¶ 1 Leave a comment on paragraph 1 0 Last night ( 2/25/2013) a healthy, vibrant life ceased to be.  Sam, a large, friendly, very happy cat was killed by a car. The driver, deeply disturbed by the accident, came into our car port as Eloise was coming from the laundry, to enquire whether we had an orange cat. Eloise met me at the door with Sam in her arms, twigs and grass in his mouth and his body limp.  Why Sam was on the lightly traveled Sarnoff road at that time of night is a mystery – as Sam was not one of our roaming cats and that part of outside is seldom frequented by any of our cats.  He may have been chasing one of our feral females, which we feed out front (BUT never have seen in our back yard).

¶ 2 Leave a comment on paragraph 2 0 Noise in our world ended a viable being. Cut short. Sam had a very good life, and it could have continued. Sam will be missed, as we miss his sister, Poppy, who disappeared the day we moved from the Lester house to the Koralee house. We have lost many of our pets and human relatives and friends. I remember holding Skye in my arms after she was killed by a neighbor dog.

¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 0 This morning, lying in bed, I reflected on life and death. All beings die. We must focus on their lives and not the ending of their lives. Some beings cease being early in their lives; others continue to biologically exist long after they have meaningful existences.

¶ 4 Leave a comment on paragraph 4 0 Premature death is exponentially increasing on Planet Earth as we move into a self-inflicted era of mass extinction, now being felt by humankind – often a slow death by starvation or illness accompanied by extreme suffering. Although Pinker’s studies indicate a statistical reduction of one-on-one killing over recent human history, I feel we don’t yet have the whole story and that human suffering and death is now on the rise and possibly rising faster and faster.

¶ 5 Leave a comment on paragraph 5 0 Sam, your “passing over Rainbow Bridge” is a lesson. We can’t take anything for granted. While a regimen of pre-determined, scheduled death is unwarranted; death by “excess noise in the system” is unacceptable violation. Viable beings are the foundation of our living reality. When cuddling with one of our cats or dogs I often marvel as the majestic phenomenon of their living system – all the myriad of cells functioning in the harmonic dance of life. A process well beyond the design competencies of any entity – yet a creation, not just a happening. Sam, you were an exemplar of this principle and I am now tearing in remembrance of your times with me. Goodbye, dear Sammy.