Yada yada yada...

Is it just us or does it seem that el Día de Acción de Gracias happened a long while ago??...and in between then and now a lot of yada yada yada happened.
Fur balls number 1 and 2 were home with their new nanny while kitty parents were heading out to the MidWest.

Today I had to go home early in the afternoon to visit a painter who was going to repaint Augustus' bathroom. In a flash the dudes were out. Before I had a chance to say what was up with this manner of escape Ollie threw this reading at me to tell me that they had prayed and meditated and that now was time for action.

"...It is not sufficient to pray diligently for guidance, but this prayer must be followed by meditation as to the best methods of action and then action itself. Even if the action should not immediately produce results, or perhaps not be entirely correct, that does not make so much difference, because prayers can only be answered through action and if someone's action is wrong, God can use that method of showing the pathway which is right."
(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, August 22, 1957)

Nanny said that the boys behaved in our absence. We have no way of knowing though. She did not know why the boys filled their paws with kisses each morning and blew them in the air. We were besides ourselves. At any rate, cat dudes send you kisses and best wishes as this November starts to roll away into December.

Ciao everyone!

A simple message ...

Furry little cat dudes dug into the recesses of their hearts and came up with the warmest Thanksgiving wishes for everyone and then filled their furry little paws with as many kisses as possible and blew them in the air.

It is going to be a busy week and this may be their only chance to say Happy Thanksgiving!




"... In this day, to thank God for His bounties consisteth in possessing a radiant heart, and a soul open to the promptings of the spirit. This is the essence of thanksgiving.
As for offering thanks by speaking out or writing, although this is indeed acceptable, yet when compared with that other thanksgiving, it is only a semblance and unreal; for the essential thing is these intimations of the spirit, these emanations from the deep recess of the heart...."

Wishing all a great week with all sorts of blessings...ciao!

All my photos were blurry this morning,

too early for my tired eyes, especially since a certain chubby kitty who shall remain unnamed made sure to wake me up once at 2 and once at three for a nuzzle session. I made sure to wake up at 4 myself thinking another round was coming up. Nope, I was wrong!

I was dragged out to the street with this fellow to play cat games (neighbors are sure I am crazy)
"Catch me", he meows...
"Here I am, find me!", he says.
Augustus was not out and about and then suddenly appeared out of thin air- his photo was blurry, so no pictures. He said that he was ready to go in. I praised the lord instantly!

Mr PuffyPants followed suit and I praised the lord again...to what do I owe such kindness, I did not have to open my book of cat-hunting tricks to get these doodles to return home.

Indoors, they gathered in their study area, which is in a state of disarray because we are doing the bathroom ceiling (again).
We decided to read a few lines so they could reflect on it during the day. Mr PuffyPants assumed the posture of meditation....

The Mystery of Sacrifice
"O maid-servant of God! The mystery of sacrifice is that man should sacrifice all his conditions for the divine station of God. The station of God is mercy, kindness, forgiveness, sacrifice, favour, grace and giving-life to the spirits and lighting the fire of His love in the hearts and arteries. I asked God to make thee a sign of mercy, the banner of kindness among His maid-servants." Tablets of Abdu'l-Bahá, v. I, p. 65

And there we have it, two relaxed boys, pawfuls of kitty kisses blown in the air, this will be a great Friday indeed!

Ciao everyone!

When cats read poetry they get sleepy...

This morning we ended our walk with a little pause in the reflection garden...we stared and listened to the birds waking up.

Back indoors the cat boys requested poetry to be read to them....


We read this:

SEARCH IS A JOURNEY

San Giovanni in Persiceto, 1983

Search is a journey
which the yearning
heart would like
to cover in a flash
whereas it’s long
and wearying.

And yet there is no time
there where the goal
knows no time,
a ghost existing
only in the traveller’s
deceptive mind.

And no stop exists
along that journey
which is moved by love,
though sometimes its progress
may seem so slow
as to be felt as standstill–
nay as regression–
by the longing lover.


And then I found the boys like this.

Usually they try every plot in their planning notebooks to get me to let them out again but today was different!

Before I left home they still remembered to fill their paws with lots of kisses and blew them in the air for YOU!

Ciao everyone!

Kitties received mail...

The other day a cat postman, we call them a postcat, dropped a package into our mail box, a package from way out there up north where there are moose, bears, and SALMON! Augustus and Ollie meowed in unison marie....


We cannot thank you enough marie. Just so you know we take turns snacking straight out of the pouch, we love it so much.


Calmed by the omega-3s in the salmon, the cat dudes asked me to read them something profound,


which I did.

"What do you mean by the confirmations of the Spirit?"

"The confirmations of the Spirit are all those powers and gifts which some are born with (and which men sometimes call genius), but for which others have to strive with infinite pains. They come to that man or woman who accepts his life with radiant acquiescence."(Selections AB)

Uplifted by the reading, the cat dudes indicated to me that another girlfriend, kerin, was having a giveaway and that they really liked to participate. I think they order me around too much, nonetheless we all should go to check it out. Augustus and Ollie say so!

A busy week this is going to be but not so busy that the cat boys would not be able to fill their furry paws with lots of delicious kisses, which they blow in the air for YOU.

Ciao everyone!

This morning ...

we walked together on the street,
and then played together for a good while in the courtyard.
Then we went indoors to pray.
Ollie assumed his prayer posture,
here's his upper half,
and our lower halves,
and then we prayed silently for blessings for all of our friends and family (especially Sylvester), furry and not so furry, that they be well and content!
Ollie snuck some wishes for juicy mice to come his way (is that ok he meowed),
while Augustus ended his prayers with wishes for some mouse slippers!
He re-emphasized by closing his eyes..."MOUSE SLIPPERS, COME TO ME"!
He then told me to check the mail to see if there were any mouse slippers for him! I promised to do that.
Our reading today was:

"Spirit has influence; prayer has spiritual effect. Therefore, we pray, "O God! Heal this sick one!" Perchance God will answer. Does it matter who prays? God will answer the prayer of every servant if that prayer is urgent. His mercy is vast, illimitable. He answers the prayers of all His servants. He answers the prayer of this plant. The plant prays potentially, "O God! Send me rain!" God answers the prayer, and the plant grows. God will answer anyone. He answers prayers potentially. Before we were born into this world did we not pray, "O God! Give me a mother; give me two fountains of bright milk; purify the air for my breathing; grant me rest and comfort; prepare food for my sustenance and living"? Did we not pray potentially for these needed blessings before we were created? When we came into this world, did we not find our prayers answered? Did we not find mother, father, food, light, home and every other necessity and blessing, although we did not actually ask for them? Therefore, it is natural that God will give to us when we ask Him. His mercy is all-encircling.
But we ask for things which the divine wisdom does not desire for us, and there is no answer to our prayer. His wisdom does not sanction what we wish. We pray, "O God! Make me wealthy!" If this prayer were universally answered, human affairs would be at a standstill. There would be none left to work in the streets, none to till the soil, none to build, none to run the trains. Therefore, it is evident that it would not be well for us if all prayers were answered. The affairs of the world would be interfered with, energies crippled and progress hindered. But whatever we ask for which is in accord with divine wisdom, God will answer. Assuredly!" Selections AB

Gussy said, "Be sure to check the mail."...

The cat boys filled their big furry paws with juicy kisses which they blew in the air to wish you a happy day!


Ciao everyone!

Daylight Savings...Dias y Noches

I bet you all know that two smart doodle cats are not going to be confused with daylight savings or such man-made inventions, let's call day night and night day, or shift the hours around.

As you see Gussy was not affected, and
when I presented the topic to Ollie, he gave me the look that said, "You are pulling my furry little legs!"
Then, thinking that it was time to blow kisses he looked up to show me his delicious little lips, the very same ones that blow kisses,
and looked down saying, "Now send these to my friends"!!!
Augustus was not available for comments although I could hear the noise of him making little kisses under the tree!
That day, the sky looked like this, and for a moment I did not know where I was.
We read this for meditation and reflection:

"...things are often known by their opposites. Were it not for darkness, light could not be sensed. Were it not for death, life could not be known. If ignorance did not exist, knowledge would not be a reality. It is necessary that each should exist in order that the other should have reality. Night and day must be in order that each may be distinguished. Night itself is an indication and evidence of day which follows, and day itself indicates the coming night. Unless night were a reality, there could not be day. Were it not for death, there could be no life. Things are known by their opposites.

Therefore, our weakness is evidence that there is might; our ignorance proves the reality of knowledge; our need is an indication of supply and wealth. Were it not for wealth, this need would not exist; were it not for knowledge, ignorance would be unknown; were it not for power, there would be no impotence. In other words, demand and supply is the law, and undoubtedly all virtues have a center and source. That source is God from Whom all these bounties emanate." (Selections AB)

Finally, the boys selected this bunch of flowers for YOU on top of all the kisses they made ...

No doubt your week WILL be delightful!

Meow Meow and Ciao!

One never knows with cat boys...

one minute is calm and relaxation,



perhaps a little wondering in the disheveled garden,
and another minute....

well, look at him go...boomba runs so fast that I cannot take his picture!


Gustopher has to go and see what Ollie is chasing!


Leaving you without reading since the last one was so heavy.... Still there was time to blow kisses in the air, four pawfuls!

Ciao everyone!

It was a day like

this

when we went out. We started with some crunches,
a bit more advanced side crunches,
Gustopher also trying but he is too narrow to be able to stay flat!
Afterwards, I called them to the story telling courtyard in the back
where I first treated the cat boys to some treats, yummy herring and salmon!
Gustopher had asked for an anectode, a long one, a mystical one and so we read....

"The Sufi and the Judge.
A sick man laboring under an incurable disease went to a physician for advice. The physician felt his pulse, and perceived that no treatment would cure him, and therefore told him to go away and do whatever he had a fancy for. This was the advice given by God to the Israelites when they were seen to be incurable by the admonitions of the prophets. "Do what you will, but God's eye is on all your doings." The sick man blessed the physician for his agreeable prescription, and at once went to a stream, where he saw a Sufi bathing his feet. He was seized with a desire to hit the Sufi on the back, and, calling to mind the physician's advice, at once carried his wish into effect. The Sufi jumped up, and was about to return the blow, but when he saw the weakly and infirm condition of his assailant he restrained himself. He disregarded his present angry impulse, and had regard to the future, so that the non-existent future became to him more really existent than the existing present.
Here the poet digresses to point out that when wise men recognize the true relative importance of the present and the future they cease to shrink from death and annihilation, which lifts them to a higher and nobler life.
The Sufi, being full of the spirit of self-abnegation, did not retaliate on his weak, assailant but led him before the Judge. On learning the facts of the case the Judge said, "This poor one is sick to death, and you, being a Sufi, are, according to your profession, dead to the world. How, then, can I award a penalty against him in your favor? I am a judge, not of the dead, but of the living." The Sufi was dissatisfied with this view of the case, and again pressed the Judge to do him justice. On this the Judge asked the poor sick man how much money he had, and on his replying, "Six dirhams," took pity on him, and let him off with a fine of three dirhams only. The moment the sentence was pronounced the sick man went up to the Judge and struck him a blow on the back, and cried out, "Now take the other three dirhams and let me go!" The Sufi then pointed out to the Judge that by his ill-timed leniency to the sick man he had brought this blow upon himself, and urged him to apply in his own case those principles of mercy and forgiveness, which he had proposed in the case of another. The Judge said that, for his part, he recognized every blow and misfortune that might befall him as divinely ordained, and sent for his good, … and that his judgment in the matter of the sick man had not been dictated by impulse, but by inspiration.
The Sufi again asked him how evils and misfortunes could proceed from the divine fount of good, and the Judge replied that what seems good and evil to us has no absolute existence, but is merely as the foam on the surface of the vast ocean. Moreover, every misfortune occurring to the faithful in this life will be amply compensated for in the life to come. The Sufi asked why this world should not be so arranged that only good should be experienced in it, and the Judge replied by telling him an anecdote of a Turk and a tailor. The Turk, who typifies the careless pleasure-seeker, was so intent on listening to the jokes and amusing stories of the tailor, typifying the seductive world, that he allowed himself to be robbed of the silk which was to furnish him with a vesture for eternity. The Sufi again retorted that he did not see why the world would not get on better without the evil in it, and the Judge replied with the poet's favorite argument that there would be no possibility of being virtuous if there were no temptations to be vicious. As Bishop Butler says, this life is a state of probation, and such a state necessarily involves trials and difficulties and dangers to be resisted and overcome.
The dead regret not dying, but having lost opportunities in life.
Well said that Leader of mankind,
That whosoever passes away from the world
Does not grieve and lament over his death,
But grieves ever over lost opportunities.
He says, "Why did I not keep death always in view,
Which is the treasury of wealth and sustenance?
Why did I blindly all my life set my affections
On vain shadows which perish at death?
My regret is not that I have died,
But that I rested on these vain shadows in life.
I saw not that my body was a mere shadow or foam,
Which foam rises out of and lives on the Ocean...."
Story V, Mathnavi, v.6

I wasn't certain if the cat dudes would be able to focus that long but then I found this ginger boy giggling (he enjoyed the slaps on the head, I think)

and the other one too!!!

Cat boys filled their big paws with kisses and giggles and blew them in the air for YOU!

Ciao!