Itsy Bitsy kitty

Did you know that God provides what you need the most when you least expect it? There are times when we have no idea what would make us feel better, happier, joyful . . . but God does.

Case in point: A few weeks ago, I heard this terrible caterwauling over by the barn. It sounded like bird screeching because it was locked in the jaws of cat. I could find nothing when I got there but could still hear the noise. Eventually I found a tiny kitten on the other side of the fence screaming its little lungs out. The neighbor had found it soaking wet in the sprinklers and ever so graciously offered to let me take it home.

It was too small and traumatized to eat. It couldn’t have been more than 3 weeks old. So “the old light” comes on upstairs and I remember that my friends have kittens about the same age. Surely momma won’t notice one more mouth at the trough. Or maybe she will. My friend, at least I think we are still friends, ended up keeping the kitten and feeding it goat milk every few hours day and night. When the kitten got so it could eat, she was returned like a bad penny.

I don’t need a kitten. I already have two cats. But she is awfully cute! A true calico with black and yellow spots on a white background with one tiny little black toe. So she arrives. And, as with all adoptees, she ingratiated herself initially. She cuddled and loved on us as only a kitten can. She was a peanut, literally a handful of fluff with four little legs. The honeymoon only lasted a few days. Once she discovered she could explore, the world was the limit! She gallops through the house like a herd of elephants, attacks your legs, arms, face with those needle fine claws and teeth screaming “play with me”, and then drops in the middle of the chaos for a much needed nap.

“The cat from hell” is so bent out of shape that she doesn’t even like herself. The other cat went on a hunger strike initially but is slowly beginning to rethink this little invader. Now and then she even lowers herself to play with the kitten. And even my husband is coming around. It is hard to be grumpy with a cute little kitten on your lap. Me, being the caretaker and playmate, I look like I have been through a meat grinder. Did I mention the sharp teeth and claws?

So just what does this little ball of fluff do for me? I laugh. Her antics are hysterical. It is akin to a “Tom and Jerry” cartoon to watch her navigate the slick floors at top speed. Her curiosity knows no bounds. All of life is an adventure to be explored and enjoyed to the fullest. I need to remember those things. Even when she has a “bad hair day”, which is all the time, life is good.

She bundles buckets of joy into her few ounces of fluff. She lives every moment to the fullest. I envy her energy. Watching her bouncing off the furniture, falling and diving back in for a second try, gives me joy and hope. Yes, hope. It is a reminder that no matter how many times I fall on my face, I can get back up, face the world, and try again.

And she is utterly fearless. Dogs, cats, people, doing a Tarzan swing on the shower curtain, leaping tall buildings with a single bound…..there is no fear. We could all take note of that. How much better, freer, finer would our lives be if we lived it to the fullest without fear. Fear is a terrible yoke to bear, it leaves us feeling helpless and hopeless. What if we just tossed fear to the wind and lived life as if there were no tomorrow? We should, you know. Right now, the present, is all we really have.

And like all babies, she plays. Oh, not with the toys I BOUGHT her, but with those things just laying around. I have empty toilet paper rolls everywhere, and sacks and boxes are more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Another lesson maybe? All the “stuff” in the world won’t make me happy. It is what I do with the stuff I have that brings joy and satisfaction.

So bid a welcome to “Itsy-Bitsy”, the newest member of our household. She will grow up and out of her fun stage in a short time. But every time I see her I will remember how God provided for me when I didn’t even know I was in need. What a special gift.

Just writin' on the River Road