Talking cats and what we can learn from them

I have a cat.

Well, four cats, but I only want to talk about one of them today.

Because he is the one that every morning speaks to me about Jesus.

I used to think he (the cat, not Jesus) was a pain in the neck.

But not anymore.

Let me tell you why...

Like most of you, I had established a morning ritual of what, at its best, could be called "Devotion Time."

I like that phrase...it lends an air of credibility to my attempts to draw close to God.

I knew what Devotion Time should be, but that's not always what I did.

What I did do was a little of this, a little of that...always accompanied by a strong mug of coffee...

Some Bible...

Some inspirational reading...

Some meditation...

Some prayer...

Some sitting-and-staring-out-the-window.

Everyday it was different, a jumble of whatever I felt like doing that day.

I feared I would fail the "what-a-spiritual-person's-Devotional-Time-looks-like" test.

And for the longest time I struggled with that.

So, I would gird up my loins and try harder. (See, even I can talk the talk!)

Until that day my cat talked to me, 

And I finally understood.

Picking up starfish and other 3 a.m. meditations

It's 3 a.m.

Do you know where your cats are?

I know where mine are...

They are outside our bedroom door, wailing like banshees because we won't let them outside.

I hate this time of year.

Well, any time of year when it involves cats.

But especially this time of year...when the baby birds leave their nests and my cats think it's a smorgasbord on tiny little feet.

My apologies to those of you who adore cats.

There are cat lovers. And dog lovers. I am a none-of-the-above-lover.

So, you rightly ask, how come you have cats?

Because I am a sucker.

Because my heart is too big.

The same reason I do so many things.

Almost ten years ago, a friend found three adorable, innocent kittens alongside their mother in the middle of the road. The mother was dead and they needed rescuing.

Enter sucker. Me.

My daughter, bless her heart as they say in the South, needed a kitten. Or two.

I admit it's the third one that's my fault. I mean really, how can you say "yes" to two siblings and not the third? It would be like splitting up a family. Sigh.

And that, friends, is the story of my life...

Hi, I'm Arlene. I'm a sucker for anything hurting or broken. I want to save the world, and by golly, I'll do it or die trying. I'll even give up sleeping for a month if need be!

It's a sickness I inherited from my mom. Yup, she's to blame...