At about 8:15 this morning, I lost my precious kitten Capaldi to some sudden, unknown illness. He was barely 6 months old.

 

 

I have no idea what killed him. I woke up this morning to get my son ready for school, and Capaldi was lying by my bed, gasping and unable to walk. When I got back from dropping my son at school, I laid on the floor by our kitten and waited with him. I knew it was too late for any vet to save him. I worked in a cat sanctuary for a long time, and there's just a certain look they get when it's time for them to leave.

 

When he was gone, I cried for a long time and just held him. He was just a baby. He deserved a long, happy life.

 

 

It's been a bad day. Last year I lost my greyhound I loving called my old lady Britt. This year I lost my little baby kitty. Sometimes life just isn't fair. I just have to cherish the time I had with him, those short 2 months, and be grateful I still have 2 incredibly healthy cats to love.

 

A Rainbow Bridge for Gus by Barbara Bareis Rigabar is a touching tale of love and loss.  While out on a bike ride with her dad, Gracie sees a rainbow in the sky.  She immediately thinks of her dog, Gus, who passed away.

Gracie's dad stops the bike at one of Gus' favorite spots:  the park.  While there, the pair remember all of the wonderful memories that they have of their beloved pooch.  Her dad then explains why Gus crossed over the Rainbow Bridge into heaven.

Gracie knows that Gus will always be in her heart and that someday, they will be reunited once again.  Until that day, she will be reminded of their bond every time she sees a rainbow.

I greatly enjoyed reading this book.  The illustrations are whimsical and sure to be adored by children of all ages.
Rigabar masterfully writes about the delicate subject of death in a way that will educate, not frighten.  Through her story, she encourages children to share their feelings of sadness, but to also remember the joyful times.  There is even a special section at the end of the book in which children are encouraged to write their own story about a pet that they have lost.

This book is a must read for animal lovers and anyone who has ever dealt with the loss of a pet.  I believe that young and old alike will relate to Rigabar's message that love transcends mortality and lasts forever.   

This series was most interesting for its three rival galactic empires: you had the hyper-capitalist society which casually discards the poor and disenfranchised; the religious theocracy where believers live happy, carefree lives but dissidents are turned into mind-controlled slaves; and the military empire run as a brutal meritocracy.

There were protagonists from each one, and through them we saw that all of their societies were equally repugnant to one another. The characters themselves all had heroic traits, but none of them were, strictly speaking, "good guys" either. This gave the story a wonderfully murky morality, as you could never be sure who you wanted to root for.

The overarching plot, however, of ancient godlike beings frozen in stasis, waiting to be unleashed on the galaxy, took a long time to develop.