One of the recent additions to our adventures is Xavier. He started visiting us a few months ago, but I never saw him with regularity. So when I was conversing with a local rescue about an entirely different matter, I did not mention him as I was talking about our visitors.
It came about that Friday night, Xavier was brought inside. Later he will be delivered to the rescue group, along with Wee Babe, though that is a story for another day. Xavier is a sweet, unaltered, dilute orange tiger boy. I presume him to be one year old-ish.
Every meal I have ever fed him when he visited outside, he would gobble up with gusto, often grumble through his mouthful at any other feline that might approach. Never was Xavier in attack mode. It was more “mine and I’m not sharing!” His manners at the meal bowl truly had me thinking this boy never knows when his next meal will be, let alone where he might find it.
It is heart-breaking and anxiety-ridden to think about a lack of food security. I have lived that life, only for a short while but it was enough to greatly impact me. Here is Xavier, a kitten, living with food insecurity, yet he is still kind and loving.
Was Xavier someone’s pet at one point? Did he know a home? Did he know love? Did he know meal times? We will likely never know.
What we do know is that despite bad things in his life, despite hardships on his journey, Xavier has love to give and wants to be loved. He asks to be picked up and held. He wraps his tail around my leg. He talks with me and answers my questions with chirps and purls. He snuggles in the crook of my shoulder when held. This boy has not allowed his past, his hurts, his fears, his trials to turn him into an angry, fear-driven creature.
Xavier presents me with a challenge. Will I allow the past, the hurts, the fears, the trials, the hardships to change me, to turn me towards negative actions and reactions? Or will I acknowledge those past events, those hurts, those fears, those trials, those hardships and accept them as part of my journey but still remain open to giving and receiving love and kindness?
We have big changes ahead for our household. Big stresses and unknowns, but those are also tied to exciting things, too. As we walk into these next several weeks on this new journey, I want to be more like Xavier – loving and kind regardless of the bad things, looking forward not back.
What is your focus on your journey? Will you accept the challenge to be more like Xavier? Will you be loving and kind regardless of the bad things? Will you look forward and not back, too?
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