even the animals knew

Not long ago our friend Anna Clark introduced me to Christian author and poet M. Kent Travis.  Kent's blog is worth following in general, but his recent post "Even the Animals Knew" especially grabbed my attention.  Kent acknowledges he's not the biggest "animal person," but his insight is perhaps even more valuable as a result.  I'm grateful to be able to share it here at the beginning of Lent when many Christians are honoring Christ's 40 days in the wilderness ...   

Yesterday was a particularly difficult day for my second daughter.  She was being snippy and unkind to everyone else in the family, even after we explained to her what she was doing.  It was if she couldn't stop herself or didn't even know that she was doing it.

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the lion will lay down with the lamb

The week before Christmas our chuch choir performed a beautiful Advent cantata which I had the privilege of participating in as a reader.  I was struck by a few passages from Isaiah which were featured in the arrangement and how much application the book has, not only to us as followers of a Messiah who came as a humble baby in a manger, but also to God's creatures and the hope He has in store for them. 

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feel-good Monday

We've been running a few posts on companion animals, and it seemed high time in general to share some uplifting and cute stories about our four-legged friends ...

- First, a heartwarming video of Winston the cat taking care of his canine buddy Zeke just home from the vet and a bad allergy reaction.  Winston licks him clean and then straddles on top of him to sleep (from Purina Animal All Stars).

- This is a cute video of a baby cuddling with an unbelievably amiable and patient cat, one of several clips if you look to the right on the YouTube page:

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Grady the Gray Cat

Earlier this year I bumped into Christian author Lori A. Moore on Twitter, who most recently has written a book for children called Grady the Gray Cat (Tate Publishing '11).  I don't know of many books for children written by fellow believers with a strong message of concern for animals in general, or the value of adopting a pet in particular.  So I was grateful to Lori when she sent me a copy to review for not one sparrow.

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for honey, death be not proud

Last Summer I bumped into Susan Isaacs on Twitter, an actor, comedian and author of Angry Conversations with God: A Snarky but Authentic Spiritual Memoir (FaithWords '09) who hails from the Lutheran tradition of faith.  Having written a rather vulnerable memoir of my own, I can relate a bit to the title, and like Susan believe that God can handle our honesty and even anger with Him in difficult questions and seasons; in fact, they can help our faith and relationship with Him develop and become more authentic over the long run. 

When we e-met, Susan sent me a link to a blog post she'd written earlier that Summer about the death of her dear cat Honey, whom she spent the last 12 years of her life with - through some very awkward and difficult years (and human relationships), and some happier and redemptive experiences as well.  Honey was adopted from a kitten rescue, at a time when Susan says she "was trying to heal from some behaviors, like smoking, drinking and dating awful men," and in need of a companion to love and "be responsible for."  She writes endearingly of finding Honey:

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tornado miracles

With all of the tragedy and extreme devastation which the rash of recent tornadoes have spawned in Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma and much more of the South, along with Massachusetts and other parts of the country, thousands of animals have been hurt and displaced as well.  See the preceding links for information on how companion animals in particular have been affected, and about some of the groups working to help them and their owners.

The entire aftermath and recovery effort warrant our prayer and perhaps even monetary or practical help (much more than I've personally contributed in any of those categories, I hate to admit).  I would think that knowing what has happened to lost animals would be a vital part of the process of moving forward for many individuals and families, and the hope of reunion justifiably hard to let go of. 

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a mother is a mother ...

Updated on May 8, 2011 by Ben DeVries

In honor of all the moms in our lives, I thought we might pay tribute to some animal mothers who went above and beyond the normal call of duty.  The following heartwarming report features a shelter dog named Lily whose own puppies were adopted out, but who still took on some very special charges in their stead (thank you to John Laukkanen of Ahavafriend for sharing):

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the marvelous way cats drink

The Washington Post had a fascinating article a couple of months back about the science behind the way cats drink, of all things: "Scientists Learn Physics Behind How Cats Drink Water Without Getting Wet."  Those physics turn out to be much more impressive than the "lapping" action we always assumed them to be, and are yet another superfluous reason for cats to think highly of themselves.  But most of all, the phenomenon is a tribute to the incredible ingenuity of their Creator:

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cat thanksgivings

An absolutely beautiful and affecting poem from our friend Catherine Windsor on her sympathetic relationship with a feral or stray neighborhood tom cat ...

She calls me Tawny Tom
and does not chase me
away
nor do brown-earth eyes
stare balefully ...

She has no tail that
bristles nor does
her back arch
at my coming or going
or staying ...

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from abandonment to adoption

A touching account, which is guaranteed to warm your heart on a cold winter's night, of one family's decision to open their home to two sibling kittens, from good friend Scott Williams of Creation Hope ...

Last night I found myself doing some work late.  Not unusual.  But I also found myself with a kitten asleep on my lap, another purring in my ear.  Very unusual.

How did this happen?  How did I suddenly find myself the owner of two tiny kittens?

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