Scratches

I get scratches from Hanes on a fairly regular basis.

She does not scratch me on purpose; but sometimes she puts her claws on me when I unkonwingly startle her, or when she does not want to be picked up, or when she decides she is done cuddling and uses me as a springboard, or whenever she thinks more force is needed. I have had scratches on my stomach, my arms and legs. Some have never left any marks, but a few are still visible.

Oddly enough, although the scratches hurt (and some more than others), I would still rather have them than Hanes not letting me love on her.

I wonder what God thinks about the "scratches" we give him when we decide we are finished getting close to him, or when we do not obey Him, or when we try to run away from Him (or His plans for us). Would He rather us hurt Him (whether intentionally or unintentionally) than us not going to Him at all too?

If I, a mere mortal, care about a cat enough to not mind the scratches, how much more does God, who is immortal and the Creator of us all, care about us? During this Father's Day weekend, it makes me wonder.

Nieces and Nephews: Hanes

Yes, it's Hanes, the cat. Since she is my sister-in-law's cat, we call ourselves uncle and aunt when we "talk" to her. In that sense, she is our "niece," the feline one. But I guess this post is also a way for me to update on Hanes, because it has been a while since I last posted her pictures.

When I met Hanes for the first time (if we could call it a meeting), she was sleeping on the couch at my mother-in-law's house. It was before Hubby and I were married, so it was many years ago. She did not get up (or get away) so I did not even see her face or any movement. She was just a ball of fur on the couch. She did not seem too "friendly."

Then, I saw her move around the house during our subsequent visits, but she was shy and I still did not know her much.

Hubby became her keeper almost three years ago, when my mother-in-law moved and we moved hubby to our current town (I was still in school in Florida). Since I was not moved yet, I would see her once a month for a weekend, but she had become much more "friendly."

When I joined Hubby in our current town two summers ago, I spent the first couple of weeks of summer at home unpacking boxes from my move from Florida and his move from his apartment, and setting up our new home. But I spent most of the summer finishing my thesis. Hanes began to let me love on her and we developed a bond over the summer. She would come sit on my lap while I was writing, and she let me play with her.

Now, Hanes is no longer just the ball of fur that kept a distance. She is my "little one" or "sweetie," as I sometimes call her. I love it when she comes and drapes her head on my arm, or just sits on my lap, because she lets me love on her.

Below are some pictures of Hanes. Enjoy!

Hanes likes sleeping on Hubby's shirts, like this one (note her paws, very proper like a lady)

Napping on the couch by the window

Cute!

Robo-kitty!

She likes paper

Having a sweet moment with Hubby

Napping, again (but her paws were all over the place that day!)

She also likes shoes

and bags

and boxes

and Christmas presents

Hanes hanging out on my lap

On Hubby's lap

I love this picture of Hubby and Hanes, even though Hanes seems a bit indifferent

Hanes on my lap as I was sipping tea

Robo-kitty (with laser-sharp eyes) in her box

Hanes "hiding" behind my tennis bag

This post also officially concludes my little "Nieces and Nephews" series. Hope you have enjoyed it!

At the Dinner Table

A photo to share while I am working on the road trip/vacation posts -


Hanes knows she is not supposed to climb onto our lap while we have dinner. She still tries every now and then, and occasionally she would climb onto the chair next to Hubby and sit there while we eat. She did it again last night, but this time she sat up and looked very cute!

Tennis (Ball) Fan

As the French Open is well underway, I thought I would post something about tennis. :)

After a league match a few Saturday mornings ago, I gave Hanes a tennis ball to see if she would like it, since she liked the ping pong balls.

Here is what she did with the tennis ball -






She held the tennis ball tight, ignored her mouse and played with the tennis ball for at least 15 minutes!

She is quite a fan!

Hubby Guest Blogs: About Hanes

Every now and then, Hubby gets inspired to write a poem. Here I present to you his newest work. Enjoy!

Fuzzy Butt leaves fuzzy hair,
On the stair and in the air
On the couch and on the chair
On the bed and everywhere!

Happy Birthday!

Dear Mommy,

Love,

Hanes

P.S. The humans in the house also send their birthday wishes!

A Better Picture

I feel bad about the previous "tagged" picture, so to make up for it, I am posting a much better one. Enjoy!

Hubby had told me Hanes loves fresh, warm laundry, and she would get into it whenever the laundry is out of the dryer. But she had not done it very frequently lately - until this past weekend. I put the clean sheets on the bed and Hanes immediately jumped on it. She made herself comfortable and looked very cute.

Tagged

My sister-in-law tagged me so here we go -

Here is how it works -

1. Go to the 4th picture folder on your computer
2. Post the 4th picture in that folder
3. Explain the picture
4. Tag 4 more bloggers

I have to apologize to Hanes, because this is not a good picture of her at all. The picture was taken in September, 2007. She had been sleeping on our guest bed but apparently I woke her up and she was not the happiest about it. Sorry, Hanes!

If you would like post your picture, consider youself tagged!

Being Lukewarm, Being Wholehearted

Thanks to some time off around Christmas, I had a chance to read a book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan, a California-based pastor. He challenges his readers not to be lukewarm Christians but be wholehearted followers of Jesus Christ, not because of what we "can" do for Him but because of who He is. God is the Creator of the vast universe, yet He cares about every single one of His created beings and loves each of us with the kind of unconditional love which Chan calls "crazy love." Chan encourages his audience to go back to the Bible and read it for themselves, to study Jesus's example and understand how to be wholehearted followers of Him who hold nothing back.

As I was turning the pages, I was challenged and convicted, because it reminded me how comfortable and self-centered I am as a Christian. God has given me so much more than I need, yet I am not giving as much as I should in His Name, not only in terms of finances, but also time and abilities. I think more about myself than I do others. Sadly, I am lukewarm at times.

As I was reading and processing what the book presented, Hanes came to me. She settled on my stomach and I patted her, but she left soon afterwards. She did that a couple of times.

Then it hit me.

I was reading about not being lukewarm, yet that was exactly what I was doing - doing what I wanted to do and paying halfhearted attention to a cat! I was only mindlessly patting her and barely acknowledging her presence - and she knew it. That was why she left. Lukewarm attention was worse than no attention at all.

Thankfully, Hanes came back. This time, even though I only had about ten more pages and it was not the time I wanted to put the book down, I put it down.

I welcomed her with both arms and I gave her my full attention. I looked her in the eye and she knew I was being sincere this time. She stayed - for a long while. Through her, God showed me what it was like to be lukewarm, and thankfully, what it was like to be wholehearted.

Later, I finished the last few pages, challenged to put what I read into practice, wholeheartedly.

Sitting Down and Being Still

I am home much less often now because of work, and Hanes, the wise cat in residence, thus has been having very limited human contact and options to decide when to play or cuddle the way she used to. Nonetheless, she has been teaching me yet another good lesson.

In the mornings when I am getting ready for work, I rarely sit down. One time, however, I sat on the couch to put on my socks. In those five seconds, Hanes jumped on my lap and began purring right away. I, while wanting to get going, could not move without interrupting her. So there I was, sitting on the couch for about five minutes with the cat, enjoying a few minutes of stillness.

This past Monday night, I was home for about an hour and a half between work and tennis. When I got home, Hanes was at the door to greet me. I acknowledged her at the door and literally one second later, I went straight to the kitchen to cook and do other housework I did not finish over the weekend when I was mostly wonderfully preoccupied with Operation Christmas Child (more on that later!). After doing a few things and changing clothes, I sat down to eat. With no lapse of time in between, Hanes was on my lap.

Then I realized it was the first time I sat down in an hour and actually be still for more than a second. With Hanes firmly planting herself on my lap as soon as I sat down, I had to stay where I was. I could not even reach my mail to read while eating, or do anything else at the same time.

Then I looked at Hanes. She was perfectly still and happy, purring away. While I was doing various things earlier, she never whined the way she would in the mornings when she tries to wake us up. She had simply been waiting, waiting for the moment for me to be still and be with her.

She waited for an hour.

I wonder if this is how God waits for me with such incredible patience like this every day. Sure, I have my quiet time in the mornings, but how often am I being still to listen to Him rather than just trying to get my Bible study lessons done? How still and focused am I during prayer time? I am thankful for my God who is ever patient, even more so than the little wise cat. She is on my lap right now, so I'd better go and be still for a while.

Rest

Because Hanes likes her wet food so much, she is very focused on waking us up in the morning, letting us know quite loudly and clearly that she would not give up until she gets her breakfast. So when she gets her breakfast, she is very focused on enjoying it; then she becomes much more relaxed afterwards.

However, she does not settle for her food only. Every day, Hanes would come to me while I am having my quiet time. She usually rests herself on my shoulder or my stomach; but lately, she likes to put her head on my arm. You know what it does? By resting that way, she puts her weight on me. And she is perfectly still and content.

I wonder how often I just keep asking God for something I want but forget to seek Him, let alone rest in Him. One time, after I finished my Bible study, I put the book down to think about the lesson. Then Hanes got near the book and settled there, not for five minutes, but for hours. She might not be doing the Bible study, but she certainly understands that contentment is more than the food she asks for every day, and she knows what it means to rest.

Cat and Mice

While Hanes was hanging out in the living room earlier today, I thought she might be interested in playing. I lined up the mice in front of her, but alas, she was not in the mood to play. She did not even touch the mice. So I left her alone and went about my business upstairs. When I went down to get water in the kitchen later, I saw the following -

Bird's eye view

Side view

Hanes sleeps in this "Garfield pose" sometimes and I always find that funny. But doing so in front of the lined-up mice just cracked me up! She has been teaching me many serious things (see previous posts and more to come); she nonetheless has a lighted-hearted side!

On the Verge of Sunrise

It was dark when I got up at 5.30 on Saturday morning. I needed to water the yard before playing tennis. I am in a very transitional phase right now, praying hard for God’s direction; and waiting has not been an easy lesson. Sometimes, not knowing what is next feels like being in the dark, like the surroundings to which I awoke.

Hanes, my sister-in-law’s cat, was surprised to see me. She promptly got down the dining chair where she had been sleeping, and came to me, thinking her beloved breakfast would come early without having to wake us! However, since it was well before her normal breakfast time, I decided not to feed her and disrupt her routine.

As I was getting the sprinklers going, eating breakfast and having my quiet time, Hanes was trying to figure out when I was going to feed her. She would come by to remind me she was ready to eat, then she would sit across the living room to wait it out. She also tried to distract herself with the ping pong balls or whatever she saw on the floor. When she could not wait any longer, she would come to me again to remind me; she even went upstairs to try to wake hubby.

The whole time Hanes was doing all these, I did not for one second forget about her, nor did I not remember what she had been asking. I knew where the food was and I was going to put it in her dish soon, a time that would be better than now. For her good.

How I am like the little cat. I think I know what I am asking, I think I see the “signs,” I think I can keep praying to God and be patient. No, sadly. I am as anxious about what is next as Hanes is about her wet food. Like Hanes, I have no question who my Provider is; but like Hanes, I am not the best in waiting, and “not yet” is not my favorite answer. Through the little cat, however, God gave me a great reminder of waiting for Him. If I, a temporary keeper of the little feline, do not forget to meet her needs, how much more does God, my Creator who knows me better than I can ever know myself, know what is best for me? I need more faith, and this faith can only come from Him.

I fed Hanes early anyway. As she enjoyed the breakfast for which she had been eagerly waiting, I looked out the window. The dawn was breaking. The sun was about to rise.

Cat Hair on the Carpet

My sister-in-law's cat, Hanes, has been staying with us in the past months. She has been teaching me a lot of lessons, and I learned a new one this morning.

A long-haired cat, Hanes sheds frequently and her blobs of gray hair are highly visible on our beige carpet. This morning, as I sat in my usual spot in the living room for my devotional, I saw her hair in various spots in the living room. Together with her mice, ping-pong balls and other "toys" scattered all over the floor, there was no mistake as to where she had been in the house (generally she likes the living room and the staircase, loves to sleep on one of our dining table chairs, but dislikes the TV room - we don't know why but that room is free of cat hair). Where she hung out was no pertinent information, but the visual clues she left was so obvious that it was impossible to overlook.

This scene was by no means new and I usually just picked up the hair as I saw it. However, instead of cleaning up cat hair this morning, I had this thought: if I could tell where Hanes had been in the house by the hair she left behind, could the same be said about me? I don't shed like cats (don't worry), yet the Bible speaks of the fragrance believers have that comes from God. I wonder if I leave behind this fragrance where I have been, figuratively speaking through my words and actions, as naturally as Hanes sheds her hair, and as visibly as her gray hair is on the beige carpet for all to see?