Rest in peace, Phoebe.

Phoebe has been sick for the last six weeks or so. When I noticed that she had stopped eating and drinking, I took her to the vet and she diagnosed her with a liver illness. The vet told me that I had to get Phoebe eating again or to hospitalize her for 6 weeks. For the last six weeks or so, I have been feeding her twice a day by syringe. However, she still was not eating. She was hiding in the closet or under the bed most of the day and moving around less and less. Of course, she was also losing a lot of weight.

So, this afternoon I took her to the vet for another visit and the doctor said that she wasn't going to get any better. Because she is already a geriatric cat - I've had her since I moved back to Dallas in 1995 - I opted to go ahead and have her put down.

Its amazing how attached I have become to her. Of all that has gone on in my life over the last 13 years, she's been the most consistent figure. Could she tell some stories! I think the things I'll miss most about her are the way she would greet me at the door when I come home, our afternoon naps, and how she would always sleep up on the bed with me during cold winter nights. She was a sweet cat and my house will be even quieter than it usually is without her.

How are you doing? How am I doing?

Friendship is a gift one never tires of opening.

Just as the ivy that grows on a windowsill requires water and light, our friendships need care and nourishment. We might wish that a good friend would be there whenever we wanted. But we get so busy scrambling to cover all the bases in our lives that we lose touch with friends, even with our partner. We neglect even to ask, "How are you doing?" "How am I doing?"

In spite of our busyness, the time we take for a brief telephone call can make us feel more relaxed and less busy. These seemingly small attentions are important to friendships and instill the spirit of human warmth and care into our lives. It reminds us again of what gives us meaning and opens us up to the affectionate feelings in our partnership.