An 'Oops' Moment

Just lately things have not been going so well, my husband and I have been trying to survive a winter of difficulty that has so far ranged from financial to health problems. These kind of troubles are not intended to be fun; they have been filled with stomach-wrenching drops, dips and sudden curves and in my case, physical pain. If I didn't know better I might start to believe that this roller-coaster ride is nothing more than a random experience, that the forces that have lifted us up in the past also push us down and are the whims of some nasty fate that is singling us out. Its very humbling to have so little; little money and big bills. To keep the heat off to save the oil. To only run hot water as you absolutely need it. To keep the lights off and put your washing on the line in winter to dry. Geez, sounds like something out of a third world country doesn't it!  Poverty isn't limited to certain countries in the world, its a global infection and we have found ourselves there now. This winter has hit us hard. How many of you out there are experiencing the same?  I wonder. 

There are two things that get me through my day: the Lord and His advice and my cats. When things get too much to bare my four are there as, I almost said silent, comfort but in reality they are pretty chatty and demanding of my care of them. At other times, they sense my mild depression or my husband's and they come quietly to nestle against us, curling up to sleep on one lap or the other. Molly has this endearing quality about her, she will come and lay the top of her head against you and ask to be petted!

This is the message the Lord gave me today:
Just In Time
May the God you serve all the time save you!  Daniel 6:16


Look at Jonah in the fish belly - surrounded by gastric juices and sucked-in seaweed... He prays... Before he can say amen the belly convulses, the fish belches and Jonah lands face first on the beach. (Doesn't life make you feel like that sometimes.) Look at Daniel in the lions' den; his prospects aren't much better then Jonah's. Jonah had been swallowed and Daniel is about to be...
Or look at Joseph in the pit, a chalky hole in a hot desert. The lid has been pulled over the top and the wool has been pulled over his eyes... Like Jonah and Daniel, Joseph is trapped. He is out of options. There is no exit. There is no hope... Though the road to the palace takes a detour through a prison, it eventually ends up at the throne... of Egypt.
Such are the stories in the Bible. One near-death experience after another. Just when the neck is on the chopping block, just when the nose is around the neck, Calvary comes to save the day!


This comes from today's reading in my Grace For The Moment by Max Lucado book. Another book I am reading that has literally saved my bacon in the sense that it has successfully lifted up my hope is The Upside Of Down, Finding HOPE When It HURTS by Joseph M. Stowell.
Aside from books like these and the Bible, Proverbs 18 today, they are what keep me going. These and the cats the Lord has entrusted us with. I hope everyone who takes the time out of their own busy days to come and read my humble blog will take something uplifting and encouraging with them. Life isn't always about the happiness our pets bring us and we have to find ways to cope with the down times as well. I have finally learned not to cope using my old 'oops' system of depression and anger. This is a down time for me right now; in sharing how I've learned to cope I hope I've helped you. 


Thank you for reading my blog.


Catspaw

Winkin, Blinkin and Nod and their Amazing Rescue

The neighbors were just gaining their drive when a car sped past after heaving what looked like a duffel bag from the window, it landed with a dull thud and a weak, painful yowl. One of the kids though he heard a sound coming from the crumpled sack and ran to check. Carefully unzipping it, four tiny kittens lay shivering and traumatized. They were put inside the shed of a dairy with a cat colony and provided with food, water and shelter. A few days later one kitten was dead.

I learned about it and inquired of my neighbor if I could have them; she gratefully brought them over right away. An orange and two grey kittens were the worse for their usage. They were no more than four weeks old, wasted and ripped from their mother way too soon. They'd been ill-treated by whomever had chosen to 'rid themselves of them' instead of doing what you and I would consider humane and take them to a shelter. The first thing they got was a warm bath and wrapped in warmed towels then placed beside the register in the kitchen for extra warmth; they refused to go anywhere else. Here they slept, ate and kept warm but they treated it like it was the only source of warmth they had.

Winkin, Blinkin and Nod (she looks like a mouse)

Nod, Winkin & Blinkin

Of the three that had survived, the tiny all grey female caused the most concern. She was so diminutive in size that she fit in the palm of my hand, literally. She clung to me constantly so I was obliged to hold her all the time. The poor creature could not eat without being sick, although she was ravenous. When she ate solid food she brought it up again just as quickly so she stopped eating altogether. The other two fared better, with a tuna and milk diet they were recovering and starting to play together the following day.

Nod

I dropper fed Nod tuna juice for a few days until she started to come round. All she did was rest and watch Winkin and Blinkin play. I could tell by watching her reactions that she wanted to join them but she just couldn't, she was still too weak. Finally by the fourth day Nod could sit up on her own and I was able to put her down for brief periods; the fifth day saw her actually jumping down from the chair and attempting to join her siblings. She started eating on her own now and sought the company of Emerald as a mother; Em was not too enthusiastic at first but she tolerated Nod being near her, perhaps sensing her need.

Nod and Emmy

As their health improved their personalities began to blossom; orange Winkin was a gentle soul who was especially fond of ambushing Blinkin, the grey and white kitten. Blinkin was overtly curious about everything in his new environment and Nod seemed bewildered at her good fortune, that someone could be kind to her and my four cats were careful with all three of them.She would crouch on the floor and gaze up at me with a long, fixed stare until she started to doze off. Searching those wide grey eyes, she seemed to be pleading a thank you for her rescue.

I kept them for two months before I wrote and posted a single ad on a popular classified site over the Christmas of 2010. Within hours of acquainting the internet world of their plight, I was blessed with emails and phone calls from people offering their homes and their hearts to them. I personally met each new owner of each kitten and offered food to go with them. Then they were gone, entrusted to loving new owners and exciting new homes but the gift they gave to me and my husband will never be forgotten and will continue to enrich our lives.

Winkin   

Blinkin

Catspaw