Letter From My Father

Pam --
 
Let me add my condolences on the passing of The Old One, even
as I commend you for your thoughtful and well-written
commentary.

 There is nothing like the death of one we hold dear to bring us face
to face with the great mystery of existence. It matters not a whit
that the departed is an animal of the human variety or of some
other (perhaps nobler) kind. It was Jesus himself who said, two
thousand years ago, that the Father in Heaven takes account of
each sparrow that falls to the ground. (Animal-rights activists
should take note of this ancient testimony.) I'm sure that his
observation applies to cats as well.
 
I appreciate the words by Gibran that you appended to your own.
They remind me of the truism stated years ago by a Nobel
Prize-winning economist and philosopher named Herbert Simon.
Simon argued that we never know the full essence of a system until
it fails. The physical system of Pam and Boots has failed, but like an
egg shell it has fallen away to reveal the abiding essence of the
relationship within. That essence now stands in place of Boots,
and it will persist as long as you do.
 

I love you dearly,
 
Dad