Humor Happens

My kitty living with terminal kidney failure needs to go to the vet now and again. This last time, she was starting to get dehydrated, and I needed to take her in. The vet was very kind and shared something that warmed my heart and soul.

The vet was listening to Miss Daffy’s heart. I had been petting Daffy, but she started to fidget anyhow, so I began talking to her. The vet said to keep it up – my voice was slowing her heartbeat to normal levels. Me? I make someone in my life regular! Who knew?

I give thanks to hear from a third party that her love of me is confirmed yet again. In all of this life’s turmoil, I needed to hear that. Thank you, Dr. Penny!

This reminded me of my grandma. My mother’s mother. I remember once going into her room, and she waved me in although she and my mom were talking. I gave her a hug, like always, and my mom left us alone to visit.

Later, on the way home, my mom asked if I noticed anything different about grandma that day. I didn’t. She asked if I remember that they were talking, and I came into the room. I did. She said that her mother’s face lit up when I came into the room. I said that grandma always looked that way.

I don’t ever recall grandma without a smile. (Well, except when I smashed her toe under the bathroom door, but we’ll forget that one instance.) For me, she was always a bright spot in any and every day. After what my mom said, I knew that I was a bright spot for her too.

Now, I am honored to be that for someone else. And Daffy is a bright spot for me.

Moral of the Story: May you find that you are the bright spot for someone in your life.

Some things are easier to give thanks over than others. For example, it was too hot for me today. I’m not a fan of the 80’s. It’s just too much. In addition, I have a migraine today. Probably due to barometric changes.

This afternoon, I took a nap to try to end the migraine. It didn’t work, but when I got up, I was just too hot. Even though I felt miserable, I had to get the window air conditioners installed. I couldn’t stand one more moment of the heat. This evening, all are installed, and the house feels so very much better.

Tonight, I am giving thanks with every breath I take, every time I get up and the back of my knees aren’t sweaty, every time I walk from the living room to the kitchen and don’t break out in a sweat, and every time run my hands through my hair and it is no longer dripping with sweat.

I very much find these window air conditioners easy to give thanks to God for when it’s too hot for me to handle.

Moral of the story: Sometimes it is hard to remember to give thanks to God. But when it is easy, be sure to give it gladly and with hymns of praise.

I adore my little kitty who has terminal kidney failure. Well, I adore them all, but Miss Daffy returns the appreciation a bit more than others.

However, the other evening there was some commotion in the corner of the living room we now consider hers. You see, for years, she has deferred to her sister’s authority. It’s not that she likes to, but her sister is literally twice her size, large, and in charge. Miss Daisy has the attitude of a matriarch with a bit of an attitude that she was born first and should always be first … in all things … no matter the situation, time of day, or who else might be in need more. Miss Daffy is usually a peacekeeper, and avoids Miss Daisy’s bad and/or bossy side.

Yet there are other cats in the house. Both of whom came about 8 years after Miss Daffy and Miss Daisy. Therefore, they are underlings of my sister kitties. Usually, the newer kitties, if they fight, have spats with each other. Rarely do they push it with my now “elderly” cats (I don’t like thinking of them as that old!).

Since Miss Daffy’s terminal diagnosis, we have somewhat set her up in one of two wing chairs. Until that time, she and her sister would sit where ever they pleased in the evening in the living room, and they would occasionally swap seats at some point during the evening. In the last few months, Daffy has only sat in the chair to the south of the room where we have water for her and extra padding on the seat.

Last night, one of the other cats climbed onto the top of the back of Miss Daffy’s chair. Shortly there after, Miss Daffy did her best to beat the crap out of the offending cat! And that cat also weighs – literally – twice as much as herself. It’s been a couple of days, and the other kitty is still a bit skittish of Miss Daffy.

Apparently, that is now officially her chair, and no other feline is welcome to it. Not even the top of the chair where Miss Daffy would surely not deem suitable for sitting. Matters not – it’s hers now, and it’s hers for defending.

Moral of the Story: No matter how bad it gets, there are ways you can stand up for yourself. Take charge of your own life … no matter the diagnosis.

Today I accidentally made a funny at church. I was to be part of the liturgy team today and read Genesis 3:1-13. I had skimmed it looking for difficult words. I find that when I read the scripture thoroughly before reading it in front of the congregation, I make lots of mistakes. If I have a generic understanding of the text, I do much better. Except today.

Today, right before I went up, I remembered the subject of the scripture, and started laughing to myself. It’s the one where there is some blaming going around, and that just made me giggle.

As I read through it, by the time I got to ⁸ Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

¹⁰ He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

¹¹ And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

By now, I’m laughing quite hard in my head. I know Adam is going to throw his wife under the bus. And then I read it out loud:

¹² The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

That’s it, I start laughing out loud. I added in that line somewhere, “Thanks Adam!” Seriously, this is scripture with some blame game. He doesn’t even address her as his wife or by her name. Just, “the woman you put here with me.” That also puts blame on God!

I was able to finish:

¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Fortunately, the congregation laughed with me, and then Pastor mentioned he can see how I’d find it funny, but he finds another portion funny. You’ll have to ask him about that – it was the basis of the sermon.

For the first time that I can recall, I was thanked for my boo-boo. Several women after the service said they also find that bit of scripture either funny or upsetting. How kind of Adam to blame us. Granted Eve blames the snake, so she’s not without blemish. In the end, we had a great service. Especially since when I helped serve communion, the Pastor held the grape juice, so I didn’t spill any on myself or others. Although I was dressed for it – I always try to wear dark colors for serving communion … or eating marina.