In Honor of Margie the Momcat
On October 4th, 2003...at 5:05am, Margaret Anne Simone Maxine Gunderson died, losing her battle with what was listed as Congestive Heart Failure. But there is more to what this cat, this fourlegged human with fur, paws and a killer stare than what can be listed here.
When she was adopted from a shelter out in western Oregon by my roomie at the time and myself, it was as though she had come to us with a mix of joy of finally leaving a shelter after close to 8 years there, but she had that little bit of apprehension about coming into a place with two male cats...those being Mac and Raymond [Emmy who was mentioned on Simon's page had passed on a few months earlier]. It only took a couple weeks for Margie to not just come out of her shell but, but to assert her personality in such a way that among her many nicknames [Shimpy, Pantera, 'Ann' - after the host of 'The Weakest Link']..'Momcat' became the preferred one. As for her last name, that after the lead character in the movie 'Fargo', which was appropo. Margie was known for being rather no-nonsense, be it about her speaking for the other cats about the food dish being filled immediately or to her staring at me while I was on the phone talking to a clinent about fixing their PC to even INSISTING that the TV be tuned to 'The Weakest Link' or even 'Law and Order'. It was after my roomie and I went our seperate ways that Margie then showed why she was really here.
Unfinished Business.....
This was and is the best way to describe the nature of my relationship with Margie til she passed on. It was as though she had thorugh divine intervention inherited the traits of a cat who my family had when we were younger, ironically named Shrimpy. It was odd to note that Momcat would seem to have the same musical tastes as Shrimpy did [Renaissance, Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Progressive Jazz] or would carry on conversations with me...not so much conversations but her form of a Socratic dialog. And there was something else....and it may seem just a little thing to others but it was the fact that Margie like the Shrimp would give backrubs. Yes, nice special little almost precision-based backrubs that took away not just the tenseness of the day but were a prelude to having her park herself on my back and purr.A sound that was a gentle mix between the sound of a gentle sabre saw and the low roar of the engine from a 757.Even though that was in my ear, it was soothing.
Unfinished Business...
Before she had passed on, it had become apparent that there was a reason, a 'cosmic rationale' if you will as to why the above characteristics were present with Margie and I had even mentioned that to her. When I said that, there was almost that knowing twinkle in her hazel eyes, as though she knew that I knew. There was no other logical explanation as to why all the above happened except this....Margie was here to not just complete the path of her long before predecessor, but to also say goodbye on her own terms. For us as well as the other cat in the house, Rachel to meet this particular time as a family. It was also a way of Shrimpy and Margie to make sure that Yours Truly was emotionally in good hands...As though she wanted to make sure that Rachel and I would remain together, be good to each other.
The song here is 'New Horizons' by the Moody Blues from their album with The Colorado Symphony [Live at Red Rocks]. When I have played this as a memorial, the studio version was used, but this live one not just brings a few chills to the spine but a little hope to the soul. Margie would have understood why...much like with Simon and Emmy, they are still around to guide, that little nudge that comes from out of the blue.
The one lasting aspect in Margie's passing is in some way, there is always that glimmer of hope to run into a human who would encompass those qualities of hers that made her time here, as short as it was a true joy. While I am and will continue to be saddened by the fact that she passed from here too soon, there is joy in the fact that her existence showed that there are some parts of life which are universal, no matter which way God had packaged them.
Loading...
5:11
Moody Blues ... New Horizonsby got2nap319,270 views
A very touching tribute. Margie was lucky to find you (and vice-versa).
glutubular 2 years ago