GRATITUDE!

#1. LIFE'S LESSONS, GOOD & BAD
#2. GOOD FRIENDS, STEPHEN, MONA, PEGGY, CARLA, LINDA AND ALL MY GREAT AND FAITHFUL BLOG FOLLOWERS
#3. WRITING, LOVING IT!
#4. A COMPUTER AND LEARNING HOW TO USE IT
#5. LEARNING
#6. MEETING NEW AND GOOD PEOPLE
#7. LITTLE, IMMEDIATE FAMILY (PETS) , THE ONES WHO LISTEN TO ME AND DON'T TALK BACK
#8. GOOD NEIGHBORS
#9. GOOD LANDLORDS
#10. GIFT OF ANOTHER DAY CLEAN AND SOBER

AS I PROMISED IN AN EARLIER BLOG,THIS IS ONE OF THE CAT STORIES. I DECIDED TO BEGIN WITH THIS ONE MAINLY BECAUSE IT HAS DONE SO MUCH FOR MY SPIRIT THAT I THOUGHT IT MIGHT IT DO THE SAME FOR SOME OF YOU. I HAVE SEEN PAIN AND STRUGGLE, COURAGE, WILL POWER AND DETERMINATION BECAUSE OF THIS ONE CAT, AND I HOPE THAT IT WILL DO SOME OF THE SAME FOR YOU.
I'VE ELOQUENTLY AND QUITE ADEQUATELY NAMED THIS LITTLE CAT, ONE- EYE. THE REASON FOR HIS NAME IS IN THE STORY OF HIM COMING TO ME AND ALSO IN THE STRENGTH THAT HE HAS SHOWN IN THIS LIFE. AS I HAVE WRITTEN MANY TIMES, I HAVE FELT THAT IT IS INDEED IMPORTANT FOR MYSELF TO SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE GIVING SOMETHING BACK TO THE UNIVERSE, SIMPLY BECAUSE I SPENT THE FIRST PART OF MY LIFE BEING A SPOILED TAKER OF ALL THINGS, BEING WRAPPED UP IN MY ADDICTIONS AND SELF-GRATIFICATIONS. ONE OF THE SIMPLE WAYS THAT I ADEQUATELY ATTEMPT TO DO THIS IS TO TAKE CARE OF CREATURES, ESP. DOGS AND CATS. NOT SO MUCH BY HAVING THEM LIVE WITH ME BUT BY GETTING THEM SPAYED AND NEUTERED, FOOD IF I CAN, AND FINDING GOOD HOMES FOR THOSE IN NEED. I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT ALTHOUGH I AM AND ALWAYS HAVE BEEN AN ANIMAL LOVER, THIS WAS NOT MY CHOICE. IT WAS A CHOICE THAT WAS SIMPLY BESTOWED ONTO ME. THIS STORY STARTS ABOUT ONE YEAR AGO, IN THE APT. COMPLEX THAT I LIVE IN WHERE THERE IS AN ABUNDANCE OF FERAL CATS. I'M NOT CERTAIN WHY THIS IS, EXCEPT THAT THIS IS A COLLEGE AREA, AND SOMETIMES I THINK THAT WHEN THE STUDENTS LEAVE, THEY FORGET THEIR CATS, UNFORTUNATELY. SO IT SEEMED THAT WE HAD SEVERAL WILD CATS IN OUR COMPLEX, AND SO CONSEQUENTLY I WOULD LEAVE FOOD OUT WHEN I WAS ABLE. THERE WERE TWO CATS IN PARTICULAR THAT SEEMED TO BE AROUND A LOT. ONE WAS ALL BLACK AND SMALLER OF THE TWO, AND THE OTHER WAS GRAY WITH A LITTLE BIT OF WHITE. THEY WERE BOTH FERAL AND MALE. I SIMPLY CALLED THE BLACK ONE KITTY AND THE GRAY ONE GRANDPA. MOST EVERYONE HERE SEEMED TO DISLIKE GRANDPA AS HE LIKED TO SPRAY ON THEIR DOORS. I TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT ONCE I COULD CAPTURE THEM I WOULD HAVE THEM NEUTERED, AND PUT AN END TO THIS PROBLEM. I TALKED TO THEM BOTH ON A DAILY BASIS AND THEY SEEMED TO LISTEN TO MY EVERY WORD. HA! SO ,ONE NIGHT ABOUT 9 MONTHS AGO I HEARD A TERRIBLE NOISE IN THE CORNER OF MY BACK YARD. I KNEW THAT ALL MY ANIMALS WERE IN THE HOUSE SAFE AND SOUND, SO I VENTURED OUT TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. IT WASN'T PRETTY. IT WAS A FIGHT WITH TWO RACCOONS AND A CAT. I COULD NOT TELL WHICH CAT IT WAS. HOWEVER, I KNEW THAT IT WAS VERY BAD AND I SAID A SILENT PRAYER. I HAD GREAT FEAR FOR THE POOR CAT.
I DID NOT SEE THE INJURED CAT, NOR EVEN KNOW WHICH ONE IT WAS FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. THEN ONE DAY TO MY TOTAL HORROR, THERE UNDER MY CAR SAT THE LITTLE BLACK CAT. IT WAS SO TORN UP IT LITERALLY MADE ME SICK AND BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES. MY MOTHERLY INSTINCTS WERE FELT DOWN TO THE VERY CORE OF MY SOUL. HE WAS HALF A CAT; HIS WHOLE RIGHT SIDE SEEMED TO BE RIPPED AWAY, AND HE HAD NO RIGHT EYE. IT WAS THEN THAT HE GOT THE NAME OF ONE- EYE. I LAY DOWN ON THE PAVEMENT AS CLOSE AS HE WOULD ALLOW ME TO GET AND I SPOKE WITH A VERY SOFT VOICE, TELLING HIM THAT I WANTED TO HELP HIM, THAT I WOULD TAKE HIM TO THE VET, AND IF NOT, THEN I WOULD BRING HIM FOOD AND WATER AND WE COULD TRY TO GIVE HIM STRENGTH TO GET WELL. I WAS WILLING TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THIS TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY, EVEN THOUGH I DIDN'T THINK THAT THIS POOR CAT COULD OR WOULD SURVIVE. ALL I COULD DO WAS MY BEST AND HOPE THAT IT WOULD DO SOME GOOD. WELL, GOOD IT SEEMED TO DO, BECAUSE AFTER WEEKS TURNED INTO MONTHS LITTLE ONE EYE SHOWED REAL SIGNS OF HEALING. HE HAD NO EYE ON THE RIGHT SIDE, WAS STILL DEFORMED; HOWEVER, HE WAS GAINING WEIGHT AND LOOKING GOOD. HE WOULD WATCH ME WALK MY LITTLE DOG AND SOMETIMES FOLLOW US, AND VERY SOON HE BECAME A REGULAR AT MY DOOR FIRST THING IN THE MORNING. HE WAS INDEED A GREAT EATER! MY OWN CATS SEEMED TO RESPOND TO HIM FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE ALSO BY WATCHING HIM IN WONDER AND AWE AT HIS PROGRESS. SO, FOR A FEW MONTHS ONE -EYE FOLLOWED ME, LISTENED TO ME, TAUGHT ME THAT YOU JUST NEVER KNOW, THAT SOMETIMES SMALL THINGS HAVE GREAT COURAGE, AND THAT IF YOU WALK INTO A FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT REASON, HOLD YOUR HEAD UP NO MATTER HOW YOU LOOK, AND PERSEVERANCE IS A BEAUTIFUL THING. ONE DAY AS ONE- EYE SEEMED TO BE GETTING HEALTHIER AND ALOT FRIENDLIER HE DID THE UNEXPECTED: HE ALLOWED ME TO PET HIM. I WAS SO HAPPY I CRIED, AND FROM THEM ON HE WOULD LET ME PET HIM AND EVEN RUB ON MY LEG. THEN, TWO NIGHTS AGO, HE CAME TO THE DOOR QUITE UNEXPECTED, LOOKED DEEP INTO MY EYES. HE SEEMED VERY WEAK AND WASN'T EATING. I PICKED HIM UP. HE ALSO WAS DRINKING OUT OF THE WATER POND INSTEAD OF HIS USUAL WATER BOWL. I KNEW THAT SOMETHING WAS NOT RIGHT. SO, AFTER A FEW HUGS, AN "I LOVE YOU, ONE -EYE", HE JUMPED DOWN, LOOKED BACK AT ME AND SLOWLY STAGGERED AWAY. I NOW KNOW THAT HE WAS COMING TO TELL ME FAREWELL AND HAPPY TRAILS. I DID NOT REALIZE IT AT THE TIME BUT I BELIEVE THAT HE WANTED ME TO KNOW THAT HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO A MUCH BETTER PLACE. I WAS INDEED SAD FOR A MOMENT UNTIL I REALIZED THAT ONE -EYE HAD COME TO ME FOR MANY LESSONS AND THAT HE HAD SHOWN ME ONE OF THE FINAL ONES, THAT BEING THAT WE ALL PASS ON. THANK YOU, ONE- EYE! I WILL NOT FORGET YOU, AND I HOPE THAT THERE WILL BE A LOT OF GREAT MICE FOR YOU TO CHASE IN YOUR NEW HOME, WITH BOTH EYES OPEN.