Fingerprint Friday: Lost & Found

By Ginny (MAD21)

There are many things that enter and exit our lives unexpectedly. Makes it hard to plan. Most of the time it's just small things so there is only a little flexibility that is required. Then there are those times when you have to take a moment to think about how it will impact things long-term.

While we were on vacation two weeks ago, a teen friend of ours called me and said that someone had dumped a 7-8 week old kitten on their yard. She wanted to know what she should do. We talked things out and made a plan for how to take care of her in the short-term. And then she sent me a picture...

Oh.My.Goodness. I'll save you the long version of what happened during the following weeks save to say there was a visit to the vet (at 3.2 pounds, she was actually 12-13 weeks old), medications administered, weight gained, pets introduced, and a ton of snuggle and play time.

We were really worried how our cat, KC, would react to having a new little fur ball added to our family.  This is her home, and we made it clear to our girls that if KC didn't like it, or it stressed her out too much, that we would have to find the kitten another home. As I've written about before, KC's a bit possessive and gets really stressed out at times.

But as with many things in our lives, God apparently had a plan for this little kitten, and for us. Both Bailey and KC have reacted well to having the kitten here. There are still a few tense moments, every now and then, when the cats get nose to nose and walk carefully in circles around each other, but they all seem to be adjusting very well.

I really wish this little ball of fur could tell me what she's been through in her short little life. What it was like to be lost. The vet said she'd been on her own for some time. But even so, there wasn't an ounce of feral behavior in her. All she wants is attention and play time like any other kitty, and when she's happy you can hear her purring from the other room.

I have no idea how someone could ever let her go. But she is no longer lost. She's found a home with people who will love her for as long as it takes. And even though she still has a ways to go to finish healing from her time alone, she is covered in God's fingerprints, and she's spreading them all over our house.

Meet Tia:

Fellow blogger Beki at The Rusted Chain has a really great weekly post she does every Friday called "Fingerprint Friday." We are to look around and see where we can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Anywhere? Go find out where Beki saw God this week, and be sure to check out the other bloggers who linked their stories as well.

Storm Clouds and Silver Linings

By Michelle (Graceful, Faith in the Everyday)

The storm sweeps in suddenly, swaths of torrential rain reeling across the neighbor’s roof as the wind shudders fierce. Into the basement we flee, the boys all a tizzy.

“Do we get cheese? Do we get cheese?” Rowan squeals, and I am puzzled until I remember that the last time the tornado sirens blared, Brad had doled out mozzarella sticks as we piled into the closet beneath the stairs.

But then, as quickly as it gusted in, the storm fizzles to a smattering of raindrops and bolts jagged across dramatic sky, leaving a trail of tree limbs, severed branches and dangling wires in its wake.

The next morning front doors open, and neighbors stand on wet cement in bare feet, arms crossed over chest. We survey the honey locust split in two and marvel that it’s only brushed Martha and Charlie’s place, tearing the gutter from its hinges but leaving the house intact. Todd (the kids refer to him as “that muscley guy”) fires up his chainsaw, and sawdust sprays into the humid morning as Gary drags branches to the curb. We introduce ourselves to neighbors we’ve never even seen before and shake hands awkwardly. Everyone is outdoors – it’s too hot to stay inside without air conditioning.

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Fingerprint Friday: Butterflies

By Ginny (MAD21)

This has been an amazing year for butterflies around here. I can't recall a time when we've seen so many. My girls and I love butterflies, so this season was filled with a little bit of extra joy for us.

Tiny blessings they are. Beautiful whispers of God's fingerprints that are so quiet they could go by unnoticed if you let them.

Fellow blogger Beki at The Rusted Chain has a really great weekly post she does every Friday called "Fingerprint Friday." We are to look around and see where we can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Anywhere? Go find out where Beki saw God this week, and be sure to check out the other bloggers who linked their stories as well.

Fingerprint Friday: Giving Hearts & Gardens Found

By Ginny (MAD21)

I haven't been around the online world very much the last few weeks. I got involved in a project that I had originally scheduled to be just for one ten-hour day with about 20 people. It turned into six days over two and a half weeks, 320+ man-hours, and about 40-50 teens and adults.

I have an amazing mother-in-law (MIL). She is imperfect, just like the rest of us, but she has a heart of gold. She has spent most of her life serving her family and the people at our church. Aside from a few really great teens who have been able to help me out occasionally over the last seven years, she has been my only help as a parent. Pretty much any time I've needed a babysitter whether I had an appointment or just needed a few hours to regain my sanity, my MIL was, and is still, nearly always available to watch them for me. For those of you who can relate to my situation, you can understand my desire to do something to bless her.

Her yard is a haven to a ton of butterflies!My MIL has always been an avid gardener. So you can imagine what her yard has always looked like. Anywhere there could be a flowerbed, there was one, even now. The problem is that she is getting older (she's 88) and can't tend to them anymore. Over the last several years, they have all just become so overwhelmed with weeds and overgrown bushes, that there was very little "flower" in the bed. To say everything was overgrown is a gross understatement. If you live on the east coast you know that if you leave any piece of ground untended for more than a week or so, there is something growing. So you can imagine leaving it unattended for a few years!

More than two years ago I wanted to organize a day when I could get a group over to her house to get things cleaned up. But then she had some health issues and I spent more than a year driving her to all of her appointments and doing her shopping. But things have been much better for her for the last 6-8 months and she's driving (locally) again, so there has been more time to focus on other things. I decided late spring that we really, REALLY needed to get the yard worked on this year. But even I didn't realize how big that project would become. It took on a life of it's own.

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Fingerprint Friday: Good Days

By Ginny (MAD21)

Family. Friends. Perfect weather. Perfect water. Boat rides. Birthdays. A ton of fun and lots of laughter. Good days. Definitely one of God's fingerprints.

Fellow blogger Beki at The Rusted Chain has a really great weekly post she does every Friday called "Fingerprint Friday." We are to look around and see where we can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Anywhere? Go find out where Beki saw God this week, and be sure to check out the other bloggers who linked their stories as well.