Jedi Wisdom for Grieving Your Best Friend
“Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.” — Master Yoda
I sat cross-legged on the floor in front of my bedroom closet, reading aloud into the blackness within. The story felt perfect for this moment: Chosen by a Cat by the great Ursula LeGuin. It was the winter solstice, the darkest day, the longest night. Inside that closet, in the darkest corner just beyond my view, my true love sat quietly. Listening. Dying.
I have always been A Cat Person, with a particular penchant for tabbies. Something about their stripes, so bold and distinguished, fills me with joy and admiration. I grew up with a proud long-haired tabby with a pink splotch of fur on her head that looked like a rose to my three-year-old self. Rosebud, I named her. I loved her fiercely until she died nineteen years later, the first of many loved ones I’ve had the honor to sit beside as they transition out of this life and into whatever comes next.
I loved Rosebud, but if I’m honest I also took her for granted. From my earliest childhood memories until I was a full-fledged, living-alone-in-New-York-City adult, she was always there, a familiar face at…
