The Comforts of Life: The Caturday Afternoon Nap

On Saturday afternoon, I attended my second funeral in as many days. This one was much closer to home, about a 15-minute drive away. My friend John, whom I used to work with years ago in Outreach at Penn State, passed away about a month ago, and his services were held on this day.

John was one of the nicest, most articulate, funniest men I have ever met, and the world is far worse off without him. At the reception following his funeral, I was surprised to see placed around the table a collection of the silly hats he used to wear; and of course, I had to nab one, which I plan to wear in his honor. Go well, dear friend John. . . .

But before all of that, I got to hang out at home with that Tabbycat, who hated being left alone all day Friday for our long drive to and from the Chesapeake Bay for my husband's aunt's services.

On this day, Dexter was delighted to have us both finally at home. And while I sat on the bed and caught up on a few things and read my book, Dexter curled up very cutely for his all-important Caturday afternoon nap. Cats are one of the great comforts of life, and I enjoyed our quiet time together, as did sweet Dexter, who looked so blissful in this shot.

As you might imagine, thoughts of death have been weighing heavily on my mind these past few days. Recently, Chris Cornell, the lead singer of Soundgarden, took his own life. I was not awfully familiar with his music, but I do love the cover he did of the Prince classic Nothing Compares 2 U, which is one of my favorite sad songs about loss and longing. It seems appropriate for such times.