He Loves Them All

I love the James Herriot quote, "All things bright and beautiful All creatures great and small All things wise and wonderful The Lord God made them all ." I've always believed that the last three words should be "...loves them all." I saw that in action last night.

My 81-year-old neighbor across from me, who lost his wife two years ago, has bonded strongly with his little buddy, Samson. Sam is a white-with-tan-markings cat. Sam wakes my neighbor up in time for work each day, greets him when he comes home, talks to him, walks on him, and generally is in charge of him.

Two days ago, my neighbor had his rugs steam cleaned. The presence of two new bodies in the house, plus the noise, sent Sam out the door when one of the fellows opened it. Up until 7 p.m. last night, we were both worried about Sam, worried that he would not be back, ever.

You might think a 10-yr-old male half-Siamese cat would not be in any danger in a 435-unit senior mobile home community. However, we have a few rules that cause concern for a loose cat or kitty. All pets (40 lbs and under, only) must be on leashes. Strike one for Sam.

Many homes, unfortunately, are older and the older owners cannot afford some repairs. So, some homes have loose skirting and some stray cats from neighboring landed-homes and/or apartments and/or condos, find their way under a home and have their litters there. When the kitties emerge, we have a stray-cat problem. Then the residents, fed up with spraying on their porches, or cat-calling in the middle of the night, rent traps from the local animal shelters to trap them. Those caught are put in kitty-jail. Strike two, if Sam is caught.

Sam lost his furry lady companion a few weeks after my neighbor's wife passed on. The activity in the house from visitors paying respects, and the absence of his wife, caused Lucky Grace to leave and never return. Sam could easily interpret all this activity as a repeat of the loss of both his former mistress and his furry friend, and to worry about his future. Strike three for Sam.

I felt very worried about this. I prayed, with all my heart, that God would look compassionately at this little household and find this little creature of his, and send the little guy home. At 7:30 p.m., my phone rang. My neighbor was reporting to me that Sam had indeed come home, within that half hour of prayer.

Yes, the Lord God not only made them all, all creatures great and small, but he truly loves them all, as well.

Thank you, Dear Father, for taking the time from all the other major issues of the world you created, to also show mercy and compassion on this little furry friend and his elderly buddy.