It’s hard to believe, but Legend and Tsunami, my precious Maine Coons, are now five years old!
Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday we were anticipating their arrival!
To celebrate, I want to share the guest post I wrote in February 2012 for The Love of Love Extravaganza, which was hosted by author Terri Giuliano Long at The Art And Craft of Writing Creatively. During this event, over 50 authors were invited to write about different aspects of love and readers were asked to vote for their favorites. Thanks to those of you who voted, my essay received top honors!
So, without further adieu, here are the:
Lessons I’ve Learned From My Fur Angels
When I think of the biblical definition of love –
Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy or boast…
It keeps no record of wrongs.
It always protects, always trusts,
Always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails…
I am thankful that God, in His infinite wisdom, has blessed me with two fur angels who show me how to love more deeply and live more fully.
They have enriched my life in ways I cannot even begin to measure!
They greet me at the break of dawn and curl beside me as the moon dances across my pillow each night. I treasure their companionship.
When I leave, even for the shortest of outings, they greet me like a long lost prodigal. They’re into public displays of affection.
They comfort me when I’m sad.
They delight in my successes.
They listen without judgment.
They keep all my secrets.
They remind me to play…
To not take myself so seriously…
To find joy in little things…
To take daily naps!
They remind me that life is short, so make the most of the time you’ve been given.
Be a loyal friend.
Live without reservation.
Love unconditionally.
Happy Birthday, my dear fur angels!
Tsunami & Legend
You can follow the adventures of Tsunami & Legend at:
What a lovely post.:) Beautiful cats!
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thank you – they are a true blessing to me! 🙂
Would love to have cats again, BUT my husband is allergic and I travel so often they can’t have constant care. So, I pet the neighborhood strays. They are well treated by many of us. Gives me pleasure to just love them and they seem to enjoy me, too.
Good message and filled with love and blessings.
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thank you Joanne – I also enjoyed my visit to your blog! 🙂
This is wonderful!! I have a polydactyl Maine Coon, Maggie P., as well as her little rescued minions, Grizelda & Chloe.
I have a series of “Lessons” I am writing about how each critter has taught me.
This is great! Thanks for sharing!
See you at Monday’s Inspiration!
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Awesome – I look forward to reading your lessons! See you at Inspire Me Monday! 🙂
I love this! Unconditional love from our (fur) babies! Our babies always welcome us home and just wish to be with us. No judgement and no expectations except their foodies. I don’t know what I would do without them.
PS Thank you for sharing this at Freedom Fridays. Hope you having a gorgeous weekend!
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thanks Evelyn – they are truly a blessing from above! 🙂
Your cats are so cute!!
New follower from my Aloha Friday Blog Hop! Thank you for joining the hop!
I followed you on all the sites you have on your page.
Please follow me back if you have time!!
http://www.whatjeanlikes.com
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thanks for visiting and connecting with me Jean – I look forward to getting to know you! 🙂
I adore this post.
The wisdom in your cats’ eyes is amazing. The lessons they’ve taught you are ones we could all do with learning.
Thank you for sharing.
Take care,
Casey
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thank you Casey for stopping by! My boys are pretty special! 🙂
Your post brought a tear to my eyes! Pets are so loving, patient and forgiving – and I’m away now to give my boyo a big hug for being a furry angel too 😀
So glad you share this 😀
Please consider joining me at Scripture Sunday this week over on ECTaS…. I would be blessed if you did 😀
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thanks Wendy for the invitation – it was my pleasure to link up and add you to my list of faith-based blog hops! 🙂
They are so cute and remind me of my first cat when I was 4 that lived almost 20 years. Cats can be fun and are not a lot of work.
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thanks for sharing Linda! I got my first cat around that age too – he was a gift from my grandmother! 🙂
They are so sweet looking! And, the lessons are well done!
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thanks Linda!
They are sooo adorable! I learn a lot from our cats too. They teach me about how to live life and to take it easy! Whenever I see a cat I remember that the Lord provides love for us all over! 🙂
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thanks for stopping by Christina! I often watch them when they sleep and reflect on how much I love them… and it makes me think of how much more God loves me, and how good He was to bless me with them! 🙂
Hey it’s Jet here.
What a beautiful tribute…
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thanks Jet – your visits always make us smile! 🙂
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUR BABIES!!! Both my cat and dog are also 5.
I LOVE this piece…thank you for sharing. It puts it all in perspective!
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thanks Caren – how cool that your fur angels are also five! 🙂
You are so very blessed.
Beautiful tribute to your furry angels. My dad became a real cat lover in the last 40 years of his life. My mother said he didn’t like cats at all before that. A lady at church gave us (my mother and me) a beautiful cat called Jumper. We were almost afraid to take it home because we were afraid my dad would object. He fell in love with Jumper and his love of cats began. He was devastated when Jumper died about 20 years later.
Thank you for sharing.
Blessings,
Charlotte
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Isn’t it amazing how a single cat can change your life? What a beautiful story about Jumper. Thanks for sharing, Charlotte!
I love this post. Well written and so true. My fur babies have always been my confidants and the ones that make me happy when I am sad. I’m amazed how they love so unconditionally. Honestly, I believe more people should look to their pets as examples of how we should all live.
Visiting from Super Stalker Sundays & following via twitter and pinterest. Would love to see you around sometime. Feel free to return the follows 🙂
-Jessica
http://mommiesblog2011.blogspot.com/
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
I am always amazed by the unconditonal love our pets give. They truly inspire me each day!
Thanks for following Jessica – I look forward to connecting with you! 🙂
This is so sweet!
I posted my S&S with my kitty today. So sweet. Love kitties!
Your cats are a true blessing, and the lessons they teach us. I have two that teach me the exact same things. I am blessed from reading this and your blog. Have a delightful day in our Lord. Jackie
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thanks Jackie – you too! 🙂
Your special friends are just beautiful. We can always learn great lessons from our pets, they are always so loving and loyal. Great post..I have enjoyed my first visit to your blog.
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thanks Mary – it was a delight to visit you too! 🙂
Twitter: breathoffaith
says:
They are sweet and teach good God lessons!
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thanks Dawn – they are both SUCH loves! 🙂
Your cats are adorable and this was a very sweet tribute to them. I could be convinced to be a cat lover just by reading your posts.
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thank you Nancy – your comment made me smile – the right kitty would have you wrapped around their little paws, lol!
HAve a blessed week! 🙂
This is a lovely post – perfect for your two boys. They really are handsome, and the kitten pics are adorable. They are small for such a short time, although even when they grow up they are still kittens at heart.
Orion and I love the mornings – as soon as Orion hears our alarm he comes and sits on me purring away waiting for his morning cuddles, and he never comes before the alarm – how thoughtful he is LOL !!!
Thanks for sharing this gorgeous piccies on your boys birthday.
Hugs
Penni, Orion, Thomas and Erin XXXX
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Hi Penni
Orion sounds just like Tsunami – he is always there when the alarm goes off waiting to greet and rouse everyone (and on the mornings when we do not set them – if we take too long to rise – he jumps up and cuddles besides us because he cannot stand to be without our affections for too long!)
Legend is our watch cat. He likes to watch over and guard us when we sleep – and then, we we awake – he likes for us to return the favor! When he sleeps on my desk, he will often trill and purr to get my attention (in his sleep!) just to make sure I am there – I will stop what I’m doing to pet him so he knows I am close by and watching – and then he will curl and rest a little longer until the next trill and purr!
If I get up to get water, stretch my legs, etc – he is right there behind me – until I conme back – get him settled – and am where he knows I am safely watching over him sleep again!
I LOVE their habits and rituals (every single Maine Coon I have ever lived with has had their own routines that you could set your clocks by!)
Have a wonderful week and again – happy birthday to Orion as well! 🙂
Pets are wonderful aren’t they? As I’m typing this our almost 20 year old kitty is sitting on the back of the couch gazing out the window, probably relieved that the “kid” is napping and she can enjoy some peace and quiet!
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
How blessed you are to have a 20 year old kitty – I hope I am that blessed with these boyw! 🙂
oh, i have two cats too, so i understand exactly of what you speak! isn’t it amazing all the ways we are reminded??
Twitter: artbylr
says:
Beautiful sentiments and beautiful cats!
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thank you Lisa! 🙂
We can learn so much from watching our pets. My cat has inspired more than one blog post.
Visiting from Soli Deo Gloria.
Blessings,
Joan
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Joan, I’m so delighted to meet you! I’m new to Soil Deo Gloria and I’m looking forward to making many friends there! 🙂
Your cats are very cute. It’s amazing how God can speak through just the right animal for us. I love you views on creativity, too. Welcome to SDG!!
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thank you so much Jen for your comments and for your warm welcome to SDG! 🙂
I’m such a cat person so this post made me smile and my day =)
How cute!
Fantastic post ~ and love the coon cats ~ they are precious ~ used to have two myself several years ago ~ thanks for ‘coming by’ ~ namaste, ^_^
They are too precious! You can tell their mama spoils them and they love it.
Hopping by from Tuesday’s hop and now following on Google+! Nice meeting you, Tsunami and Legend!
Have a great week!
nancy
http://StyleDecorDeals.com/
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Delighted to meet you Nancy! Their grandma says that they are spoiled too, but they say they are deserving – lol! 🙂
Have a great week & thanks for joining me on Google Plus!
Awwww! I love this! While I have both cats and dogs, the cats are a lot more fun to cuddle – and they’re not annoying like the dogs can be (i.e., no barking). 😉 Happy Birthday to your cute little furballs! 🙂
Field Trip Fun-ish, Future Nagging Guest Blogger, Angry Birds Take On Stonehenge
I adore my cat. The fur babies do remind us of so many little things.
Coming over from Jen’s site to say welcome. Love the cats. My daughter is a vet and has 5 cats at this time. Often she adopts the three legged ones or one who require that extra care. I never used to like cats until I kept my other duaghters one for two years and just fell in love with them and all the lessons they teach.
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Your daughter sounds like a special person, Jean. So glad to hear that you are now a cat lover! 🙂
I love cats – but mine gives us a 4:30 a.m. let-me-out furniture scratching wake up call. I must admit, I admire all the places to nap and relax! Mine has turned it into art!
So true! Cats teach by example and what extraordinary teachers they are! My cats have taught me many things over the years. I love the photos of your gorgeous friends/teachers!
If you would like to see photos of my darlings, I have posted pictures of all my cats today for Cat Thursday.
What a beautiful post and what gorgeous furbabies!
I’ve never had cats, but I believe that the wisdom is universal! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I love Maine Coons! I live with 5 cats and a pit bull, lol.. and I love them all! Pets are wonderful because they love you despite all of your flaws and mistakes.. they are just happy to be next to you!
A wonderful and thoughtful post indeed. Enjoyed it very much – loved all the pictures you shared. You’re cats a really beautiful. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your cat pictures! Have a lovely day!
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thank you Irene for taking the time to visit! 🙂
Such a touching post… I love cats myself and I had a cat named Oliver and he was Himalayan and Siamese mix, but he had to be put to sleep about 11 yrs ago. I have another cat, Sissy, she is almost 4 and very sweet and loves unconditionally.
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
I also had a beautiful Himalyan who is no longer with me. I’m glad that Sissy is now there to bring you joy! 🙂
That’s wonderful and so true. They really teach us a lot. All my animals do.
Great lessons that we could all stand to practice more often.
Stopping by from SITS. Have a great weekend.
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thank you for visiting Robin – I really enjoyed reading your blog!
Twitter: goaskkatie
says:
sweet post!!! purrrfect! Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop Big Hugs xo
I enjoyed reading your post! Our cat, King, could be your cats’ brother! He’s part Maine Coon and such a wonderful cat too! Thanks for stopping by and linking up at my show off Friday blog hop. Please stop by again!
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
I was so glad to meet you and discover your blog, Nicole – now that I have you on my radar, I look forward to visiting you each week! 🙂
Would love to see a photo of King, by the way – perhaps you could post and share with us on Wordless Wednesday! 🙂
This was so sweet. I could not agree with you more. I think you and your sweet kitties would be perfect for my link up on June 1st called, “Letters To My Pets”. I am new to the linking world and I created this link up because I wanted to meet fellow animal lovers.
You can find the button here: http://www.noelsbeautifulife.blogspot.com
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thank you for the invite Noel – I love your new meme and was delighted to link up! 🙂
Twitter: truebookaddict
says:
Wonderful post! The boys are so gorgeous and loved seeing their baby pictures. So cute!
This is so beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing it on my link up. It is so true the love of our pets is unconditional just like Gods. Truly your link up means a lot to me so thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love the pics. Especially the one in the bag 😉
Legend and Tsunami are so pretty! I love Maine Coons.
Kristin
Enjoyed my visit♫ My cat, Tess, is just a plain old tabby, going on 13.