Why would an animal show such grace?

I have seen a lot of videos and heard stories of inter-species mothering and inter-species friendships. Something in these stories gets me everytime. There is something so fantastic about them that goes beyond every rational thought and "instinct". I find myself sitting in awe and thinking, "This is a taste of what heaven will be like." It is what my heart yearns for.

I've always believed deep inside of my heart that God never made animals to hunt one another for food; that there could truly be kindness and grace even between the "hunter and the hunted". Maybe, that somewhere along the way, God's perfect plan of the lion laying down with the lamb became horribly and irrevocably changed into a nightmare.

As a young child, I never felt it was the mere instinct of the lion to hunt a wounded baby gazelle. It was purely unjust in my eyes. It wasn't right or good. I wanted to scream at the camera man, "Do something! Don't just sit there!" I remember turning to my Mom and asking, "Why didn't anyone do anything to save the baby?" There's really no answer one can truly give a child looking at you with such hurt in their eyes if you don't genuinely believe it was, or could be different.

It should come as no surprise to you that with a background such as this, I finally became a vegetarian 3 years ago. This is truly not the main point of this post. It's the question I heard a news reporter ask as he was covering a story on inter-species mothering. "Why would an animal show such grace?" This question shot straight to the center of my heart. It is because they were made by a gracious God, just as we are, and there is still evidence of the beauty of Eden and a taste of the pure sweetness of heaven in their actions.

"Rockabye Tabby"

"In the Ubud region of Bali, Indonesia comes a companionship straight out of children's books. Photographer Anne Young was vacationing at the Monkey Forest Park when she spotted a young male long-tailed macaque monkey that had adopted a ginger kitten, protectively caring for and grooming it while keeping other monkeys away. The kitten couldn't look happier, and neither could the monkey."

These stories make my heart happy...tenderness, love, and compassion.
My Momma brought this one to my attention.
Thanks, Momma!

A day for motivational speeches

Make goals.

Plan for success.

Follow through.

Don't be afraid.

These are the main bullet points.

I had a chance to speak empowering words to someone close to me today. I'm hoping they follow through with the plan of attack.
I guess it's kind of evidence of how I have been growing and changing. These are all things I have been trying to do in my own life and I hope that in living well, it inspires others to do the same too.

Pressin' On!

Today, I just didn't "feel" it. Everything inside of me was screaming that I couldn't do it. It was too hard. I needed a break.

BUT.....

I pressed on, I pressed in and found myself staring in disbelief that I had made it. It felt good to defy even my own logic.

I know I am being really vague and am not elaborating on what I made it through but it really doesn't matter. Perseverance applies to many things in life....many things.

So to any of you out there going through something difficult...keep on keepin' on!

I leave you, now, with an inspiring song by Reliet K called (amazingly enough) "Pressing On".....

The Switch

I have to say, rating movies is not my thing but I really enjoyed this one. My good friend (Alison...Yesssssssssss), both our Moms, and I all went to see it together.

The premise is a bit shady but I really like the growth I saw in Jason Bateman's character throughout the movie. There were a lot of funny moments but it really went deeper than just a comedy. Plus, the little boy was adorable and a great little actor, himself.

I got more than I bargained for out of this movie. I liked it, I'm still thinking about it, and I would gladly watch it again.

Today, Blue becomes a pirate kitty

Blue desperately needed a new collar!

I went to Petsmart and low and behold, the perfect collar caught my eye.

It's blue, it has a bell for easy kitty location, and it's got pirate ships with skulls and cross bones on it.

For any of you that know Blue, it's perfect! He's a pretty feisty kitty and once you think you've got him figured out...guess again!

I love my swashbuckling kitten!

Cotton candy skies

Walking outside and locking the door at work, I realized something was different.

The air was actually a bit chilly!

I caught my breath a little bit because I was immediately transported to Minnesota again. There was always something so exciting about when the weather changed there because it seemed like the season Minnesota was made for. I really don't have words to describe it and just thinking about it gets me all choked up with memories.

As I walked to my car with Alison, I looked up into the sky and was stunned, again, but this time by beauty. The sky was full of soft pinks and blues and I told Alison it looked like cotton candy skies.

She said, "That sounds like a love story."

To which I relied, "Yeah, my love story."

We both laughed.

I am very tired, tonight, but very thankful for the beauty, cool breezes, and good company I got to share.

I MISS YOU, MINNESOTA!