Burnt Out By Wednesday

Daughter of a tradesman, daughter of a knitter, resident of Minnesota. No further information is necessary to explain why I wear mittens in the winter. I think the only time I have worn gloves in my life, was for my first communion.
Today, I bought two pair of gloves, and believe me, I felt the universe flinch. This decision was made because I have inserted reading on my morning walk. That too felt somewhat sacrilegious.
But I have come to learn that praying, for me, is best done as me. And now, reading has become part of my prayer life. I can turn a page easier with a gloved hand. The dogs are still thrilled with the general format...the woods and lake.

I decided this week that I am being instructed by three felines.

One is the Cheshire cat of Alice In Wonderland. Appearing in trees with the wide, crazy smile and enormously bushy tail, this one disappears by turning his back to the class. Only after saying something powerful. I have come to watch for the turning of the back, and scribble furiously, what has come out of his mouth. Monday night, it was: "God's presence in our lives is constant. This is what is referred to as grace. You will write about every person who loved you, every person who did something for you, and what they did, every person who said something to you when you were broken, empty and alone. You will write about every act that a person put forward that steadied you, held you, and directed you. You will not tell me that you do not know God. And you will not tell me that God is not part of your life. If you do not believe in the presence of God, please drop out of this class. God is active in every relationship, no matter its context. Good, bad, or ugly. God is there, working, directing, inspiring, resurrecting, forgiving, challenging, nuturing, using it to make manifest: life and love. Thus, every relationship is sacred. If you do not know this, you are not praying, meditating, reflecting or writing enough. Get busy or get out."

One is a kitten. Full of curiousity, courage, and spirit, this one leaps at the string, wad of paper, and the bird on the other side of the glass. This one raises his arms to the sky, and runs into the chairs of students, to say something. I have started now watching for the arms to go up, the dynamic leap, the tumble across feet and legs, and the wild and enthused eyes. And I wait for what he is going to say, to write it down. Last night it was: "Living a life that is God directed is easy. We have a perfect example of how to do it. That example is Jesus. He even made it easier for us. He said do two things. That is all you have to do. Two things. Easy!!"

One is a fat cat who looks like he is sleeping, but he is not. His eyes are not all the way closed. If you try to touch him, he leaps insanely from a prone position, takes to six feet of air, and runs from the room, feet scrambling and hardly operational. Whenever this cat is about to say something, he starts playing around with all the audio-visual equipment on his desk. (This is one of the college's smart rooms.) Then he answers the question, or summarizes the material.
I used to wait for what he would say. Now I know what he is going to say, "How would you answer that?" "What do you think?" "What is your assessment of this case?"


I am still certain however, that God is a dog.