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Hi.

Welcome to This Awful/Awesome Life! My name is Frances Joyce. I am the publisher and editor of this magazine. We'll be exploring different topics each month to inform, entertain and inspire you. Meet new authors, sharpen your brain and pick up a few tips on life, love, entertaining and business. Enjoy and please share!

The Sober Cat by Patricia Petrusik

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On March 1st of 2019 my beloved cat Jazmine, The Sober Cat got out of the house. There was a big wind that day and she must have got confused.  At 2:00 am. I woke up because I heard her crying. I put on the lights and walked around the house and yard. There was no cat.  I have spent the last ten months looking for Jazmine. I walked the trails, posted in newspapers and on social media, posted fliers, prayed and cried daily and set live cat traps.

Finally I sought a pet psychic, Kara Anthony. She told me Jazmine was killed by a car on March 1st the same day I heard her crying in the middle of the night.  According to Kara Anthony that was Jazmine's spirit telling me goodbye. 

So now I finally have closure and I want to thank all the wonderful people who have been looking out for her, walking with me and loaning me a cat trap. In this crazy world of ours, it is good, very good to know that there are really nice kind people out there who are willing to help.

Of course I am heartbroken and still cry daily. Jazmine was a large part of the joy in my life and now I must seek new joy for the New Year. Pets are important to us and can give us unconditional love when we otherwise might not find it.

Her legacy as THE SOBER CAT will live on and she will be educating children about drug prevention and teaching them that just because someone is an addict does not mean that they are a bad person. In the books, THE SOBER CAT, Paul is a pet owner and takes very good care of his cats. However, he does not take very good care of himself and dies from an overdose.

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Many kind, wonderful people have become addicts, many of them simply following doctor's orders.  Their deaths leave their families, and their pets with a great loss.  Those left behind must continue to live and to find joy. It is not always easy to feel joyful. In this world, Stop, and be grateful for what you do have. It is especially difficult to show gratitude on a daily basis especially when there has been a great loss.

Our daily mantra should be to show gratitude, pray or meditate and exercise. I am grateful for every moment that I had with Jazmine.  Be grateful for the pets and people in your life.

If your loved one is an addict, remember that it is a disease and support them in getting treatment. They are especially vulnerable after rehab because their tolerance is different. If you have children teach drug education. For very young children, remember Jazmine and her words on drug prevention in the SOBER CAT books. Find joy, love your pets and have a Happy New Year. 

No Show at the Dance by Orlando Bartro

Shopping for Produce by Fran Joyce