Meet Sylvia, Church Cat
Photo by Chris Ruland
A young adult female cat and three kittens were abandoned in the Christ Church
rear parking lot two years ago. It was pretty easy to find homes for the babies, but the
older female was so frightened it was hard to get near her. A
few weeks went by, and gradually she began to trust the humans who fed her
every day. Eventually we brought her inside the church office, where she now
lives. Her name is Sylvia. She is our church cat!
The Cat's Meow is
"Sylvia's" literary contribution to the monthly Christ Church
newsletter, The Church Crier.
The Cat's Meow
Photo by Deb Ellwood
Zzzzzzzzz There I was asleep on my couch. Zzzz Asleep in my
box on Christine’s desk. Zzzzzzz It couldn’t be. He was still gone. Zzzzz
As I awoke again, I wondered if Father Henry would return today. I missed him.
I mean Christine is always wonderful to me and I love Len, but no one could
replace Fr. Henry. It feels nice when people visit and pet me. Some people
even stay awhile, like Fred Hartswell, Lou Friedersdorff, Deb Ellwood, and Dr.
Quirk, plus some others; but I felt empty inside without my master (as much as
a cat can have a master).
He was gone so long that I wondered if he would ever return.
I had heard people speak about a person “dying”, which means that he or
she is gone from this life to the next. I’ve seen people cry when that
happened. When they’ve felt sad, I’ve tried to make them feel better. I’ve
nudged them, rubbed up against them, let them pet me and I’ve purred for
them. Sometimes it seems to help a little. A lot of my friends here have been
petting me more than usual. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you that are weary
and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matt
11:28) I think everyone around here was trying to help
me feel better, to give me rest, just as Jesus would. I still wasn’t quite
sure if I’d see my master again.
Well, thank goodness I did not have to worry long. His
Master brought him and Mother Alice home safely. Fr. Henry came in that
Tuesday morning and I was so happy to greet him. He came back looking great
and well rested. His vacation in Maine was wonderful. I can’t wait to spend
some time hearing about what his kitties did while there.
So I learned that when we feel empty inside, alone, without
our Master, we need to let Him return, take our burdens and worries, and give
us rest. This usually happens through our friends. Even in our times of
greatest doubt or when we’ve lost someone in this life, our Master is still
there for us.
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