TGIF
Miss Kitty woke me before the alarm went off…again.
She hoisted her frail little body up on my bed and pressed her face into mine, paws around my hand, purring faintly, long whiskers tickling my nose.
She hasn’t been well for a while now, but she still manages to make a way to create connection and affection.
We rise and sit on the edge of the bed together…aged and unwell together, but still here together and grateful for that.
We move off the bed together and I fill her food dish, as she knew I would.
While she eats, I slide on a jacket and fill one hand with kibble and another with a can of wet food and go outside to feed Smokey.
I can make out the motion of something coming out of his house in the darkness, but I know he’s coming because I can hear him purring.
He too is aging and he bears scars from too many fights, but these things matter not when your friend is bringing you breakfast.
His big old head bumps against my hand as I put his meal in the dish…it’s a way of saying “thank you”, “good morning”, and “I’m so glad to see you” in one gesture.
Back inside, Miss Kitty has finished eating…she curls up in the space we slept in…a short bath and a contented nap will follow.
She looks up at me as I leave with a slow blink of her still lovely eyes…cat language for “I love you”.
Smokey too has finished his breakfast and as is his habit, walks down the driveway with me and watches me leave.
This is what we do every morning and because we do this every morning, every morning is a good morning.
What we do means nothing to anyone but us, but it means everything to us.
I begin my day in peace and in the joy of my feline companions.
The cats are ignorant of everything that concerns me, they are only aware of the moment and what good can happen in the moment.
I could choose to ignore those moments and focus only on the tasks at hand and upcoming, and prepare to dwell on the myriad crisis we all face.
My choice is to be present.
My choice is to see that these small morning graces are gifts from a loving Father who is caring for me as I care for my cats.
My choice is to look for other small graces through the day and to be ready for those small graces to bring me joy and to receive that joy in that moment.
My choice is to let go of the things I could be angry about and instead be thankful for the things I have been given.
I find that the more I receive, the more I will give…either anger or peace.
The man on the car radio wants me to be angry with him.
I turn off the radio and thank God for the cat hair on my coat.
I am living in God given wisdom.
God gave it to my cats first.
Evidently, they had ears to hear…
Make your own application…
Michael- I never fully appreciated your love for your cats until we adopted Coco, our Maine Coon feline.
Miss Kitty is a Maine Coon…wonderful breed of cat.
They all are, though… 🙂
Beautiful!
Love it-my little rescue cat (young and sassy) walks back and forth across the bed (and over me) a few minutes before my alarm goes off because she wants her breakfast, specifically her wet treat. That’s how we bonded when she came, so scared and frightened, to my house in April 2020. She would come out of the bathroom to have a little bit, and sneak right back in. After about three months, she hopped up on my lap and happily licked up a tube. We now repeat this little ritual every morning, but she only gets about 1/4 of a tube. She has put on some weight, and I don’t want her to get tubby. She is a very special little creature.
Linn, sorry for my ignorance, but what do you mean by “tube?”
Beautiful, Michael!
“My choice is to look for other small graces through the day and to be ready for those small graces to bring me joy and to receive that joy in that moment.”
Although I don’t currently have a pet, I need to learn to recognize these small graces. Even a few moments of not being anxious about my health would be so nice.
CK-you can get tuna flavored treats for cats in small tubes. They’re called “Squeeze-Ups.”
CK,
A pet would do you well…but there are other graces if we will look for them.
Some days we have to look harder than others…
This is so calming. Thank you for sharing. Take care, all of you. <3
Beautiful word picture. There’s a message for me here too. Thank you.
Animals and pets are so wonderful for so many different reasons – Michael just have us a beautiful example of exactly how they enrich our lives. My two cocker spaniel are so affectionate and they are always happy – the breed is often called the ‘Merry Cockers”! We set up three very pretty fish tanks during the Covid winter and my husband I find them very entertaining and soothing to watch. I found some vintage art deco fish tank stands on Ebay and the three little tanks look beautiful in a sunny corner of our den among my orchids! They have kept me busy, too. I had forgotten that keeping fish is a lot of work! God’s creation is so wonderful, and being surrounded by His beautiful creatures is life affirming and reminds us of God’s many earthly blessings. Life may not always be a rose garden, but sometimes it is exactly that. Michael’s post was a very beautiful reminder of that.