Must stay connected

As I type this on my new iPad with tho 3G technology, I'm sitting on a white rock in front of my camp. The water is gently lapping the shore while the twilight sets in in this longest day of the year for the northern hemisphere. I got out of school today and headed for my camp for a much needed brief respite. For years the only tv we had was a black and white one with barely enough reception for one channel.

Now, as I sit here, the satellite tv is on inside the camp and I am receiving Internet through a satellite miles above my location. This has all occurred within in the last 25 years. Technology makes our lives easier, keeps us connected to one another and is necessary for many aspects of life today. However, it sometimes separates us as well. For example, my kids are watching tv while I am typing this.

So, right now. I am going to press post, go inside, tun off the tv and bring my kids out to sit with me around the fire, which incidentally was one of if not the first method of modern technology we will talk aboutnour day and tell "when mama was young" stories. This very action will serve to connect em with my kids more than any technological advance of the 21st century and that's okay with me

Punk Cat

We have the best cat in the world named Bear.  He came into our lives as a kitten last summer and really helped Joey get through some difficult times.  Well Bear is no longer a kitten.  He is a full-fledged punk teenager who has made an enemy of another punk cat in the neighborhood who coincidentally could be his identical twin.

In late winter, I noticed an abscess on Bear's paw.  We brought him to the vet and sure enough, he had been in a fight.  They cleaned the abscess, cut off Bear's male parts and he healed. I thought since Bear was now an "it" instead of a fully endowed male, he might fight less.  I was wrong.

About a month later, Bear came in with a HUGE abscess on his right haunch.  Back to the vet we went and this time he had to have major surgery to clean it out, a 4 inch scar and about 20 stitches.  After about 3 weeks, he was mostly healed up.  We had been very careful about keeping him in, but one night, he escaped.  I didn't even know he was out and at about 12:30 a.m. I heard a low guttural cat moan.  Sure enough, Bear and his arch nemesis were at it again.    When I finally did catch up with him, his almost heal scar had been entirely torn open and was deep.  I cried and cried and was seriously about ready to but a "for sale" sign on him.  If he hadn't been such a help to Joey when he was going through tough times last summer, the cat would have gone to a different house.

So now you've had the background info on Bear, let's move this story ahead to last night.  Bear was inside sleeping on my bed at 11 p.m. when I fell asleep.  At about 4:30 a.m., I hear that low guttural cat fight moan.  In my half asleep state of existence, I jumped out of bed ready to go outside to break up yet another cat fight only to realize that when I went to sleep, Bear was inside.  I have a sliding glass door from my bedroom out to a deck.  Bear was on the inside of the sliding glass door moaning at the other cat who was on the outside of the door moaning and hissing back.  I jumped up and hit the glass on the inside of the door hoping to scare the enemy cat.  The enemy cat wasn't scared in the least, backed up about three feet and proceeded to jump up onto a bench outside my bedroom door and curl up with his paws underneath his belly as if if to say, "I think I'll stay righ here."

I didn't want to run outside like a madwoman in my PJ's at 4:30 a.m. to scare him, but I had to do something since Bear was still on the inside of the door moaning and hissing, so I sent out my 16 year old blind and deaf Sheltie named Buddy to finish off the cat.  Buddy took one step out the door and then looked back at me like, "Now what do you want me to do?"  At that point I realized since he's blind and deaf that he didn't even see or hear the other cat, so I stomped my feet trying to scare the cat into moving.  The enemy cat let out one hiss and clawed at Buddy who promptly ran back inside and hid under my legs.  Yeah, that worked well.

I was beyond frustrated at that point.  I went out into the kitchen to find something to scare this cat away with.  In the meantime, Bear was getting worked up into a frenzy in my bedroom trying to show off his bravado.  The only thing I could find was Joey's Supersoaker, so I filled it with water and from the kitchen door, I blasted the cat.  Bear let out one final scream and then walked away from my door.

The arch nemesis cat still was hanging around my deck this morning.  If this keeps up, I may have to find a more powerful weapon.  Anyone have any ideas??

The Things you do for Love

After my cat Dulcie who was with me for 15 years passed away this past spring, I said that I would never get another cat again.  I love cats and have had them for my whole life, but pets can be a lot of work and responsibility.  Considering the stress I've had in my life, the last thing I felt I needed was another responsibility, however, when we saw a certain little black kitten, Joey fell in love.  This little kitten captured his heart and I think Joey captured this kitten's heart as well.  Joey named this kitten Bear because he looks like a little black bear.  Bear and Joey instantly bonded.  As a matter of fact, in the car on the way home, the kitten snuggled up on Joey's lap and purred.  Tonight, when the kitten was exhausted on the couch, he cuddled up to Joey and fell sound asleep.  He has followed Joey around all day and wanted to sleep in his bed tonight, but I thought that might be too much of a distraction, so the kitten will be downstairs with me.

So as I sit here tonight on the couch with my boys asleep upstairs, I wonder again what I've done.  I will only need to wake up in the morning and see the smiles on my boys faces and the laughter and the joy to know that the extra responsibility is worth it.  Their smiles will be worth the 15 year commitment that I made today.

Joey introducing you to Bear.

Lost

Today was a day where we dealt with many lost things.  It actually started last night with Danny.  Yesterday, we set up an imaginary campground in our upstairs closet.  We put down a quilt and folded it over and Danny pretend to sleep in his "tent".  In the closet we also had an imaginary lake where he could go swimming and an area for a campfire.  (We have a pretty big upstairs closet.)  While we were playing, Danny found a blankie that he used to call his "taggy" when he was a baby.  He hasn't slept with this blanket since he was probably a year and a half, but he carried it around with him all day yesterday.  At bed time last night, he couldn't find his taggy and he told me that he couldn't sleep without it.  Of course, he was asleep in about 5 minutes, but there were a few minutes of tears until he talked me into lying down beside him.


After he went to sleep, I went downstairs and looked everywhere.  No taggy.  It was very, very odd.  So, I went to bed and got up fairly early this morning to get ready to get our new fridge.  I wanted to get Danny dropped off at daycare before the refrigerator delivery people came, so we got an early start.  I realized after I got home that there was no wallet in my purse.  I had my debit card, but the rest of my wallet was missing.  Again, I scoured the house and could not find the wallet.


The fridge was delivered and the old working fridge is now in my garage.  It's very convenient to have a fridge that is only for soda and water conveniently located so all of the neighborhood children can help themselves.  (That will come to an end tomorrow when I put a lock on it.)  After I stocked that fridge with water, I started looking for my cell phone which was now lost as well.  Again,  I looked everywhere and could not find it.


After this third incident, I thought "Hmm... maybe God is trying to tell me something here."  Because I had such an early start in the day, I hadn't sat down and read my Bible and prayed like I do every morning.  Suspecting that I probably should do that, I took my Bible to my back yard under my favorite tree and started to read.  This is the verse that jumped out at me.  "O LORD, you are my lamp. The LORD lights up my darkness." ~ 2 Samuel 22:29

I got thinking that none of those objects were really lost, they are just in places and God hadn't revealed to me where they are yet.  He hasn't lit my path to them yet.  I know, I know, sort of a corny way of looking at it, right? They were lost to me, but they weren't lost to God and that's a HUGE difference because God can do anything.  If He wants me to find the objects, I will and if He doesn't it's because it's not in His will for me to find them.  So instead of fretting about it, I just prayed about it and went on with my day.  I was still fairly diligent about looking for the objects, but I was no longer in panic mode.  I had a peace that everything would be found or I would have to do a lot of errands tomorrow to get it all replaced.  If that were the case then God would have me run around for Him.  Maybe I would meet someone that I would pray for or maybe someone that I needed to help would cross my path as I sat at the DMV waiting to get my new license.   I started to have an excitement about why I lost these things instead of a dread that they were gone.  God was going to have me go on a mission for HIM.  It really changed my outlook on my day and my mood.  I was thinking, "Hey God, what are you up to now?" instead of "Why me?"


Within 5 minutes of praying, I found both the cell phone and the wallet.  The cell phone was in my bed which was made.  I don't really know how it could have gotten there, but as I was sitting on my bed it started to vibrate.  I jumped about a foot in the air and then I realized someone was calling me.  The wallet was under some dirty towels that I used to clean out the fridge.  Then, we found Danny's taggy just before dinner.  He had left it outside under the porch.  It was a little dirty, but he didn't care.  (I will wash it tomorrow.)





I think sometimes our lives can be like lost objects.  We feel lost, but God knows exactly where we are and where we are going.  You can think of it like you're on a path and it's totally dark outside.  He sometimes gives you a powerful lantern so you can see quite a ways in front of you and sometimes He only gives you a birthday candle and you can barely see your own feet.  Either way, you're not lost, you do the best with what you're given.


Because my life is so up in the air right now, on most days, I feel a little lost.  I feel like I am on a path and I have a match stick to light my way and it keeps going out.  Then I pray and God lights a little more of my path and I keep walking.  But, like the objects that were found today, I know that I am somewhere.  I am in God's plan and until I find my way, I need to trust that He will guide me.  I may feel lost in my own heart, but I know that God knows where I am and where I'm going and that's all that matters.  It's not that I will be found.  I am found and I am loved and cherished by my Creator.