Stirrings
By Helen Morrison, President, Board of Directors
I don’t know. Maybe it is because Spring was so slow in coming this year.
Or maybe it is because I am into the Octogenarian realm, and something about that has made me slow down and truly look around.
Either way, there has been this wonderful gentle focus of the way I see Nature…and its changes.
Early April, when the trees were still bare, and the grasses were brown, I could literally feel the life moving behind all the stillness…the gentle stirrings, the stretching and yawning of the bulbs underground, the life fluids just beginning to rise behind the bark of the trees. I could almost see it, like a kind of life force xray vision. I don’t think I have ever been so acutely aware of this feeling of stirring…and see that hidden things, shy things, can, with time, open up, gather courage, and burst forth into a celebration of being alive.
I don’t know why this has been happening to me. But it has made me incredibly grateful for whatever the moment has to offer, and to its promise.
Or maybe it is because I am into the Octogenarian realm, and something about that has made me slow down and truly look around.
Either way, there has been this wonderful gentle focus of the way I see Nature…and its changes.
Early April, when the trees were still bare, and the grasses were brown, I could literally feel the life moving behind all the stillness…the gentle stirrings, the stretching and yawning of the bulbs underground, the life fluids just beginning to rise behind the bark of the trees. I could almost see it, like a kind of life force xray vision. I don’t think I have ever been so acutely aware of this feeling of stirring…and see that hidden things, shy things, can, with time, open up, gather courage, and burst forth into a celebration of being alive.
I don’t know why this has been happening to me. But it has made me incredibly grateful for whatever the moment has to offer, and to its promise.
Of course, I thought about the Shelter…and how this same thing happens to so many of the kitties we take in. We may not know them well. We don’t know what promise they bring. They probably don’t know, either. They may be turned in on themselves, afraid to trust. Perhaps their lives have had neglect, trauma. Sometimes we know their story; sometimes we do not.
I think of Mischa…our 12 year old beautiful tawny tabby girl. Months ago, she came from a home of neglect, where she was the only surviving cat. At first, she was almost dull…just sitting in a cubby in her tower in her room. Her eyes had no depth. There was hardly any affect at all.
But over time…and with a bit of Churu…she began to come out onto volunteers’ laps. And now, she comes to the door, rubs up again the door jamb, rolls on her back, makes it known she would like attention and treats. She is even starting to make friends with some other cats, like Magog.
Those stirrings in her have blossomed forth, and she is vibrant, responsive, and so engaged and joyful now.
Click here to see Mischa getting some attention on her tower
I think of Mischa…our 12 year old beautiful tawny tabby girl. Months ago, she came from a home of neglect, where she was the only surviving cat. At first, she was almost dull…just sitting in a cubby in her tower in her room. Her eyes had no depth. There was hardly any affect at all.
But over time…and with a bit of Churu…she began to come out onto volunteers’ laps. And now, she comes to the door, rubs up again the door jamb, rolls on her back, makes it known she would like attention and treats. She is even starting to make friends with some other cats, like Magog.
Those stirrings in her have blossomed forth, and she is vibrant, responsive, and so engaged and joyful now.
Click here to see Mischa getting some attention on her tower
Brock is another kitty, a bit like Mischa. He was so intensely frightened at first. He would just cower in whatever hiding place he could find. He had been a stray, trapped on the streets of St. J. But our Debbie has been spending time with him, sitting on the floor, offering treats, and he is blossoming into a very sweet and gentle boy. He comes on her lap, allows petting. And the sweet thing is that other volunteers who spend time with him are also getting to pet Brock.
And here’s a fun thing: just because of how the stars have aligned, we have 3 very sweet young male cats….Magog, Max, and Brock. They are now in the castle area, which has been temporarily named the Sweet Boys Suite…and they are doing so well together. They visit one another, and touch noses through their screened doors.
What good boys!!!! Brock has friends.
And here’s a fun thing: just because of how the stars have aligned, we have 3 very sweet young male cats….Magog, Max, and Brock. They are now in the castle area, which has been temporarily named the Sweet Boys Suite…and they are doing so well together. They visit one another, and touch noses through their screened doors.
What good boys!!!! Brock has friends.
Stirrings….and the promise of transformation….in Nature, in ourselves, and in the cats we care for. If you believe in miracles, and I do, then these transformations are truly miraculous.