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Praying with the cat

OpinionPeggy Haymes  |  July 23, 2012

No, that’s not a typo. Let me explain.

I am the head of a not-so-blended family. I have two dogs, Oakley (my first dog ever) and Ralphie (adopted as a companion and best buddy for Oakley.) Although my older cats have passed from the scene, when my father father moved into assisted living I inherited his cat (whom he inherited when my mom died.)

When I finally got around to reading the Humane Society bio of Little Bit, I found that she’d been rescued from a pack of dogs, which explains a lot. I call Little Bit my gangsta cat because I’ve never met a cat so spoiling for a fight with a dog. On the rare occasions that my dogs get into a fight, Little Bit races down the hall to jump into the middle of them, gets in a few good licks and then runs away.

Needless to say, we don’t all curl up by the fire together.

So I’ve begun starting my mornings in the guest room, where Little Bit sleeps. Taking my coffee and journal and maybe a book in, I take advantage of the time to reflect while a cat curls up and purrs in my lap. It’s our quality time.

One day it hit me: What a great time to pray. I was still. It was quiet. What a great opportunity that was just handed to me as I was doing something else.

Sometimes, maybe even many times as my clients think about making changes, they think about big things. Hard things. Thinkgs that will re-order their days. And sometimes change is like that.

But more often I think change and growth and healing and becoming more of who we truly are is more about learning to see. Seeing those opportunities that are already right before us. Seeing the chance to do one small thing differently.  It may not seem like much at first but over time, all of those small things add up and we realize that where we are is not where we were.

 

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OPINION: Views expressed in Baptist News Global columns and commentaries are solely those of the authors.
Tags:Faithful LivingHealthy LivingchangeCatsDogsGrowth
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