As I write this Laska the love Kitty…
who originally came to me looking for food…
because I know that look – and that me-now meow…
has instead chosen to sit by my side as I write.
He closes his eyes but he’s not sleepy…
and he keeps opening them – as if to check on me.
I wrote this one year ago, on Deep into Love. as this world lost Sara. I couldn’t stop crying. My smile factory made. me. smile. I’m remembering that time, the tears and the smiles.*
It’s been an unrelenting hurricane of sad…the eye of the hurricane is the face of this cat.
How does he know?
It’s 4AM now. I’ve prayed for Sara. My heart has room for little else.
The tears. Still. Won’t. Stop. Falling.
I know I’ll have some smiles ahead when I take the love kitty out for his morning walk. He’ll pounce, chase after wind, climb trees (his squirrel impression) and pull me into the moment.
He’s a smile factory…
a break in the clouds…
camped at my hip…
keeping watch over me.
“A time to weep, and a time to laugh” (Eccl 3:4)
Everybody should have at least one smile factory.
Of course, the minute I say the word o-u-t-s-i-d-e he’ll know it’s his turn. Until then it’s patience – which, for a cat…not the norm. Even the love kitty has a strong me, me, me, and also me, streak.
Sara’s got a smile factory too. His name is Riley. He looks like this:
- Sara’s 2008 Christmas card
In June of 2008 Sara wrote:
Have you ever seen a face exude more sympathy? I see this expression when he snuggles with me at least once a day. To clarify, I get the look once a day … the snuggling is non-stop around here. He’s very co-dependant. And I just want to make him happy.
Now those with husbands and babies have other things hanging around your home to make happy. I have one. Sara has one. Someday I’ll share my biblical argument that beloved pets go to heaven. This is one plank of the platform – they elicit love.
The weight of sadness is massive now…
and the smile factory lays there and looks at me.
He’d usually be attacking toilet paper.
What makes him want to stay by my side right now?
Does God put that in our animals?
His eyes are wide…big circles…he’s never seen me cry.
And as I type this he yawns wide, and stretches out his paws to my arm with a trill, and he won’t take his eyes off of me. He doesn’t realize that when I’m done posting this I’ll say the magic word and all his compassion will disappear like chocolate on a dreary day.
But until I say o-u-t-s-i-d-e there he stays, gazing at me.
They make us love – these animals. They’re like little love magnets, attracting love. It’s a good line to have on a resume for heaven. No?
And now – the magic word…
and there goes the compassion…
like a bird set free from the cage…
and he races, paws blazing, to the door…
and out come the me-out meows…
and I smile…
He’s a smile factory…
and everybody should have at least one.
Here are all of this month’s Sara posts.
You might heart them as much as I.
In which it’s the small things Love remembers when eternity touches time In which sorrow submerges joy Love prays peace, courage, faith, and knowing In which are “eternity touching time” thank you’s to God Love is eternity touching time In which there is hard love Love believes beyond the dark doorway
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Craig, we all need our smile factories, and our God-sent pets, who take care of us as much as we do them, can brighten and salvage an otherwise dark and dreary day. Laska is a faithful companion, even when you are both outside and he seems “independent”. He’s just happy to take you for a walk!
And, as far as pets being in Heaven, when Jesus says that the Father doesn’t miss the fall of a sparrow, how could He possibly miss these beloved ones? He loves all of His creation, and for that, I am infinitely grateful.
Blessings, my friend!
I’ve thought about it a lot – and one day I will write about this – but I think, the crux of he argument for pets in heaven is this – they don’t sin, and they cause love. And Laska is surprisingly dependent upon me when were on our walks – he gets distracted and if I’m not there to rein him in he will wander off – and it only takes a second for him to disappear so I’ve got to keep a watchful eye – people are constantly amazed how we walk close to the street but he never goes in it, and how he walks right up to the edge of the woods but never goes in THAT, and tests my boundaries, but seldom goes past them. He really is an amazing cat – and an awesome picture of me and my walk with our Lord – everything I just said about him could be a post – no? God bless you Martha. Choose joy!
Yes! A post! It would be wonderful! And, what a great image for walking with our Lord; I’d never thought of it in that way . . .
Joy, joy, joy!
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