By Jeanette M. Pintar - with inspiration from Misty

Misty was perceptive. If I had a bad day, she would insist on being near me and rubbing up against me. If Mark was sick, Misty would snuggle under the covers with him. If I had laid down for a nap while struggling with low blood sugar, Misty would jump up on the bed and nuzzle to make sure I was OK. She wasn't just perceptive with us, either. My friend Ceiça had moved here from Brazil. During a particularly rough week, Ceiça agreed to watch Misty for us while we were visiting family. Her fiancé was out of the country on business, and her father was in Brazil undergoing a major heart surgery, which Ceiça could not attend because her visa had expired and the company sponsoring her had lost the paperwork.

Ceiça didn't care too much for indoor pets. She didn't quite understand how people could treat them like their children because where she grew up animals were kept outside. She didn't dislike Misty, but she definitely wasn't real attached to her. When I called to see how things were going Ceiça sounded very surprised. She told me how she'd come down to check on Misty and our birds, and was feeling quite depressed. She hadn't said anything to Misty, but for the first time since Ceiça had been visiting us, Misty jumped up on her lap. Ceiça's first instinct was to push Misty away, but Misty persisted. She then began to nudge Ceiça to pet her. When Ceiça began to pet Misty, Misty purred… something she never did for "strangers." Ceiça said the oddest thing happened. As soon as Misty began to purr, she felt peace and knew that her dad would be OK. Ceiça believes Misty knew she needed love and reassurance. She felt a special connection with Misty even though she still is not tremendously fond of animals.

Misty knew something that could benefit all of us. Sometimes it's much more important to just be there than to say or do anything in particular. Human beings need a sense of connection. And in our darkest moments we want more than anything not to feel alone or abandoned. Although we always hope for just the right words or gift or actions that will take away our pain, we know there are times when those things honestly can't help. But something else will…

--- © Jeanette M. Pintar, Inspired by Misty