Hawthorne a.k.a. Wootie

I’d forgotten for a time. For a couple of weeks I’d been worried that I’d choose the wrong kitten to add to our family. Our beloved Edgar Allan had died 7 months before, and though my husband and I don’t believe in “replacing” animals, Baby and Jerzy were so at odds and ends that we knew we needed a new heart in all our lives. But would I choose incorrectly?

Turns out, Hawthorne chose us. He separated himself from the passel of cats and kittens and brought his little sickly self to stand by my side.

And he became my husband’s dearest, most loving, most loved, sidekick.

And he became my funniest sweet lamb.

And eventually he became our group’s patriarch (tho’ sometimes he used his powers for evil, not good!).

Almost 18 years flew by, with li’l Hawthorne growing from a rambunctious kitten into a dear and precious old man. He started winding down his life, slowing down but always ready to be an intro pic for, say, a newsletter or four. Always a good and faithful Accomplice, even until the morning he drew his final breath, leaving us with sorrow, longing, and the feeling we’d been well and truly loved. God knows we loved him right back!

Sooooo much in my heart to say about Wootie, but as my husband says, sometimes a loving silence is the best we can do.

But I’ll always remember him from certain audiobooks, and I shall definitely feel him close by as I wander through this life without him.

Rest in peace, my precious, my hilarious Wootie.

I’ll always see you, waiting at the window.