Skip to main content

T-day

Tea died this morning. For those of you who follow my blog, you will remember that she got very sick in December, but after some time at the pet hospital, some antibiotics, and lots of love and care, she recovered. She was never quite the same cat after that brush with death: her eating and drinking habits changed (we had to encourage her to eat and she was always thirsty) and she remained quite skinny, but she regained her energy and loved to be with people. When I returned on Thursday night after a short trip to Florida, I could see that Tea had deteriorated again. Even though we had a reliable cat-sitter come in every day, the wee kitty did not do well while we were away.

I watched her struggle through the weekend and this morning, I could see that she had very little life left in her. She had not eaten in days, could hardly walk, and I had to assist her when she did attempt to drink and go to the bathroom. Dean said it was time, so I packed her in a box with her fuzzy red blanket, walked out in the fresh spring air and warm sun, and drove to the vet. Thirty minutes later I saw her expend her last breath.

Tea was a special cat. As a tiny kitten, she and her litter-mates were abandoned in a park and as a result of that traumatic beginning, she craved constant reassurance that she would not be left alone or starved again. Last night at church we were singing, "The whole earth is filled with your glory, Lord." And I started putting specific names in that sentence, because "the whole earth" includes everything I see and touch everyday. I am filled with God's glory. Dean is filled with God's glory. Montreal is filled with God's glory. And Tea is filled with God's glory. Our imperfect and broken lives do not diminish the glory of God, as if he could be made smaller by coming in contact with us. No, his glory enlarges us if we will let it, if we can but see it and give it space.
I have seen the glory of God in a little 9 pound cat. It was evident in her constant desire to be loved and be near her master. She often meowed till I picked her up and then purred loudly as I carried her slung over my shoulder while I went about my daily tasks. This glory shone brightly when she greeted me at the door every time I came home and followed me from room to room. Though Jazz, my other cat, is notorious for trying to escape, Tea never thought once about leaving the safety of my side and would not stray out of range of my voice. Though her body was shutting down, she hung on for 2 days past when I thought she was going to die, too attached to the presence of people to let the life-link go. She brought much joy into my life and I count it a privilege to have been her rescuer.

May I be as loyal and grateful a companion to the One who has rescued me.

This is Tea in the laundry basket (November, 2008) and hanging out with Dean (April, 2007).

Labels

Labels:

Comments

steven hamilton said…
may peace be upon you, just as it is now with tea!

peace
8:03 AM
Shelley said…
:(
9:20 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Names of God

The Hebrew word "YHWH" (read from right to left) This past Sunday I gave a talk on the Names of God, the beginning of a series on this topic. This first talk was to be a gentle introduction so I thought it wouldn't take too many hours of preparation. Well, I quickly discovered that the research is almost bottomless; every time I thought I had a somewhat definitive list of names, I found another source which added a few more or gave a different twist on some of the names I had already come across. After several hours I was getting overwhelmed by the sheer amount of data (and that was only looking at the Hebrew Bible). I wondered how I could present this to people in an orderly and accessible fashion and within a reasonable time frame. Not everyone is up for a 3-hour lecture crammed full of detail on a Sunday morning. So I took a break and spent a bit of time meditating on this problem and asking the Spirit for guidance. And then I thought that being overwhelmed by Go...
3 comments
Read more

soul refrigerator

I went grocery shopping yesterday and came home with three bags of food. After I unpacked them all, this is what my fridge looked like: really empty. How does that happen? How can I feel so full and ready for any food emergency one moment, and after one quick glance, realise that I have nothing, really? Today is one of those days in my soul as well. I woke up with gratitude and fullness in my heart, ready to take on this day and all the wonderful opportunities that it presented. Then I caught a brief glance of some emptiness in my life and bam - my buoyancy was compromised. For the past few hours I have been treading water, trying to keep my head in a positive space, bobbing in and out of disappointment, and catching myself whining with pathetic indignity at the cement blocks of other people's stupidity that are tangled around my ankles. When I am staring at the empty refrigerator of my soul, these are my thoughts. Where do I go from here? Perhaps I should slam that refrigerator ...
1 comment
Read more

3 blog time stealers

Things have a been a bit slow in my blog-world lately because my usual schedule has been disrupted by wonderful but time-consuming events. ONE: I opened my first exhibit of photos this week. It is kind of a strange sensation to see ones art displayed in a public setting and have people study it up close and offer their comments. I have been pleasantly surprised by the reaction of all and am always amazed by the wonderful support of the folks in our church group and my friends from all walks of life. One of them even compared the dilapidated old stone church basement with fluorescent lighting where the exhibit is being held to the humble beginnings of some famous artist whose name I can't remember right now. I like the concept of humble beginnings because it is something Jesus loves as well. And beauty shows well in humble beginnings. TWO: I have been helping a far-off friend search for an apartment in Montreal. She emails me the details of a place she is interested in and I go sc...
5 comments
Read more