Special Update for Mary

Special Update for Mary

Beloved sponsors,

As I write to you today, the only thing bigger than my sorrow is my gratitude.

Our Mary has left this earth.

I started, deleted, and re-started this update many times, finally realizing that no words could do justice to the miracle that was Mary. If you ever doubted that there is true tenderness to be found; if you ever questioned the existence of a genuinely good heart; if you ever shivered from the cold in a world that can be cruel…Mary was living, loving, exuberant proof that our deepest hopes are not in vain.

To eyes far different from yours, Mary was “just” a little grey puff of a cat, incontinent at that. But to your eyes and your heart, Mary was a constant reminder that love is the greatest force in the universe.

So many of the things I could write about our girl would be understatements. She was one of the kindest beings (feline or otherwise) who ever lived. She made it her purpose in life to nurture others (feline or otherwise). Mary’s life grew and grew the more she gave herself away, which she did with gusto, lavishing love on everyone she met, every day of her life.

I have had the honor of cherishing over 3,000 cats in my 13 years at Tabby’s Place. I have never met a single cat more kind, more deep-down good, more pure in heart, than Mary.

More than a few of us nicknamed her “Mother Mary” for her unfailing maternal ways. From rowdy Angelo to cowardly Chewbacca, Mary made it her mission in life to swaddle everyone she met with love.

Especially us humans.

We will work to be an example of how we as brothers and sisters on this earth should treat each other.

Even as our hearts are quaking and breaking today, I know Mary has not left us — not really, not in the ways that matter most. I believe that, just beyond the veil that separates the living and the dead, she thrives on, more fully alive than we can imagine.

But Mary also lives on in us, if we’ll let her. Hers was a heart so golden that to bask in its glow couldn’t help but make you a warmer creature yourself — one capable of warming the world around you. If we have truly known Mary, we’re now called to carry her flame to everyone we meet.

May we love without calculation.

May we nurture without negotiation.

May we all be at least a little more like the mighty miracle of a little grey mop who blessed our lives beyond expression.

Beloved sponsors, I can never thank you enough for seeing Mary for who she truly was, and cherishing her accordingly. Her life at Tabby’s Place was one long song of gratitude and jubilation, thanks to you. May our own gratitude someday drown out our sorrow.

Thank you from the depths of my grateful, grieving heart.

Your correspondent,
Angela

Note: Since dear Mary has passed away, we have transferred your sponsorship to another cat in need: Mary’s lovable longtime roommate and friend, Adam. We hope he will touch your heart as much as he has ours. You can read about Adam here, and you’ll receive his next update later this month.

If you prefer, you can select a different Special Needs cat to sponsor. Click here to meet all our Special Needs cats, and contact us by email if you’d like to transfer your sponsorship. Otherwise, you will receive updates on Adam each month going forward. As always, your generous support will go where it’s most needed.

Thank you for your love and generosity to Mary. The Tabby’s Place cats are deeply fortunate to have you in their lives.