A Cat's Story-Moonshine or Oreo?

It has been over six weeks now, her room is untouched. We are left with her fish Daffony and her kitten Moonshine or Oreo.We have been instructed to take good care of them. It is a female kitten, so Moonshine is not that appropriate, but we tend to call her that. It would be nice if you can advise us on the best name. This kitten was born to a Tabby cat on our porch in April of this year. Tiger the mother cat, gave birth in a recycling  bin outdoors on our deck. Since we had an indoor cat already, the two adult cats did not do well together. Deborah kept close watch on Tiger, and to her delight found out that she was pregnant early in the year. She wanted to come home from the hospital over Christmas 2013, so she can be with Tiger.  Tiger gave birth to four kittens, three of which she gave away to friends. There was Dalmi, Skylar, Blue, and Moonshine. Taking care of them indoors was something else. We had a pop up doghouse in my kitchen for nine weeks, in order to protect the little ones from outdoor racoon visitors. Tiger was the best of mothers, washing and nursing her litter of kittens day and night. The families Deborah found for the kittens, gave them new names, but all our girls had tears in their eyes as they parted. Never have they experienced birth and new life in such a close encounter.
Eventually, we had no choice but to find a home for the mother cat also, we only kept Moonshine, who looks like an Oreo cookie.
 Tiger the mother cat was adopted by a single mother with an 8 yr old daughter. They were going to keep her indoors so it sounded like a perfect match. The mother was going through a divorce, and she thought that this cat would bring company and enjoyment to her only daughter. They would walk it on a harness outdoors since they lived in a condo. In any case, I told the new owner that she will need to be fixed. 

About three days before the funeral, Tiger is brought back from Burnaby by this single mother. She has shown me her scratches on her arm, and indicated that there is no way she can keep this cat. She dropped off bags of cat food at my foyer. She had no idea that we were in the midst of planning Deborah's funeral. She gave her condolences, apologized but said she has no other option but to leave the cat here. My daughters were thrilled that Deborah's cat came back. They took it as a sign from God, and we embraced Tiger all over again. She is currently in a padded box on our deck again, but she is spayed so she can comfortably roam the neighbourhood once again.
P.S. this is not a staged photo. Moonshine wanted to be there.

All things work together for good?

"And we know that all things work together for  good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose". Romans 8:32. One wonders how a tragedy like this can work for the good. There is no explanation, blame or answers. There has to be complete surrender, and knowing that God is sovereign. Recently I met a believer in Whistler, who shared with me his story of wanting to be a pilot since childhood. His first words, he told me was not mama and papa, but airplane.  An accident at age 16 crushed any hope of him becoming one. He was in a coma,  had head injury and countless fractures. Nevertheless, God not only made him a pilot, but a navigator of pilots, so he can have more impact over all the pilots.

Yet the questions remains, was it the psychosis caused by months after months of doing dope, and alcohol in grade 12?  Why did my daughters mind got damaged, and not her friends? There have been studies in the Netherlands, Australia and other countries on the side effects of marijuana, one being psychosis. The psychiatrist said that if her psychosis is drug related, it is the better of other options.

 I know she had a few friends she did not do these party nights with, or indulge in alcohol. Others were God fearing Christian girls. Some moved away though, to study abroad, and others had boyfriends. The regular overnight visit to one or two so called friends, I believe, has brought about her demise. This is my motherly sense.  Doing drugs and alcohol were her happy place, she said in her letter to us. How can that be? Was she medicating herself, to dull the pain of living, or of her psychosis? Did she want to overdose on these substances  in order to die? Did some trauma in Mexico leave her without emotion? I asked her once a year or so ago, at what point did you die emotionally? Deborah answered, "that is a good question". She would have some manic outburst, some days were high, others low. At one point she came home drunk, so bad, she could barely walk. She would take chances with her safety, and not tell us where she was going. Friends were inviting her out again, on her phone while in her drunken stupor, only to be intercepted with watchful neighbors, and ourselves. She could not tell us where she was, or who she was with. On occasions she would texts her sisters to pick her up, which was considered a good night.
During grade 12 exams, she struggled with memory retention, and had anxiety from the exams. After grade twelve, the stress of not knowing what she will study became obvious. Curious as we were, we would keep asking. Then in September of last year, she landed a nanny job, loving the work with the children. However, it became too overwhelming for her, busing to work and working eight hour days, looking after two little ones. Marijuana was her substance of choice during this time.

So many water images in the song she played, makes me think that she somehow felt God calling her to jump into the deep waters, into His embrace.  I believe  that God would not hold this against her when she was suffering from a broken mind any more than he would hold it against someone with a broken leg.  Jesus caught her at the moment her feet hit the water. Her sisters remember her saying, she wants to be a bride of Jesus. Yes, all things are good, and she sealed her fate, she baptized herself once and for all.

Pink Granite and Roses

You may not know this, if you attended the funeral, but our slide presentation crashed and a song that Deborah sang casually at home was also going to be played. The theme song of the service "Oceans" by Hillsong  was one of her often played songs in our home, accompanied by her beautiful voice. Please listen to the words, it is a song about faith. She completed her level 8 Royal Conservatory in piano 3 years ago, and her piano teacher played during the service. Only memories now. She is so painfully missed.
Today was a hard day, we finalized her marker for her grave. Pink granite, with roses.  It should be here by Christmas.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m_sWJQm2fs



So many water images in the song she played, makes me think that she somehow felt God calling her to jump into the deep waters, into His embrace.  I believe  that God would not hold this against her when she was suffering from a broken mind any more than he would hold it against someone with a broken leg.  Jesus caught her at the moment her feet hit the water. Her sisters remember her saying, she wants to be a bride of Jesus. Yes, all things are good, and she sealed her fate, she baptized herself once and for all.