Practice

Last night I went to hear my teacher friend talk. She teaches creativity, child development and curriculum development at a school in Long Beach. She was going to talk about "Practice". When I returned home I called the curious cat boys who always want to know everything to sit in the courtyard so I could tell them about this talk.

I called out for Gussy..."Gussy, where is my Gussy?"
"Gustopher"
"Come on SweetPants...come to the courtyard."
Ollie was already in the courtyard...taken over by catnip perhaps.
When I called for PuffyPants, he just rolled around.
"You called me", he said.

"Yup, I called you, angel breath!"...notice his ears change position, he is so talented.
I asked them to assume a posture of learning and this is what we got...

I shared one quote from the handout my friend had prepared:

"O Jalal! Upon thee be My glory! We commend the friends of the true One to good deeds perchance they may succeed and act in accord with that which hath been revealed from the heaven of command. The benefit of the utterance of the merciful One goes to those who practice. We beg of God to strengthen them in that which He loveth and approveth, to enable them to act with justice and equity in this irrefutable command, to make known unto them His signs and to direct them unto His right path." (BWF-202)

We three liked the idea of practicing good deeds, and if we did not succeed, we would practice again.

At this point I noticed that Ollie was looking at Gussy like this:

I think he wondered if he and Augustus were listening to the same reading.
Yes? No? Perhaps?

The precious cat boys did not waste any time, they filled their paws with kisses and blew them in the air for their friends, that was one of their good deeds for the day.

Ciao everyone!

Seriously, this was this morning!

The night before, that would be Sunday night, the air was so drenched with moisture that it spritzed water but it did not rain. This morning seemed to me more of the same but when Ollie came and dragged me out I suddenly fell in love with the sun that shone on the trees.
We had to go to our little back yard and play, Ollie dropped himself to the ground and swatted the stick that I used to poke him with.
Augustus was already in his vista awaiting the arrival of birds. He had other plans this morning and he let me know about them with a silent meow...so no bird would hear.
Lurking, lurking...
Ollie had to come and take a look, and I know this look. It says 'I have grand ideas and trying to think of strategies to execute them'.
I took advantage of the moment of intense focus and took a snap shot of his luscious lips so you would see again those sugar-shedding lips that send you kisses.
I could not compete with the birds and the bees and so had to form a thought in my head...I thought of this, and how I could be it.

"Let your vision be world-embracing rather than confined to your own self..." (Gleanings)

As I parted with the boys they yelled out that they would be sending kisses throughout the day for their friends.

Ciao everyone!

This past weekend...

In a parallel world I would be attending a conference during this past weekend but in this world I did not. I wondered briefly about it, I told Augustus about it.

He sensed that being there might have been important to me but his calm demeanor let me know that I was not missing anything.

When he looked me straight in the eyes I knew that he was right.
Following the direction of his gaze I knew that I would find
Ollie there. He was wondering what this private discussion was all about.
He suggested that I do some back stroke, look at those stretched out paws!
"Just like this", he said.
Of course, his train of thought was interrupted
and he had to run...


Once we were together again we read:

"O Friend, the heart is the dwelling of eternal mysteries, make it not the home of fleeting fancies; waste not the treasure of thy precious life in employment with this swiftly passing world. Thou comest from the world of holiness- bind not thine heart to the earth; thou art a dweller in the court of nearness- choose not the homeland of the dust." (The Hidden Words)

Cat boys filled their paws with kisses for you, for your Monday morning, and blew them in the air! Enjoy!

Ciao!

June ....

The cat boys know that next week is final's week, and then comes graduation. I feel the same way, something lifts off my shoulders, and we three sit down and make plans for books to read, things to do, etc., etc.
Here's MrSweetPants, no introduction needed I am sure.
Here's MrPuffyPants, no introductions needed again. He is always plotting, sitting in the pot right above MrSweetPants!
"What is this look?", I ask him, "What do you have in mind?".
He said that he was not telling. He plays innocent with me.
Augustus...

We reflected on this:

"God has given man a heart and the heart must have some attachment. We have proved that nothing is completely worthy of our heart's devotion save reality, for all else is destined to perish. Therefore the heart is never at rest and never finds real joy and happiness until it attaches itself to the eternal. How foolish the bird that builds its nest in a tree that may perish when it could build its nest in an ever-verdant garden of paradise.

Man must attach himself to an infinite reality, so that his glory, his joy, and his progress may be infinite. Only the spirit is real; everything else is as shadow..." (Divine Philosophy)

We three reflected and then the cat boys made their usual bundle of kisses, which they blew in the air for their friends. Happy Weekend everyone!

Two cat boys giggle under these blue and lavender skies

The jacaranda is in full bloom. We live on a lavender street. I don't know why but I never considered light lavender to be a real color!
The cat boys are finding this somewhat strange.
Look at them look at each other!
Now they have the giggles!
I show them the butterfly
and Ollie does this- I think he is mesmerized, he says that he can see better and besides the kisses he makes fly right up into the air.
Gussy gives him the gentle glance...his brother is juvenile!

We kept this thought in our head because we felt that we had to.

"The betterment of the world can be achieved through pure and goodly deeds, through commendable and seemly conduct." quoted in Advent of Divine Justice

Cat boys were more than pleased to make kisses and blow them in the air...it must be the lavender!

Ciao everyone!

When I close my eyes....

It was seemingly an ordinary afternoon, the type that only lacks the presence of the two cat boys outside.
As I was talking to the neighbor lady in the courtyard I caught a glance of Augustus from the corner of one eye.
And then this puzzled look! And so when I looked to the direction of his gaze
I saw shenanigans. I could not tell if MrPuffyPants had an emotional fainting (seeing that a dog was in the courtyard) or if he was just pulling Gussy's pant legs?!?
Then he commences to kick his heels up!
And he tops it off with this ...
I quickly asked him to make pawfuls of kisses because we had a lot to do and aren't we all lucky that he did.

"If you gather apples in the sunshine, or make hay, or hoe corn,
and then retire within doors, and shut your eyes, and press them with
your hand, you shall still see apples hanging in the bright light,
with boughs and leaves thereto, or the tasselled grass, or the
corn-flags, and this for five or six hours afterwards. There lie the
impressions on the retentive organ, though you knew it not. So lies
the whole series of natural images with which your life has made you
acquainted in your memory, though you know it not, and a thrill of
passion flashes light on their dark chamber, and the active power
seizes instantly the fit image, as the word of its momentary thought." (Emerson)

I don't make hay or hoe corn but I know that when I close my eyes I do see two cats wearing different style pants- MrPuffyPants and MrSweetPants, and I like what I see.

Augustus and Ollie wish their friends all over a lovely long weekend.

Ciao everyone!

These lovely cat boys....

Ollie was singing the blues
and Augustus was listening
when a faint stir led him to investigating...
My goodness I thought...this is one giant possum!
The cat boys drove the possum into a corner and wondered what to do next.
As evidenced from this photo, they decided to do nothing.

Within seconds of this exciting discovery, MrSweetPants was relaxing with contentment
and MrPuffyPants who appeared slightly agitated
soon succumbed to a more
rested position! That a boy!
Here MrSweetPants is showing how he fills his paws with kisses.
While Gusser was busy making kisses Ollie sang this song for me. "That a boy!", I thought. These lovely boys!

Ciao everyone!