Abandoned

He was all alone. His father had left long before he was born. His mother cared for him until he was able to hunt and care for himself. His brother had ventured out of the safety of the shelter in which they had been born and found a home of his own. He was alone.

At first it wasn't so bad. There were lots of mice to catch and eat so he wasn't hungry, just alone. He ventured out of the safety of the shed to explore the world around him. Others had families who took them in, cared for them, and provided for their needs. He liked people, but was afraid to wander very far--there were also many things, animals, cars, and such that frightened him. So he watched the neighborhood.

One house always seemed to have lots of animals--horses, dogs, cats--and the people cared for them. The even took care of the squirrels, rabbits, birds, and other wildlife in the area--making sure there was plenty of food and water for them. Maybe he would go to them.

It was getting cold--too cold for comfort. He had no one to help keep him warm. He shivered all the time. The wind blew so hard and cold that he thought he would freeze. He couldn't find a place to get a drink--all the water had frozen and even the mice had scurried into hiding. He found a small hole in their fence and slipped into the yard of the people he had been watching--hoping they would have mercy on him and help him.

First the man came home. He picked him up and warmed him in his arms. In just a few minutes the woman drove up. The man helped her get inside the house. When she saw him in the man's arms, she said "oh no, not again." The man just said, I'll put him in the barn.

Next came the other man--he saw him and scooped him up into his arms. His face was fuzzy and warm--reminded him of his mother's soft fur. He rubbed again the man's beard and purred. He felt safe there. As the younger man carried things for the woman, he perched on his shoulders.

They all went into the house. The two men carried him to a protected deck behind the house. They made him a warm place to sleep out of the wind, while giving him food and water. There was a glass wall where he could see in to where they and all their other animals were.

Sitting on his side of the glass wall he watched quietly as they went about their business. Other cats came and sat on the inside watching him as he watched them. One of the dogs whined and begged for the people to let the kitten in. He just wanted to be safe, secure, and feed. He would be willing to live outside looking in.

The night was cold, but with the protection he was given he was fine. He had food, water to drink, a place out of the weather and wind and people to watch. He would love to be allowed in--to be held and cherished as the others were, but he would take what he could get--and be thankful for what was offered.

She kept coming to the glass wall to watch him. She would hold one of the cats in her arms, stroke his fur, rub the head of a dog that always accompanied her and watched him. She seemed sad. She returned many times throughout the night. The next morning, the man came out to check on him. He held him and gently rubbed his fur.

"I'd take you to the barn, but you would be all alone right now. Maybe it is better to be a deck cat for a while." After feeding him, the man left. In just a little while, the woman appeared. She watched him looking in at them all. Her eyes brimmed with tears. The young man joined her. "We can't leave him out there--it is cruel with this storm coming in. We have to find a shelter for him."

The young man came out and got him--bringing him inside the house holding, and petting him. The woman made phone calls and kept shaking her head sadly.

"All of the shelters are full. No one is adopting right now. If we take him in, someone else has to be put down to make space for him. We just can't do that. We can't let them just kill him. He needs us--and maybe we need him."

So he got to stay in the house where he was warm, well fed, loved, and protected. He had much for which to be thankful. He still remembered the pain and loneliness of being abandoned, but God had led him to a family.

This year as we approach Thanksgiving and the season of Advent, perhaps we are burdened by feeling of loss, sadness, and abandonment. However, we are not alone. God has not abandoned us. As we seek to follow the ways of God, we can share what resources we have, we can seek to find someone else in need--and together we can continue to walk the ways of God.

God of provision, you never abandon us. Sometimes we have to open our eyes and venture out to find the provision you have for us. Sometimes we have to open our ears to hear the cries of others. Sometimes we have to open our hearts and be willing to share. Help us never to abandon one another, but to seek to walk together, following your ways. So be it. Amen.