil, Iyam wha tie yam!"

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Today was a sad day for our family. One of us died. Julie's cat, Rolly, was a part of our family for over 12 years. He was a big, muscled, long-haired black cat. Ornery! He was a one-person cat, only really loving Julie, though he could tolerate Jodie on his good days. He'd run away from Dale ... and stand and hiss at me. We used to call him the Stealth Cat because of the way he'd slink in the shadows then hide in the closets or behind the furniture.

Over the last few months, Rolly went from 16 pounds down to less than 10 pounds. When I held him this morning, he was all fur and bones. Julie made the tough decision to help him peacefully leave the earth. She asked me to drive down to Moscow to be with her and Rolly during this transition.

We did first things first. Made Rolly as comfortable as possible and gave him lots of love, then drove him to the vet. We stayed with him, giving him love as the drugs were administered. After one last, loving head butt, Julie and Rolly said good-bye for the last time.

What does this have to do with today's phrase? I suppose it's that it was ME that Julie wanted by her side for this. That I could bring something to this situation that is unique. I could love my girl as she poured her love into her cat. Then I could hold her up and keep her busy with tasks ... breakfast as our favorite nook, a bit of craft shopping to get supplies to make a memory box, moving Rolly's things out of her apartment, cleaning her space, taking her to work, eating dinner, doing a boatload of laundry, buying snacks for the all-nighter she needs to pull to get her class presentation complete.

In that mix of tasks, we rib each other, tell dumb jokes, and simply enjoy the oblique humor the two of us share. In between each task, we stop and cry, grieving for the furry critter that has left his mark on our lives.

I don't for a moment think that I'm the only person in the world that could help Julie through this tough time. But I do believe that I have some unique qualities that she seeks to make it over the bumps of this week. I'm so glad that Julie embraces these unique and quirky gifts I have to give her. She helps me understand my own gifts. She brings them out in me.