Goodbye, Payton

I'm not sure exactly how to start this blog -- I know, can you believe that I can't think of what to say?! My Mom called me this morning on Skype to let me know that our wonderful cat, Payton (or "Ton" as we called him -- as he is quite the chubby kitty), that she and Mark have been caring for since we moved to England, has passed away. This was a horrible shock to all of us as he was only 9 years old and had been acting perfectly fine. With our move to England at the end of 2006, we decided that Payton wouldn't most likely survive the 8+ hour flight overseas so Mom and Mark graciously accepted our request to keep him while we were away. It was very difficult leaving him behind; however we knew he was in wonderful hands.

Payton became part of our family in 1999. When we lived in Peoria, he was best friends with Bailey, our dalmatian. Unfortunately in 2001, Bailey passed away unexpectedly and Payton lost his best friend. Of course, the kids did their best to fill that void. ;o) When the kids and I moved to Mom and Mark's house in September 2006 (just a few months before we moved to England), Ton came along and worked his way into their household and found a new best friend -- Sadie Sue (Mom and Mark's cocker spaniel). In August and December during our visits to the U.S., we tried to spend as much time with him as we could. As you can see from the photos, the kids chased him around and smothered him while we were there. ;o) Since we've been in England, it seems that every week the kids are asking how Payton is doing in Illinois. When we talk to Mom and Mark on Skype, they always have to go get him and bring him to the camera so the kids can see him and talk to him. ;o) Mom is always sharing funny stories of what Payton and Sadie Sue have been doing to keep each other occupied/entertained.

It is amazing how quickly an animal can become a part of your family. I know that Payton became a part of Mom and Mark's family just as he did ours. Mike is in Spain this week so unfortunately I had to break the news to him over the telephone and this afternoon I had to break the news to the kids that Payton is now in Heaven with Bailey. Brett was only 9 months old when Bailey passed away so Payton is basically the only pet that our kids have ever known. Kendall & Kameron didn't really understand what I was trying to gently explain to them -- except by saying "I miss Payton and I don't want him to live in Heaven...I want him to live at Nana's house so I can see him again soon"; however Brett on the other hand did understand and so he sat on my lap and I held him while we both cried. All of them are asking me a ton of questions -- I just hope that I'm answering them correctly. Before bedtime as were praying, crying, and telling Payton that we loved him very much and will miss him, Kami said she wanted to go to Heaven to play with him. As I explained to all of them that we wouldn't be going to Heaven for a very long time, she simply said "okay, mommy, then can we please call him on the telephone so we can talk to him?" Oh, if it were just that easy... While Brett understands that Payton is in Heaven, he doesn't understand why his little buddy was taken from us so soon. How do you explain that to a child? Losing a pet is always difficult; however if it makes any sense at all, it seems to be harder since we are so far away from home right now.

Mom and Mark -- I am so sorry that you had to deal with the passing of Payton without us being there. Please know that we are eternally grateful for you taking such wonderful care of him and giving him the best life possible over the past year and a half. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!