Almost Daily Thoughts & Prayers 11/27/17

[minihorses]

Good morning all. I haven't been on the community boards in a few days. I'm still having some breathing problems. I'm  sitting here with one of my cats laying on my left arm (typos will be his fault), sleeping with his head on my chest  and raising his head backward to look up and give me kisses on the chin. It started me thinking about unconditional love. This cat came from a local rescue group as I adopt all my animals except for 2 of my horses, the blind one was adopted. I also like to rescue the 'special needs' animals.

This cat was taken in as a kitten along with his mother and 4 siblings from a feral cat group. After considering that we wanted another cat I looked at the group I had adopted from the last time. I don't usually get kittens. Everybody wants a kitten and they get adopted quickly. I want to give an adult cat that wouldn't be adopted so quickly a home. When I contacted the rescue about 2 adults they had the foster mom kept telling me she had a wonderful kitten she wanted me to see. I told her several times that I was looking for an adult but due to my animal background she really wanted me to come to the adoption event and see this kitten. We went in and I started looking at the two adults I was interested in and she recognized my voice and said hello. The next thing I saw was this little, black fuzzball being carried over. I asked her for the details on him She told me that someone had found the feral mama and babies and they called the rescue. They caught them all and their condition was fair at best. Mama cat was emaciated and the kittens weren't getting enough food because of it. The rescue group got them all back into health and with unconditional love they flourished. The one I have had really taken to me immediately and would go to any one of us even at the adoption event. Needless to say he came home with us that day. Since then he's grown into a beautiful, fat cat. He still romps and plays like a kitten and has a knack for getting into trouble! His nickname is 'mischief'. He has taken to me especially because less than 6 months after we adopted him I had knee surgery that kept me sitting in a recliner 24/7 unless I was doing PT. We have a bond of mutual unconditional love. 

We all need that kind of unconditional love to rescue us when we need it. We may get that in many ways and from many people. Our spouses, immediate and extended families, even our pets should provide that kind of caring and we should reciprocate that unconditional love.  Here's the hard part. We should also love ourselves unconditionally. I don't mean by selfishness, but by taking a long look inside ourselves and find the qualities that others see in us. Our willingness to try things even if we don't succeed, the love in our hearts, our caring of others when we listen to them, our time doing something voluntarily or giving of donations, even just a smile, wave, or a "hello" at people we see out and about.  Believe it or not all those actions are done by the unconditional love in our hearts. 

So now that we've recognized the fact that we do give and hopefully receive that kind of love, where would you put cigarettes on the list? Are you on their list? I don't think so. Will that cigarette give you words of consolation? How about wisdom? How about when we're lying in bed dying? That smoke will stay with you until it kills you. That's not love in my book. I loved them for 35 years but did they love me back? NO and they never will. My prayer for today is this:

   Heavenly Father, I thank you for giving me another day to live and worship you. As a child created by you I claim my unconditional love to the holy trinity with pure heart and mind. I pray that I may spread that same unconditional love that you have for me to everyone I have contact with. I will pray in your name for any others looking for everlasting love, especially for those who need to find love in themselves to move away from the evils of this world. Take away their bond of smoking so they may see you clearly and walk away from the lie that is telling them that the cigarettes love them. Help them to seek out real unconditional love for themselves so that they can begin to rebuild the temple that is their body. You are the strength that builds up and the light that removes us from the cloud of smoking. Thank you for your gift of removing me from the haze and ask that you shine your light on others who want to be free of the darkness of smoking.  In the name of our savior, Jesus Christ I pray. Amen  

Today I will offer my unconditional love and support to anyone here anyone that needs it and to everyone I meet! Have a fantastic, loving day my friends!

Julie

29 DOF