This Tear's for you, Buddy.

This Tear's for you, Buddy.
Saying Good-bye is Never Easy

I miss you Big-Guy, Stud Muffin, Buddy, Pal, Cat, Friend, Garfy, Garfield. I wish I could hear you "meow" some more. I wish I could see your cute little eyes look up at me as you want something. I loved to watch you walk with your little black tail stick straight into the air. It looked so cute when you walked around the coffee table. All I would see it the last few inches of your tail. And the last two inches would slowly wave back and forth like you were thinking about or debating your next move.  I miss how you were so good at being underfoot. You loved to try to trip me up. I will miss coming home from college and have you waiting by the door like you were expecting me. I will miss you waking me up by meowing and knocking on my door in the morning. I will miss you walking on my shelves in my room knocking things off as you walk. Then you would get up on my headboard and knock things off. I would wake up just long enough to try to lift you off the headboard while I was still laying down. You would stretch out your legs and you would be able to knock things off as I was trying to get you. I will miss being able to cuddle with you, or having you on my bed sleeping. As I come up the stairs I would see you and then go pet you. You always looked so peaceful. I miss you getting in my lap and sleeping as I would sit in the chair watching TV. I miss us racing around the house. As I would come up to your hiking spot you would jet out of it and run to a new spot. I miss seeing you stretch out in front of the fireplace. I miss you greeting me when I come home from a night on the town. I miss it when I would walk up the driveway after getting the mail or newspaper and you would run over then lay down so I could pet you. I miss seeing you sit up proud as could be. I miss you jumping onto the counter as I would be brushing my teeth. You would try to drink the fresh water pouring from the tap. I would turn on the tap in the other sink so you could have your own water and I could have mine. You were a young cat, only 15 years old, but you had a good life. You were loved by all of us. When you were missing for two weeks after being hit by a car I looked for you, I distributed hundreds of flyers and put up a lot of posters. We put adds in all the local newspapers. Then, being the Stud Muffin that you are, you showed up on our deck exactly 2 weeks to the day that you turned up missing. With your broken hip you walked up out long driveway. You had lost almost half of you body weight and your voice was really weak. We took you to the vet and he had to re-break your hip to set it correctly. Then he put a pin in it so your hip would heal just right. Then you and dad would sit in the chair together. You, Garfield, with your broken hip and dad with his new artificial hip. That was a great sight. I know you helped each other heal faster. At the old house I remember how you loved to play with the rings from the milk jugs. Every time we would open a new milk up you would get the ring. You would play with it until you lost it. When we moved to the new house we moved the china cabinet that sat near the kitchen. We found about 50 of your rings that you had lost. I cried hard for you Garfield, and I know I will cry some more tears for you, Garfield. You are the cat I grew up with. You helped see me through really tough times, including the time after Dad died. I LOVE YOU GARFIELD.

Note: I wrote this two days after I got word my Best Friend, Garfield, died in his sleep. I really miss him and I will never stop loving him.