Welcome to Week 10 of our 15 week countdown to retirement! (Just click over to HERE if you missed the big announcement.) Today’s post honors all the cat moms, moms without fur, and the influential women who have shaped our lives. Like the kitties, Glogirly was adopted when she was just a kitten…er, a baby. She’s been blessed with four mothers over the course of her life. First was the young woman who gave her life. Then was her mom you taught her how to live it. Her mom chose a very special woman to be her godmother, who near and far was always there for her, especially after she lost her mom to cancer. And most recently, Glogirly’s birth-aunt, the older sister of her birthmother. She was another mother. Unexpected, and one of her life’s greatest gifts. Here’s a spacial conversation between Glogirly and Waffles. And a glimpse of those four amazing women Glogirly has called mother.WAFFLES: So, Glogirly? GLOGIRLY: Yes, Waffles?WAFFLES: Glogirly, are you my mom? Because you don’t really look like me. You don’t even have orange fur or stripes or anything. But I really love you. You know, like a mom and stuff.GLOGIRLY: Of course I’m your mom, Waffles. I adopted you so that you’d be part of our family and we ALL could love you, take care of you, and spend our lives together. WAFFLES: So even though you’re not really a cat, you can still be my mom? Like forever and stuffGLOGIRLY: Forever and always. Forever and ever, Waffles.WAFFLES: And so you’re Ellie’s mom too, right? Forever and everything?GLOGIRLY: Forever and EVERYTHING.Mother’s Day is a pretty special day for our girl. You see, like us kitties she was adopted as a tiny little one. Not only did she have a mom who loved her with all her heart and taught her how to love and be kind and study hard and grow up to find happiness and joy in the world, she’s also been incredibly fortunate to have many mothers looking out for her and holding her in their hearts. Her mom-mom, who along with her daddy adopted her when she was little like a kitten. She’s lived more years without her than with her and even now, misses her so much. Her birthmother, who carried her for nine months and had the strength and love to give her away.Her Godmother, Barb. Their mothers were sisters. Glogirly’s mom was the youngest and her Godmother’s mom was the oldest. Growing up, Glogirly always knew that if anything ever happened to her parents, she would go to live with her Godparents, who have always loved her like their own. When Glogirly was just 24, she lost her mom (her mom-mom) to cancer. A few years later, she and her Godmother became very close and today they are closer than ever. Glogirly loves her with all her heart…and so does Waffles! She will always be a mother to her. Her birthmother’s sister (Dorothy), who Glogirly met 16 years ago and immediately bonded with. Her positivity and joyfulness are infectious. She welcomed Glogirly into her family with open arms and an open heart. Dorothy has three sons and Glogirly has become the daughter she never had. An Update:Sadly, less than a year ago, Glogirly lost both Dorothy and Barb. Within just a day of each other, heaven gained two more angels. This has made mother’s day this year especially meaningful. Both sad for the loss of their frequent conversations and visit, but grateful for the memories and the mark they’ve made on her life. Many of our friends have read Another Mother, Glogirly’s story of her search for her birth family. It still sits here on the pages of our blog, and she still has plans to someday turn it into a memoir. If you’ve never read the story or would like to read it again, we invite you to curl up with your kitties, brew a favorite tea or coffee, and enjoy her journey and the story of her search.. It’s “narrated” by Katie, our beloved tuxedo kitty who inspired our blog 13 years ago. Today, we’re dedicating it to all the strong women out there who have taken others under their wing to show them the way.
