Our cat Widgit died a few weeks ago. She was age 10, and seemed fine and healthy in the morning. When we came home from work, she was curled up dead on the floor. No signs of distress. It certainly is a reminder that death is just around the corner. We miss her very much. Here is a quote we found that seemed to capture our feelings:

What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.

    Crowfoot, Blackfoot warrior and orator, 1890