A Tuft of White Fur

             "Who's gonna tell you when
                It's too late?
             Who's gonna tell you things
              Aren't so great?"

                   
                     -From "Drive" by The Cars

This morning I decided to ride my bicycle and went through my usual routine to prepare for it.  At my parking spot near Rock Road I pulled my cycling gloves from my bag and noticed a clump of white fur, clearly Bella's, stuck to them.  I pulled the fur away from the gloves and looked closely at the curly white strands.  Although our house is littered with fur like this, I knew that once she was gone I'd find fewer and fewer of these physical remnants of her.  At some point a find like this will be treasured. 

It was sunny and cool with a slight breeze coming out of the west. My iPod played "Drive" by The Cars, saying "You can't go on, Thinking nothing's wrong".

Believe me, that's NOT what I'm thinking.

I held the tuft of white fur up to my nose to see if I could detect her scent. Nope, I don't have Bella's sense of smell.  With the wind at my back I released the fur and it floated in mid air.  With the sun shining through the clump, I studied the tangle of hairs and wondered how long it had been since they were actually growing on her body.

Slowly the breeze began to carry it away from me, lifting it ever so slightly towards the blue sky.  I watched it steadily drift away on the breeze and strained to keep it within my view.  Eventually it rose over the road, climbing upward towards the bare winter tree limbs.  It crossed the road, floated through the power lines and disappeared.  I moved to try to regain sight of it and for a few seconds I  could see it.  The tuft came and went.  And then it was gone.

That's the way life is...it comes to us unannounced, surprising us with its gifts.  Then one day it drifts away on a breeze and is gone forever.

And that breaks your heart.