[Silk]

Several faces fill my thoughts at this time of year. Those of family and friends who are lost to the past are there not to make me grieve but rather to make me remember that I was blessed to share some time with them. My fur babies now beyond the bridge warm my heart with the generosity of unconditional love that they left here.
But all these cherished memories are blighted by the memory of the cold gaze of a particularly deceitful creature who wormed her way into our home a couple of years ago taking advantage of a family that sought to provide comfort to a stranger for Thanksgiving and delayed the stay with sob stories and con games for 45 days virtually holding us hostage and leaving only after draining my 85 year old mother’s bank account (unknown to me until the thug had moved out of the state) and “borrowed” several hundred dollars from me to make the move. The destruction of and theft of property, elder abuse - psychological, emotional and physical made the loss of a few thousand dollars a bargain to have this person vacate the property. Unfortunately the memory of that time has dimmed what was once a bright season for our family.
My beloved Galahad has worked minor miracles in helping all of us heal. She is a singular beacon of integrity, honesty, and honor and this year is lighter and brighter than the last and last year was a lifting of a veil.
So many faces ... angels some once human and some furry, one poison thorn, one perfect knight, friends, family, neighbors. I am blessed even with the thorn for it taught me to see more clearly.