Tag Archive | Skippy

Forgiveness and Fellowship

Dec14

Throw Back Thursday: I ran across this post from  December, 2011. I am happy to say that Ruby no longer chews on cords or anything she isn’t supposed to chew on. She dearly loves the treats “Daddy” gives her, Skippy and little Alice around 9pm each night.

Miss Ruby hiding under the table after chewing the tree light cord.

Poor Ruby. When she gets bored, she chews on things such as the Christmas tree cord which was thankfully, unplugged. She also loves the strings on window blinds. At our former home, our mini blinds had a plastic twist-to open or close- rod. She loved to bat it back and forth and then she discovered the threads holding the blinds together. What a temptation!

She is actually the sweetest kitty I know. She loves to give “kitty kisses” and wants to be near us. (Maine Coons are not as snugly as some of our other cats but that doesn’t mean they don’t show affection in their own way.) If you stop and think about it, we are very much like that with the Lord. We give into temptation and then when we realize our sin, we feel guilt and run from the Lord.

When Ruby realized she was being naughty, (our scream might have been a clue – we were afraid she would swallow the plastic as thankfully, the lights were not plugged in.) she ran and hid under the kitchen table and chairs.  (It didn’t help that “big brother, Skip” pounced on her!) She didn’t want to come out and play or sit on her cat tree. Even though after the initial scare, and we were sure she knew the tree lights were off limits, we spoke softly to her and told her it would be okay.

Because I have been so bad!
“I’ll help!” I’m glad Jesus forgives too!
I aint gettin nutin’ for Christmas

She watched as John had to snip away the tight plastic ties holding the pre-lit lights to the branches. Eventually, she got closer and closer as she watched him remove the evidence of her destruction but she didn’t come out from under the table until after we put the rest of the tree together and prepared to go to bed. She followed us from room to room until she was satisfied she was forgiven or her guilt was lost with time.

Ruby’s Christmas gift.

As you see, Ruby and Skippy had a wonderful Christmas!

Now she is content to sleep under the tree.

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How many times have we sinned against the Lord and our guilt held us back from reading His Word, praying or from having fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ?  How can we forget that He has already forgiven us? That the penalty of our sin was paid on the Cross by our sinless Savior? Why does it take us so long to agree with God about our sin? Pride? Fear? The old sin nature?

I John 1:5-9

Verse 5) “This is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light,

and in Him is no darkness at all.

6) If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth;

7) But we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of

Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.

8)  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.“

Did you catch that? He paid for our sin on the cross with his precious, sinless blood which cleanses us from all unrighteousness. If we have confessed to him that I am a sinner, He forgives us – for always. The Word says that Jesus died once for all! He loves us. He wants to fellowship with us! He wants us to walk in the light – just as He is THE LIGHT.  Verse nine is for believers. When we sin, we break fellowship with Him. Just as Ruby felt guilty and hid away from us because she knew that she had done something wrong.

He wants our fellowship! He wants us to walk in the light and share in the joy of His love. He leaves it up to us. To come to Him and confess our sin to Him – agree with God that what you did, thought, watched, listened to or harbored in your heart so that our sweet fellowship is restored and we want to come to Him. To fellowship with Him, to read His Word above all else and to pour out our heart to Him in prayer. He is our Heavenly Father and loves us.

At this time of the year when parents warn their children, “If you are naughty, Santa won’t bring you anything for Christmas!” (Or in days gone by, he may have left a chunk of coal in your stocking instead of goodies.) In a way, children are being taught a system of works. (Check out Ephesians 28-9)  Isn’t it wonderful to know that Jesus has already taken care of the “naughty” and wants us to come to Him?

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This Christmas, let the children come to Jesus and adore Him together!

 

Have a blessed Christmas!

Kathy

Happy Birthday, Ruby!

Nov9


Today is Ruby’s birthday and she seems to know it. She has been running around the house chasing her hard food – batting it like a hockey puck, playing with her favorite kickeroo, batting a toy mouse and teasing Skippy and Little Alice.

 

 

Happy Birthday, Ruby!

  ♥ ♥  ♥

We knew we wanted another Maine Coon to be a friend for Skippy. John had scoured the internet for all the Maine Coon breeders and knew which cats were about to be “new Mamas” and the bloodline of the new litters.

I wanted a calico kitty like my first kitten, Ruby.

Ruby the first was a sweet, gentle kitten who allowed this six-year-old to dress her up in doll clothes and to stroll her around the neighborhood in my red doll carriage. I wanted another kitten like that! Although it is difficult to find a kitten with the same temperament of another cat (especially one born more than forty years later!) but I remembered what my Ruby looked like so that is what John looked for.

One night, he called me into the home office and said that “Nicole’s” kittens had arrived.  I saw the picture of this tiny kitten and my heart leaped. “That’s her! That’s my little Ruby!” I said with confidence.

 ♥ Our first picture of Little Ruby

Wasn’t she adorable? I’m not sure John thought so at first. I seem to recall the phrase “little wet rat” was spoken with a chuckle. But I knew this was our little gal. No doubt about it. John contacted Karen, the Maine Coon breeder and made arrangements for us to visit them in Lenoir, North Carolina.

 

 

  By the time we were able to visit Ruby the first time she was this adorable, fluffy kitten.

 

 

 

 

Ruby and her kitty family lived in a nice, clean bathroom. Ruby didn’t hesitate to come to us.

Mama Nicole anxiously watched us for a few minutes and then seemed to give her approval. I had the feeling she was telling me that she was happy to let me be Ruby’s new “Mama” and we were delighted!

 

 

 

 

Ruby and her kitty family lived in a nice, clean bathroom. Ruby didn’t hesitate to come to us.

Mama Nicole anxiously watched us for a few minutes and then seemed to give her approval. I had the feeling she was telling me that she was happy to let me be Ruby’s new “Mama” and we were delighted!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Karen kept us up to date on our sweet kitten and we noticed the term, “feisty” mentioned once or twice.

 

 

 

Good practice for meeting Skippy! Notice her sibling? Not sure if she just punched him or if he is watching her practice her “princess wave

 

 

 

It didn’t take long for Ruby to settle into her new family. We think it was love at first sight when she and Skippy finally had the freedom to play together.

Best Friends!

They have enjoyed playing together ever since.

They still have a bit of kitten left in them!

It’s not unusual to see the Purdy cats running through the house or stalking each other one minute and snuggling the next!

They play hard and sleep hard!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then Little Miss Alice to be a loyal friend!

 

 

 

Happy Birthday to Ruby, our little Princess!

 

Above All

Nov8

In the disappointment of the presidential election and the concern about the way our country is going, our Maine Coon, Skippy (yep, a cat!) reminded me what is most important.

My hands were getting stiff so I decided to play the piano a while to ease the pain and calm the soul. Skippy lay on the floor near the piano and listened as I played Silent Night, As A Deer and Give Thanks. Skip stood up and gave me a long look before sauntering into the bedroom.

“Do you want me to play your song, Skippy?” I asked as I started to play Above All. Skippy came running! Instead of his usual barking sound which is his “meow” he kept repeating what sounded like “mine!” I played the song and reached the end and he chirped, “mine” while jumping up on the piano bench with me. He has never, ever done that! So I began to play again and sing,

Above All

By Michael W. Smith

Above all powers, Above all kings

Above all nature And all created things

Above all wisdom And all the ways of man

You were here Before the world began.

Crucified, Laid behind the stone

You lived to die; Rejected and alone

Like a rose Trampled on the ground

You took the fall And thought of me

Above all.

By this time, Skippy wasn’t just sitting beside me, he was rubbing his head on me and giving me kitty kisses on my arm. And so I played the next verse for Skippy, for me and especially, for The Lord.

Above all kingdoms, Above all thrones

Above all wonders The world has ever known.

Above all wealth And treasures of the earth

There’s no way to measure What You’re worth.

Crucified, Laid behind the stone

You lived to die; Rejected and alone

Like a rose Trampled on the ground

You took the fall And thought of me

Above all.

Like a rose Trampled on the ground

You took the fall And thought of me

Above all.

Wow, that puts things into perspective doesn’t it? Have I focused so much on the election that I did not truly focus on the King of Kings and Lord of Lords as I should? Suddenly, I felt like Jesus’ disciples and His followers after the crucifixion in the dark days before He arose. And He did rise from the dead. He conquered death and hell.

Surely, He can bring us through the next four years. Thanks, Skippy for reminding me Who is important. My Savior and my Lord.

(Skippy is still sitting beside me on the chair at the kitchen table as I write this. Playing Michael W. Smith’s Above All for Skippy. Hope it gives you goosebumps too!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7Sn5rV6oM0

Oh yes, why did I call this Skippy’s favorite? He comes and lays down the piano every time I play it. (He also likes Somebody’s Praying by Ricky Skaggs as played on Gaither Music).

 

Cat fight!

Oct19

If only they were fighting over who gets to wash the dishes!

We have three cats. Two Maine Coons and one American Short Hair Domestic Cat. Skippy and Ruby are much larger than little Alice and could really hurt her if they wanted to but they don’t. She has given them plenty of opportunities, though. She loves to play “tag” and the simple game of chase can become a little heated and fluffy long hair starts flying!

The Maine Coon is often referred to as the “gentle giant.” If you zoom in on this picture, you will see that Skippy (the very large tabby) is not showing his claws. To show his dominance, he holds his fluffy paw over her as if to say, “calm down now, you little rascal!”

Alice, on the other hand, is showing many signs of angry kitty body language. Her ears are laying down on her head, she is hissing and definitely has her sharp claws out and ready for action.

The scuffle didn’t last long and I didn’t see any scratch marks on either kitty. Soon after John snapped the picture, they were on their way to making peace and Skip jumped up on my kitchen counter (“grrrr!”) to groom himself as if nothing had happened. All was forgiven in Purdy Kitty Land.

Perhaps, that should be a lesson for us. We hold grudges and allow bitterness to grow over truly insignificant things, don’t we? We take on the angry stance, bare our claws and hiss at our loved ones when we should be like Skippy. Raise our hands to the Lord and ask forgiveness for the anger and bitterness inside and then forgive the instigator. Even ask their forgiveness for our bad attitude and then – leave it all with the Lord. Step up to the mountain top of forgiveness and remember that He has cleansed us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9)

Whether we are speaking of people, dogs or cats; I agree with the Psalmist who said, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”

Enjoying the sunshine. Ruby, Skippy and little Alice.

Gentle Giants No Match for This Fast Bundle of Energy!

Feb4

The Maine Coon is also known as the “Gentle Giant” and it seems this title is correct.

As you may remember, we brought tiny Alice home last week. Yesterday was her one week anniversary! Although she weighs less than five pounds, Skippy (sixteen pounds) and Miss Ruby (a whopping 18 “fluffy” pounds) seem to fear this petite adopted sister.

A "safe place" for Alice until she becomes acclimated to her new family.

Our master bedroom has been Alice’s domain most of the week. Yesterday, I brought her large cage into the living room so that she could get to know her surroundings better. We have walked around the house with her in our arms every day and I discovered with delight that she enjoyed watching The Waltons with me at lunchtime – either while sitting on my lap or in her small carrier.

Today, we decided that “today is the day” to give her freedom. Being an overprotective “Mom” I was afraid that Skip and Ruby might hurt the “baby”.  Ha! She has them on the run!

Ruby has always been shy so she watches everything from afar – often in hiding.

Alice loves playing “peek-a-boo” and “catch me if you can” and she wins every time! It looks like Skippy and Ruby will get a lot of exercise from now on. Alice is a natural physical trainer!

The funny part is seeing our huge Maine Coons running from this tiny ball of energy. They look at her the way I may look at a tiny mouse – jumping on the highest safe spot. Hopefully, they will get used to this little cutie and include her in their play and even allow her to snuggle with them. I will continue to share as our saga unfolds.

You know, we are much like Skippy and Ruby. The Lord allows us to meet new people who may be lonely or hurting. People who need Christ. Because of our selfishness or fear, we just walk past them, watch from a distance or hide.

At least Skippy is making contact – following her around from a distance, showing a little interest and running when she heads his way. (She jumped on him once. It happened so fast, he was stunned!) A reminder to me that an opportunity to share the love of Christ can turn into an attack from the enemy. Perhaps not physical but surely, spiritual.

Until next time,

Kathy

Meet Alice

Jan28

Welcome home, Alice!

Alice in her cage at the Animal Hospital. They let her out often to greet customers.

Welcome home Alice! Hope you like it here!

This is Alice, the newest member of our family. We first met Alice in September when we were moving into our new house. We had let our two Maine Coons, Skippy and Ruby spend the night at the “kitty spa”. As we entered the Vet’s office this tiny kitten greeted us. It was love at first sight. She practically jumped into my arms and started purring and giving me kitty kisses.  The following day when we picked up the Purdy duo, Alice tugged at my heart strings again. I almost couldn’t bear to leave her there!

John took Skippy to get his two-year-old check up last week and Alice was still there. Greeting everyone who came in, running around and enjoying life. John asked about her and they said that someone had seen this tiny kitten walking along the road where someone had left her. Apparently, they couldn’t keep her so they brought her to the vets office. She has been there ever since. Other kittens have come and gone but for some reason, no one wanted Alice – except us. Maybe she was there for us. We both have birthdays coming up and John wanted to get her for me.

In the past, all of our kittens had been rescue kitties or they have literally walked up to our door, waiting for us to take them in. Of course, who can bear to think of a hungry critter running around in the cold needing someone to care for them? I used to say that “every time I pray for a baby to adopt, He sends a stray kitten or two instead.” They were cuddly, sweet and loved to snuggle.  Our Maine Coons on the other hand, are sweet and love to be near us but they aren’t as cuddly as our other cats had been. They will sometimes sit on our lap for a few minutes and will curl up on the bed, begging for a tummy rub and then they wander to the foot of the bed until they get hungry.  John can pick them up for a minute or two but at 16 and 18lbs, that is a difficult task for me. So it seems more like Skippy and Ruby are “Daddy’s cats.” Did I mention their intelligence? They are very smart and love to “hang out with me” but Moms know how it is. Empty arms.

We picked Alice up today and she was still giving out kitty kisses and loves to snuggle with her head against our shoulder, purring so loudly it sounds like a lullaby. She is so tiny! She couldn’t weigh three pounds! For that reason, we are introducing her to Ruby and Skippy slowly, while she is in the kitty cage. For a few nights, the master suite is the nursery. If my other sweet angels cry because the door is closed, I will have to put Alice in her cage. If not, I will have a kitten to spoil and cuddle. (Ruby usually cries if she is not with us so we’re praying she will be content tonight.)  Skippy seems to be fine with our new family member. Ruby ran to her “safe hiding place” after mildly objecting. After all, she has been “the baby” for almost two years. Time will bond them as friends and sisters. I’m sure of it.

"I'll watch out for you, little sis!"

Ruby checking out her competition from a distance. I know they will be best friends!

Play time!

This little gal is fast!

If falling in love with a kitten and having to leave it behind for four months, I cannot imagine what it is like for my friend, Bonnie Sue Walker who has been waiting seventeen months for their little Jedidiah’s adoption to go through and that Wayne will be allowed to bring him from Thailand to live in the United States with them – his adopted family!

Pray for Jedidiah to come home.

Think of what it means to the Lord for us to want to be with Him. To be near Him and snuggle close in faith. Kind of makes one think, doesn’t it? He loves you, my friend, and always has!

“The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying. Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore in lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” Jeremiah 31:3

Skippy’s Treasure

Jan8
“May I have this? I love it!”

"What do you mean it's going to the cleaners?"

"But I love it, it's perfect!""What about Ruby? It's not her color!""I promise not to get it dirty or claw on it - if you let me keep it.""Okay, you can get it cleaned. May I have it when it you bring it back?"

"Please? I love you!"

"If I can't have that nice quilted bedspread, I guess I will have to knit one!""Mom! How does this knitting thing work?"

 

Sometimes we are like Skippy. We ask the Lord for something that we want, not listening to His still, quiet voice telling us to wait – that He has something better.
“Lay not for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for your treasures in heaven, where neither moth not rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 (KJV)

Kitty Antics

Dec8
Smile, Ruby!

Have you ever tried to take a picture of your cats but the moment you aim the camera in their direction, they look away? The worst part of trying to photograph a cat is their eyes.

Ruby looked like she was posing for a picture as I walked past the “guest room” the other night.

Getting in on the action

“Get the camera, quick!” I called to my husband, John, “she’s posing perfectly!”

As you see, she decided to lie down on the job

as soon as she heard the camera beep.

Of course, Skippy had to get in on the action.

Now it’s play time – time to get out the feather toy!

Don’t know what to say? Maybe the cat’s got your tongue. Nah, they’re just grooming – getting pretty for Christmas!