In life, there are people and situations that stand at our door and ask to be let in.

We have a choice to make. Let them in or don’t answer the door.

Often, either choice has a profound impact on our lives. Many a person has spent the rest of their days wishing they’d done the opposite of what they did.

It might have been a romantic relationship they wished they would have started or continued – or one that was a bad idea from the beginning.

Maybe it was a job they accepted that brought a paycheck but no happiness, or a position that might have brought both, if they’d only been willing to open that door.

Choices can be obvious, or they can be far from obvious. But the difficulty in making a choice can be lessened if we’ve allowed the right influences and teachings into our lives.

Answering the door when positive influences are knocking provides easier door decisions down the road.

I had good teachers and influences growing up in Ashdown, Arkansas. My parents and extended family were all positive influences, as was my church family.

But, even when you have the best background, there are times when it takes a tough situation to bring clarity.

On the day that I’m writing this, I received an early-morning email from a friend who took in a cat. My friend and her husband are older and had decided after the loss of their last two dogs that they did not want more pets.

But this cat (which just appeared one day, as door knocking opportunities often do) was persistent in staring through their living room window. The kitty needed a home and had chosen theirs.

My friend’s husband finally caved and took the cat in. He fed it, gave it a place to sleep, and began to love it.

This was extra effort since, at their advanced age, they’re still mowing their own yard, weed eating, doing home repair, and painting.

Regardless of whether children live near or far from their parents, they often think of their mom and dad as the able-bodied people they were years ago. And parents don’t want to let on that they could use some help.

That’s a topic for another column, but relevant to the cat story since the cat story is growing.

Yes, there’s more.

Soon, the one cat turned into five cats. The cat was a she. Now, they also have four kittens.

So, in addition to five cats, they’re also ambling around their home trying to keep up with mowing, and a floor remodel project. Now, they also have kittens meandering and exploring everything while they’re trying to work.

When we’re young, we’re physically able to handle projects, children, pets, and distractions around the house. But, when you’re nursing the effects of advanced age, it’s a bit much.

Sometimes we want to ask ourselves why. Why are things like they are?

That’s exactly what my friend did.

In her email to me, she was somewhat lamenting their situation.

I wrote her back:

God sends us things. Sometimes the things are items; other times they have a heartbeat just as we do.

When my wife and I returned from my father’s funeral two weeks after his death from a car wreck, we were unloading our luggage when I noticed a male peacock in our front yard. He was beautiful and appeared to be on a mission.

Even though we fought keeping him, he had no intention of leaving.

We named him Fred.

We never positively found from where Fred came, or why he chose us, but he won our hearts.

He roamed the neighborhood, but he always came home before dark to roost in a tree.

One day he didn’t come home.

For four years, he helped me heal. In addition to my father’s death, our niece and nephew also died in that car accident. It takes a lot to overcome that much loss, but Fred was key to my healing.

I grieved when Fred didn’t return. I missed him. I still do.

But God’s design is seldom ours. If we’ll let God do what he does best (reveal his design) our lives can be happy and full.

These cats likely are filling emptiness for you both.

Please let them.

 

©2022 John Moore

John’s latest book, Puns for Groan People, and his books, Write of Passage: A Southerner’s View of Then and Now Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, are available on his website – TheCountryWriter.com, where you can also send him a message and hear his weekly podcast.