Reincarnation

      My family has enjoyed wonderful cats as pets, and invariably when we reminisce, the name of one or the other is remembered or mentioned. Homer, Harry-O, Gratz, Paxton,  Alice, Oreo, and Pierre were cats that lived with us the longest, some making themselves so dear, funerals were held.  I once wrote a story about a boy who lost his pet rabbit, and his grandmother consoled him by telling him his pet was happy “eating carrots behind the Pearly Gates. “ I think our cats also are behind the Pearly Gates, even though I can visit their gravesites here on earth in our back yard. Each site is marked with a stone. One is by the cherry tree. One is in the flower garden, and another is by a dogwood tree. You get the drift.

     When I think of all thepeople I know who have passed into the Great Beyond, I wonder about heaven. I sometimes wonder about Heaven as a place or destination.  I try to imagine what it may be like, but I try not too think about it too hard because I know someday, 'er long, destiny will come a-calling.  But what is heaven like?  Biblically speaking, we have been told there are many rooms there.  We have been told there will be no marrying or giving in marriage, but that we will recognize and be reunited with our loved ones there.  We have been informed by people who tell us about their near-death experiences and about similarities they have seen,---bright lights, warmth, loving feelings, greetings, and lush green landscapes.  Who knows?
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     Some cultures do not believe in a heaven. Some cultures believe in reincarnation. I’m inclined to believe there may be some elements that do get passed down.  If a person listens to the midnight radio show “Coast to Coast,”  he might begin to believe in ghosts, spirits, and of course, aliens. Frankly I enjoy listening to” Coast to Coast.”  When I can’t sleep, I can listen to some of the weirdest programs, but then there are others that make a person reflect, consider, and wonder.

     The definition of reincarnation is, “the rebirth of a soul in a new body.”  That can be a person or an animal.  Another definition is “a new version of something from the past.” The other day, I looked out the window and saw a cat, the spitting image of one of our former cats. Seeing him (or her), I felt that I understood reincarnation. The cat walked around the yard as if he knew the yard. He was spotted, black and white, just as one our cats had been. He stopped at all the places our cat used to visit. He looked through the patio door with a quizzical expression. I knew then that this wandering cat had to be “a new version of something from the past.”  I opened the door.

     But just as dreams and mirages are ephemeral, the cat gave me a quick look then disappeared.  From time to time, I see him, but he does not come in. I am going to leave him there in the yard, by the tree, surely a heavenly place for him to be. And when I see him, if I see him again, I will accept the idea of reincarnation and give him a name.