They Bring Joy To My Life Every Day

I have a link on my Yahoo homepage called “The Daily Kitten”, where they post a “new kitten every day…at 3:07 pm”. Being a cat lover, I’ve been following this daily link for several years. People from all over the world post pictures of their kittens (always adorable, of course…is there any other kind?), along with a short commentary that shares how the kitten became part of their family or something unique about their kitten. They may look identical on the outside at times, but like snowflakes, it quickly becomes clear, as their “people” share their personality quirks, that no two kittens are truly alike.

What touches me the most is how each of these short commentaries invariably ends with some form of the following statement: “He is still my baby boy and the love of our lives!!” “He has just made our home happier.” “They bring us hours of enjoyment.” “We love her so much!”

I’m sure that somewhere on the internet is a similar website for puppies. Just last Sunday, I visited a woman in our ward and observed her joy in a new dog her married daughter had recently given to her and her husband. Even I, the cat lover, came home with memories of the dog, repeating over and over, “What a doll! What a doll!”

I have two cats of my own, no longer kittens, but I still echo the words above from the Daily Kitten. “He is still my baby boy!” “He has made my home happier.” “They bring me hours of enjoyment.” “I love her so much!” And I never let a morning or nightly prayer pass, that I don’t thank my Heavenly Father for the gift of their love and comfort and for the joy they bring into my life every day.

A few weeks ago, on Music and the Spoken Word, I listened to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing:

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small.
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

How grateful I am that among these creatures, “great and small”, He has graced our human lives with the opportunity to live in loving companionship with some of his “bright and beautiful” creations!

(Originally posted on ANWA Founder & Friends, 3/30/09)