Reminiscing First Week of Shut Down

         Last night Richard was approached by an unhoused woman who said she had not eaten for two days and would he be able to help her out.  We did happen to have some leftover food in the car.  He gave her the part we hadn’t eaten and she went on her way.  She reminded me of the unhoused woman mentioned at the end of this post.  One week into the pandemic and not all people were certain of how serious it was.  Masks and social distancing were not yet enforced everywhere. 

Jaime and I could hear the homeless woman singing and Jaime decided to join her and made a tiktok video of the two of them singing “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman. I remember how Jaime looked at her as an equal and had not passed any judgement.  I knew she was standing too close for Carol’s liking. We had met up with her a day or two later (here) and had driven in separate cars. Jaime showed her the video the next day.  I think it made Carol nervous.

As careless as we had all been none of my household members ever got sick with COVID.  Carol, on the other hand, believes she got it.  She’d venture out of the house to make a small purchase – such as cat food and toilet paper and there were certain places that she started boycotting because of not enforcing “people protection”.  I remember many feeling that way and others the opposite.  Some people still won’t support those that enforced the mask and social distancing and so forth.  Some people are in denial and still believe it was all a hoax.

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

Examples of Ministering Angels

             Too often I will get several interruptions whenever  I am trying to read (any book I'm interested in) or write a post for my blog.  I failed to go into detail with my last post.  It was there when I initially sat down to create it.  After four or five interruptions I read what I had and felt satisfied that it was passable – but it does seem to be uncompleted as there are no examples.  I will now share the example that brought to mind the subject of ministering angels (aside from the latest read in the Come Follow Me Doctrine and Covenants schedule).

            Over the years Corey has posted many things on facebook that have touched me – his latest with his experience of a cat whom he and Joh named Milagro.  I don’t have either of their permission to share their story but will do so without it. (If either would like me to take it down, I will do so.  If you are reading this and it is the end of the month now chances are great that neither of them saw any reason to remove)

            It has been at least two years since they found a tom cat in their backyard whom they would leave food and other comforts.  He appeared to be a stray as sometimes he would come all scuffed up and beaten – most likely by another cat.  And they would clean him up and offer comfort as best as they could without letting him into their house.  First of all, they saw him as an outdoor cat who might not be comfortable inside but also because Corey and Joh had three female cats living inside and did not know how they would react to the male or how he would react to them.

            They eventually named the cat “Milagro” which is a Spanish word for miracle.  They saw the cat as a miracle as he would disappear for weeks at a time and neither Corey nor Joh knew if the cat was still alive.  He outlived many moments of being torn up or matted and seemingly unhealthy.

            It was Milagro that brought their fourth cat, Gabriella, into their lives.  She also needed attention to clean up her wounds or appearance or whatever may have been wrong with her.  Corey and Joh cleaned her up and took her to the vets and eventually adopted the bundle of joy.  They will always be grateful to Milagro for bringing her into their lives.

            I don’t know when exactly that Milagro had disappeared from their lives.  Corey had been off facebook for quite a while and so I don’t remember the details as he  had not posted anything while he was on his facebook break.  Quite recently Milagro made another appearance.  I believe he was mangled and had obvious health issues.  Though Joh and Corey were still reluctant about bringing Milagro into the house, they couldn’t watch as Milagro suffered.  Thus they took him to the vet and were given medicine.  They also purchased a chip so that they could keep track of him should he disappear again.

Joh made a special place for Milagro to be in the house and away from the girls.  They cared for him and did not let him go until the medicine was gone.  Meanwhile Joh had posted pictures of Milagro in the event he did belong to someone.  They did receive a phone call.  The cat’s name is “Cookies” and while Joh was on the phone with the owners mother he could hear a girl’s voice in the background saying, 

"Mommy, I never prayed, but last night I decided to for the first time."

Ministering Angels. Corey. Joh. Milagro.  The inspiration that Joh received to post Milagro/Cookie’s picture.  The answers to a young girl’s prayer. And that is only one example.