Picture of the Day - The Long Goodbye

The cat on the left is my old friend Willie. I rescued him from premature parental abandonment from the front yard of my mom's neighbor's yard 17 years ago this May. Ever since I nursed him back to health his first spring, he has worshiped and adored me with an intermission in our friendship only after I moved out of mom's house. During those days of my darkest nights, he was one of the original best cat friends of my life. All the rest are gone now and now he is dying of old age, his body shutting down following his mind's long march into twilight. To the right is my dog Tequila whom I took under my wing 12 years ago this August. My original intent was only keeping her long enough to find her owner after she mysteriously appeared in mom's neighborhood, going from house to house searching for help and home. Over the past year or two I have noticed her decline in both body and mind. She trips on stairs now or wanders not far when she gets loose or wants to turn back on long walks or gets hot much easier on warm days in which she used to thrive,  she can't hear my voice as sharply, her eyes have a little cloudiness in them now, and often she does not seem to understand what I am trying to get her to do when in the past we were a sharp team. I thank God for my being privileged to meet these creatures of His and be their protectors and friends. I hope I have more years left with my dog but my cat is near the end. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).