Thursday, September 3, 2020

Thankful Thursday: Mewsings on a Muse (Medallion)

Four years ago I was stunned to win a Muse Medallion from the Cat Writers' Association on my very first try. I won in the Blog category, and my post submissions had been regarding Truffles' sudden passing. My experiences through that tragic time inspired some of my best writing, and to have it acknowledged by a group I respected so much and had wanted to be a part of for a very long time was one of the highlights of my life.


Over the past few years I've won several more Certificates of Excellence but in all honesty I didn't expect to ever win another Muse. The competition is incredibly stiff and just being a contender is an incredible honor.

This year the awards ceremony was held virtually. It was held the weekend before my mother's birthday and I had family things going on but I planned to dip in and out of the ceremony as time allowed. I wanted to catch the very beginning though and kept watching when the Written Article: Health & General Care categories were announced first since I had submitted three articles in those categories. 


I almost fell off the couch when my name was announced as the winner of a Muse for an article I wrote for Canidae, The Heartbreak of a Saddle Thrombus Blood Clot, chronicling not only my personal experience with Truffles, but going on further to explain what a saddle thrombus is, signs to look out for, treatment options and the fairly bleak outlook. 

While it was a shock to win another Muse I had to smile knowing that once again Truffles was the reason behind it. Even from the Rainbow Bridge she's touching hearts and making a difference in people's lives. I shared her story hoping it might help just one cat parent going through a similar situation. I'm sure I'm not the only one who had never even heard of a saddle thrombus before experiencing it firsthand, and it's terrifying beyond words when you don't know what's going on. My goal is to one day write another article on the subject filled with hope and medical advances that are saving cats' lives from such a hideous condition.


Unfortunately I don't have a link to the article because Canidae's blog shut down in January and they inexplicably removed the majority of their content. Thankfully I saved everything I wrote for the site and I plan to republish it in its entirety here very soon because it contains such valuable information.

Many thanks to the judges for honoring my beloved Truffles with another Muse Medallion. This award belongs to her and her alone. 


Visit Brian's Home for more thankful kitties and doggies!

14 comments:

Fiona L. Woods said...

Congrats! You (and Truffles) deserve honor!

BTW: When our furkids go over the Rainbow Bridge, they do come back once in a while to visit and help out. That little flash you see out of the corner of your eye? That funny shadow on the wall? It's just a quick, "Hi! I'm fine."

Marvelous Marv said...

Concatulations! I remember reading that article! It was excellent and explained things well. A friend was going through something similar. Thanks for writing it!
Barb (Marv's Mom)

Mickey's Musings said...

Congratulations !!! That is a very important topic.
While she is gone, her spirit lives on in you.
Purrs,Julie

The Island Cats said...

Congratulations! So well deserved.

Patricia T said...

Congratulations!

Mark's Mews (Marley, Lori, Loki, and Binq) said...

The best writing skips the brain and comes right from the heart...

Well, OK, the brain edits afterwards, but it needs the heart for the content.

Eastside Cats said...

Dontcha think the color of this medal matches Mudpie purrfectly?!?
Way cool; high five!

Catscue Cat Mom said...

Congratulations! Well deserved! I saw your story on Lola the Rescued Cat and loved hearing about how you and Mudpie got together.

The Menagerie Mom said...

Truffles your Muse Medallion muse is certainly purring right now as she watches you from above. You deserve both of these awards, and many more!

Leah said...

Many Con-cat-ulations on your well-deserved MUSE awards! The kitties and I send purrs!

Summer at sparklecat.com said...

Your Muse this year - and the last time you won one are both so well deserved! Congratulations again!

Three Chatty Cats said...

Congratulations on your Muse! I was very happy to hear you won while I was watching the ceremony.

pilch92 said...

Congratulations on your well deserved medallion. Thank you for the kind words you left on my blog for the loss of Polar Bear. XO

M Dawson said...

I expect a huge fanfare when the article is released. Have you thought of checking the submission guidelines for Catster? It might be a good fit and would give you an epic backlink to the blog!

PS Mine arrived today!