Black Cat

A black cat crossed my path today. 
I spotted him on the edge of the street, standing at attention as my car approached. He stood up on all fours and slowly began to cross the street right in front of me. I stopped my car to let him pass, and he paused in the middle of the street to look directly at me, his piercing, green eyes gleaming in the morning sunlight. Then, he continued on his way to the other side of the street, in no hurry to reach his destination. 

 "Black Cat, Black Cat, 
  What do you see?"
"I see a person looking at me."




He was a young, fluffy cat, pure black, without even a speck of white fur, obviously clean and well-loved by somebody, even though he wasn't wearing a collar. In spite of the old traditions that insist it is bad luck to have a black cat cross your path, especially so close to Halloween, I don't expect to have any bad luck today. In fact, I was thrilled to see such a perfect, black cat with strikingly green eyes. He looked so soft, if not particularly friendly, with just enough of an attitude to keep himself out of trouble.

Cats, with their aloof personalities, were thought to be gods in ancient Egypt. The Israelites and early Christians insisted that cats were false gods, at best. I suppose it was a logical leap that so-called witches, the embodiment of evil during the late middle ages, would have feline pets who were also accused of being evil. 

Black cats, in particular, can easily disappear in the dark, with only their gleaming eyes and blood-chilling shrieks giving away their presence in the forbidding shadows. S-p-o-o-k-y! But not really evil. Not bad luck, either. Cats are simply another of God's amazing creations, doing what they were created to do--hunt for their prey in the darkness.

We don't need be be afraid of black cats, which are relatively harmless. But, all superstitions aside, there are some things on this Earth that terrify us, and rightly so. When we are faced with legitimate danger, we can trust in God to be there with us, always. 

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3 
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wedding Shoes

Image
I don’t remember the actual wedding ceremony, or the reception, either, when my Aunt Marj married Norm, but I know the wedding was held at the Methodist church in Norfolk. By the time I was nine years old, I had attended a few weddings and receptions and, by then, I realized that most church weddings and receptions were about the same; they were special occasions, for sure, launching marriages that might last for decades, but the wedding ceremony itself was nothing memorable for a child who had attended more than one, and the wedding cake and punch, while satisfying, weren’t much different than any other cake and punch I'd ever had. Just a few weeks earlier, my family had moved from the Oxnard Hotel in Norfolk to the Hotel Mary-Etta in Fairbury. The wedding would have marked the first time our family returned to Norfolk for a visit, so that added to our excitement. I remember arriving at Grandpa and Grandma's house that mild June morning, and finding a houseful of relatives scu...
Read more

A Little Covid

Image
Like so many of you, I am tired of hearing about Covid-19. As I look back to 2020 and the intervening years since then, I can't help but think that our government, along with many others throughout the world, may have overreacted, insisting on too many, perhaps unnecessary, restrictions. However, the fact remains that I am currently quarantined at home because, for the first time, I officially have Covid. I would never have known I have Covid except that it morphed into a sinus infection. So, I dutifully made my way to Urgent Care because I knew I would need an antibiotic to get over it. And, of course, I had to have a test to rule out Covid and Influenza A. Except, even though my vaccinations are up-to-date, the test was positive for Covid. My Covid symptoms have been minimal, probably because I’ve been vaccinated: some fatigue, some sneezing, and a headache that won't quit. Initially, I passed off those symptoms as my normal allergy symptoms, aggravated by the windy condition...
Read more

Little Anna

Image
We don't get to see our youngest granddaughter as often as we would like, because she lives with her family in Ohio. Little Anna Elizabeth is 13 months old, and Anna is truly a Little Person. Anna She was diagnosed with Hypochondroplasia, a rare type of short-limbed dwarfism, when she was just a few months old. When doctors suggested, even before she was born, that she might have dwarfism, Erin and Reed passed it off as another misconception about their family's relatively small stature. None of them are tall people, and both Erin and five-year-old Will were always near the bottom of their respective growth charts when they saw their doctors for well-child checkups. Doctors had voiced similar concerns before Will was born, but he does not have any type of dwarfism; he is just small for his age.  Will, Erin, Anna, and Reed Anna, on the other hand, has been in and out of the hospital since she was born, first for breathing issues, and then for focal seizures, which are manifested...
Read more