Here's a question, where do you see Christ in your life. The answer for me is easy, I see Christ everyday in my wife Marie. I see her reflecting the light of God everyday. There is no better example of her love than in her choice of pets.This is Merlin. We, rather, she adopted him from the Good Shepherd Humane Society in Eureka Springs, Arkansas soon after we moved to Berryville. Marie didn't pick the prettiest kitty at the shelter, oh no. She selected the cat who needed love and a home more than any of the other cats at the shelter.
We don't know about his life before the shelter, but we suspect it wasn't good. We do know that Merlin had been returned by his first adopted family. They were looking for a cat who would be a kitty for a family with small kids, and that was not Merlin's demeanor.
I know that cat's don't have facial expressions, but Merlin's continence was dour, he looked sad and when his eyes were just so, he looked scared to death. We suspect that he was abused at one time because he was always skittish. But you know what, that's what Marie saw at the shelter. She saw a cat that needed a home. Now, isn't that Christ-like, loving those who need love most of all.
She saw a cat that needed love, even if all he would do is cower under the bed or in the corner. She knew that she could give him the love he needed to be a cat again. And he was a cat again.
Yesterday we had to put him down. He was just too sick and there was nothing we could do to make his life better. Marie cried, and God love him, I did too. We miss you Merlin, but where you are now, there is no fear, there is no pain, and there is joy.
Thanks for being our cat.
I too had to put down my pet in April. Mandy was our first family pet, we got her as a puppy for the boys for Christmas. But she became my girl. I don't even like to refer to her as a dog because she was so close to me. She didn't seem like a dog she was more like a soul pet (if you can have something like that). There was something different about her and you could see it in her eyes that set her apart from other dogs. I know because we still have 2 others and they are not anything like her. I truly did loose a piece of my heart when it was time to let her go. It by far was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. It's to bad Merlin had to suffer an unpleasant start in life before he was blessed to end up in your loving care. At least he did get to experience the love of a pet. As for Mandy she got to experience that love her entire life and I am grateful she was apart of all our lives. There's a reason God put cats and dogs on this earth. People say they were put here for us but sometimes I think it the other way around. Now God has two more added to his flock, and he will love them until we come home and are rejoined with them to once again share their love.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry Paul. Merlin looks like our Tiger. I feel your pain. We've had to do the same thing many times before and I tell ya it makes me want to never go through that again but I have to have pets in my life so I figure it is worth it to have them to love while they are with us.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your notes. As much as I thank you, Marie thanks you even more.
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