Our family cat passed away the day before yesterday. I wanted to share a few takeaways. Honestly, I wasn't attached to the cat, but this was the first time I witnessed my kids collectively grieving, and it hit me hard. I tried to make a little video about this, but kept getting choked up. When my wife called me on the phone to tell me, all I could hear was wailing in the background. When I returned to the property, I assumed that I would have to hold the household together for a little while. What I found surprised me. The kids were comforting each other... It absolutely overwhelmed me with emotion. Any of them could have been overwhelmed, but they were ok together. They had each other. When I brought the cat to its grave, they lost it, but despite their usual content fighting, they naturally held each other. After the burial, my youngest boy was having a moment, and the oldest daughter got herself together enough to hold him and tell him, "It's ok, you did such a good job feeding her every day." 😫 Family is so important when life is hard. It doesn't have to be blood, but protect what family you have at all costs. Our fiat society wants nothing less than the dissolution of the nuclear family, and I understand why. It is such a a powerful bulwark against hopelessness. We must build, protect, and heal our families! RIP Dewey