Marking five months today, since....
our beloved cat Scotty died. He got really sick at the end of October, so on November 2nd, we took him to the vet for the last time. Doesn't seem like five months already. Below I've posted some of my favourite photos of him. As you can see, like most cats, he spent a lot of time sleeping *g*. We still miss him a lot, but he was 17½ and had been diabetic for over two years. And had lived a full, happy, pampered life. The strange thing is, George, the other cat, seems to have taken up some of Scotty's habits. It really spooks me out at times, but I'm learning to live with it.

Thoughts on the Pope
I'm half Polish, so my tie with him is more through my ancestry and his underground work during WWII than as a religious figure (I'm Anglican). My late father's experience is something that still resonates through my life. Though Karol Wojtyla was not deported, he was involved in anti-Nazi activities in Warsaw during the war. Add to that his support for the Solidarnosz movement in the late 70s and early 80s, and it's hard to deny his role as a true Polish patriot.

I also vividly remember the day the Pope was shot. My babcia hadn't been watching television that day (she usually watched Edge of Night and Another World), so my dad had to tell her. I thought she was going to pass out, until my dad hastened to assure her that he was still alive and likely not mortally wounded.

So for me, keeping this vigil for the Pope is more about losing another tie to my childhood, to my father and grandmother, and a chance to reflect yet again on my family's history.