Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these . . .

 

On May 21^st Joh and Corey had discovered another stray in their yard and like before (see here) they took it upon themselves to feed the neglected tom and nurse it back to health. 

Corey and Joh’s first miracle cat had shown up on the 25^th – the day they had scheduled for their new stray, Jasper to see the vet.  On the 31^st Corey wrote:

“With the collar that Joh gave him, his shaved fur, and having our home as his temporary abode, it makes me cry because he's been given back some of the dignity a cruel world took away from him and, of course, he's got love and caring now, too. Don't we all deserve that?”

Jasper in May

On May 31 Joh had proposed the question: "If Jasper was a human being, what do you think his life was?"

And on June 3 (a year after Joh’s mom had passed) Corey wrote that: “Jasper represents a hope for a different outcome”.

I’ve enjoyed the updates that are posted and have so much admiration for the compassion and the willingness to give.  Yesterday I read this post and asked Corey’s permission to post it to my blog:

“When I was in Sydney, Australia with [Joh], I saw a homeless man whose figure felt so tragic, I wanted to capture it because it was such a haunting and sad image to me. I really second-guessed whether I should do so because it felt cruel of me to take a photo of this man's misery like some sort of exploitative tourist. But there was something pathetic, and yet also filling me with a sense of compassion, about the man's posture, that I wanted to safeguard the image as a reminder to me that there are people in low places in life, and it behooves us to stand up and take notice and help each other, if we can.

photo courtesy of Corey

“All I could do that day was put some money in the man's outstretched cup, but I really wanted to somehow do more, yet felt powerless and helpless to make any sort of real difference.

“As [Joh] and I were talking about Jasper this evening, we remarked how it feels like he wants to be loved and held and pet, but still is a bit guarded in doing so, as if the world has so abused him and tossed him aside, that it is a challenge for him to trust and learn to love again.

“Clearly, he trusts us and is affectionate with us. He eagerly greets us and rubs against our legs and allows us to pet, scratch, and hold him. But there is always an underlying tension—a fear, maybe—a posture that he holds that indicates that he is scared this feeling of comfort, love, and security won't last. I wondered yesterday if when we took him to the vet, he thought we were getting rid of him.

“I do not know what traumas this little guy has faced, but I know he has, and it is, of course, taking time for him to adjust to a life that is different than the one he had. And as [Joh] and I talked, we discussed the parallels of foster kids or recovering addicts or war veterans or anybody, really, who has experienced trauma or betrayals or disappointments and is trying to heal.

“I wish at times that we could really see into each other's hearts and intimately know the burdens and pains that make us who we are and how we act. I think if we could see deeply into each other's souls, we would be more compassionate, patient, and understanding with one another.

“This picture [four paragraphs above] reminds me that we are all of worth and that sometimes circumstances put our fellow human beings in unfortunate places, but that if we have the means, opportunity, and prompting to lend a hand or a kind word, we should.

“I have never shared this photo with anyone until tonight. Not even [Joh] had seen it until this evening. But I share it with you with the hope that when you or I see someone who is in need, whether in large ways or small, that if we have the ability to help, we should.”

The coat that currently covers Jasper's misshapen body