Rest in Peace, Jigsaw

Jigsaw Jazzie Jordan (07.01.92-07.06.10)

this morning, after 18 years of life, our kitty jigsaw went to be with her Maker. if you ever met jigsaw, you would know that she was a little lover. she LOVED being around people and was, in my opinion, the sweetest cat there's ever been.

every single day up until the last week of her life, jigsaw greeted us at the door when we got home from school or work. she would follow us around the house as we went about our day, just to be near us. while heidi and i were growing up, she would sleep by one of us every night- always curled up under the right arm. when most animals pass away, they go find a quiet, secluded corner to retreat to- but not jigsaw. during her last few days, she stayed in the kitchen, the living room and anywhere we were. i guess our voices and the attention gave her comfort.

jigsaw had a few loves. she loved to eat, loved laying in the sun and loved sitting in the windowsill and by our sliding glass door watching the birds in the feeder and the squirrels and chipmunks in the yard. she had a very patient personality, and never bit or snapped...like when we were younger and i tried to brush her teeth...or when we decided to give her a bath in the lake...or bundled her in a blanket and pushed her around in a doll stroller. to name a few.

when jigsaw was about 7, she met her best friend and "sister," Jinx. after a few weeks of adjusting, the two of them were inseparable. they groomed each other, snuggled, ate and played together. jigsaw was definitely the mom out of the two of them and always watched over Jinxy. i hope Jinx is able to adjust to a normal routine without her there and comes out of her shell a bit more.

if i had to sum up Jigsaw's role in our family with one word, it would be comforter. she was with us through so much- death of loved ones, the awkward middle and high school years, separation, graduations and remarraige. jigsaw comforted me when i graduated from college and moved home for a year and didn't know where life was going. she comforted heidi when i was in the hospital for two months her junior year of high school and she was left home alone day after day. she comforted my mom when she was alone after separating from my dad. and she comforted steve when my mom was working out of town on weekdays the last few years.

i feel so blessed that jigsaw waited for 1 of the 2 times a year that heidi and i are both home to pass. call me crazy, but i truly believe she was waiting to say good-bye. and ironically (or actually not at all- she was such a lover) jigsaw's little heart was the last part of her to stop functioning.

jigsaw, i love you and i miss you. but i know you're well taken care of. i'll see you soon.

"there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."~ecclesiastes 3:1-8