I left a huge part of my heart in Chicago yesterday. When I originally wrote this, I was alone and bawling at the Illinois Belvedere Travel Oasis. I didn't care who saw it. I am human.
Honestly, I was just so happy to see my friend Noodle one last time. I picked him up and gave him a hug, and he gave me one last kiss/nuzzle on the hand. It's solid proof that no matter where your path takes you in life, pets keep you in their hearts, too.
The truth is, he’s been living in Chicago for the last few years with my sister. He was my sister's cat, but I lived with him for many years and raised him too. She just ended up moving to Chicago for her job, whereas I decided to stay in Wisconsin.
It had been a few months since I last saw Noodle, but it was like we just picked right back up and started where we left off—like no time had passed at all.
I’ll be honest, I didn't think about it at the time, but I'm so glad I got to show him a calm and happy me. When I saw him, I didn't feel sad, I felt happy to see my little friend. I loved him so much.
Now I have that beautiful last memory, and I am so grateful that my sadness didn't affect him in any way. He won't remember a crying me; he'll remember me as his friend who was so happy to see him. Because... I was..
But now, I can not hide my pain and my grief. My friend is gone... he's really gone. I wrote a letter to him so that he'd always have a piece of me with him no matter where he goes. It has been buried with him in his shroud.
I realized it's not stupid at all to write a card to a cat. I never saw him as just a cat.. He was my friend. And like any friend, I feel the need to share his memory with the world.
Oh, Noodle Toes, thank you so much for loving me. I had a cheese pizza slice in honor of you yesterday. I remember how you and I used to share cheese when you were younger. You always had to have a bite of whatever I was eating, but you loved it when I had cheese pizza.
Honestly, I'm really proud of myself. I'm glad I made that journey. It was a 300-mile journey round trip, but I didn't matter to me. No amount of physical distance would ever outweigh my love for this cat.
In loving memory Noodle. 2008 to 2026.
Yeah, excuse the background, I didn't want to show my actual house for privacy reasons. But that's his mom and him. The background is set off of a real picture of them. His mom passed away back in 2019.