TGIF

I think his name is Chester…if it’s not, he’s content to be called that.

I’m really growing to love my formerly feral friend, who is feral no longer.

Thanks to a dear friend, he’s going to the doctor soon and he has been fully adopted by me.

The thing I love the most about this cat is that he is one thankful feline.

When he arrives in the morning he howls until I rise and come forth to feed him and pet him.

It used to be all about the feeding, now it’s all about the petting.

He already loves the giver more than the gift.

He doesn’t just eat and run…once finished he sits outside the door and lets me know how very thankful he is to be here.

He still has a tough life…he’s outside all day in triple digit heat.

The other cats treat him poorly.

He’s never really had a home and he only has part of one now.

He was obviously abused both by his former owners and his own kind.

He could have become a bitter and mean cat, always looking for offense,always ready to attack.

He could have placed himself beyond the ability to ever know joy.

No one who knows his story would have blamed him for doing so…but no one would have cared enough to bother.

Instead, he has carved out a cool place in the garden as his temporary dwelling and counts it all joy to greet me (loudly) as I come and go during the day.

He knows things aren’t great (yet), but he’s blessed that they are as good as they are.

Me…I’m blessed when he howls me awake in the morning…because it means I woke up here for another day and not in heaven.

I have both a bad heart valve and an aortic aneurysm…waking up is no longer something I take for granted.

I’m both broke and broken in body…and utterly thrilled to be here anyway.

I read on social media everyday how bad things are.

How the country and the world are both ready to collapse and how evil is everywhere and how it’s almost all over for everyone.

I read how angry you are and how angry I should be and I know that if I’m not as angry as you are you will be angry with me.

Then I turn off the computer and thank God I’m still here.

I thank God that here is Oregon and that here is where my loved ones love me back and life is pretty damn good for most.

I thank God that I live in the best possible time in human history to be alive and that even though we have huge problems, we also have huge resources to deal with them.

I thank God that there’s enough money to feed a grateful cat.

Things could be a lot better…and they could be a lot worse.

Something tells me that will change depending on how thankful we are already.

I think Chester has it right.

Make your own application…