HARD DECISIONS

SMOKEY JOE HAMMOND

SEPT. 15, 2000-FEB. 7, 2012



Today, I made the hardest decision I have ever had to make in my whole adult life…I was called upon to show my furry companion of the last 11 years a final act of love. It was a decision I hoped I would never have to make.  

Smokey Joe Hammond, or Smokal, as I endearingly called him, was my steadfast & loyal pet. He never made any demands upon me and was there to comfort me whenever I cried. He gave me encouragement to go on when I felt like curling up into a ball while I fought my battle with cancer. He gave his love unconditionally & was loved in return.

I remember the day my friend called me up & asked me if I would watch him for a couple of weeks while she found him a home. She had found him abandoned in a convenience store parking lot. I said “Sure, I’ll be happy to” and on November 15, 2000 he came into my life. He was scared of me & for the next 3 days hid from me. I knew he was still in my home because he was eating and drinking while I was at work. After that 3^rd day though, during the middle of the night, my furnace quit working. Around 2 a.m., I woke up & felt something furry down around my ankles. I cautiously lifted my blanket & he looked back at me & mewed. After that night, Smokal always curled up in the crook of my arm whenever it was time for bed. I knew then that he had found his furr-ever home.

In 2002, when my cancer was discovered, I went to stay with my brother & sister-in-law.  During my chemotherapy treatments, I had to stay at the hospital for almost a week. My sister-in-law told me he would roam around the house meowing & looking for me.  In two short years, his devotion to me was evident to all those around me. The day I came home from the hospital, he was right there to greet me & followed me around the house like a little puppy, even though he was a kitty.

I wish I could have had more time with him but God decided that he was needed at the Rainbow Bridge. I can see him now, stretched out regally and munching on the grass. He loved going out for walks on his leash & stopping every little ways to pluck a choice blade to gobble up. I will keep him in my heart forever and look forward to the day we are reunited & cross the bridge into heaven, never to be apart again.

GOOD-BYE SMOKEY JOE

For 11 years, your fur wiped away my tears

And your meows calmed my fears.

Your devotion was steadfast and true

I could always count on you.

Now I feel lost and alone, cast adrift,

I never dreamed our parting would be so swift.

The hole in my heart has yet to be reconciled

With the words “Give yourself time, the pain will fade after a while.” 

Now I am left behind, sorting thru all my memories of you,

To commemorate your life and give you the recognition you’re due.

They are all flashing thru my mind with amazing speed,

Giving me the comfort I so desperately need. 

For now we are apart, but in time that will change

And when the Lord calls me home, together we will roam on His open range.

R.I.P. My Dear Smokal Lokal…