Welcome to the Monday Mailing #17 – 

The “Cats are Getting Needy” Edition

 I don’t know who ever said that cats were aloof. . .mine certainly are not. Yes, one does hiss and hide, especially when there are men in the place. He has also taken to that very cat thing of knocking things off any surface. One will crave attention (and be oh-so-inappropriate in asking for it) and then bite if you keep paying attention. One comes and presses his head against me. . .as a way of saying, “enough of what you are doing, relax now. . .be present with me.” And the last one? He is mostly aloof. . .but very loving when he stops by for some skritching and pets. He gives THE BEST kitty kisses. Oh yes, and they all want to groom me. . .go figure.

 They all are getting needy, though. . .very needy. They want. . .a lot of things. They want attention. . .they want food. . .they want to know where I am and what I am doing. . .they want to find a cool (or cooler) place to lay down. They want me. . .and when I return now from an adventure outside, it is like I have to stop everything I want/need to do and give them a lot of attention. I hesitate to think of what it will look like when I leave the house more often!

 I am a self-professed introvert. I like alone time. I play an extrovert for work. I do not get energy from lots of people, rather, I tire from it – hence the Sunday afternoon nap for most preachers. But even I miss people in these four months of stay-at-home. I miss the hugs and the coffee hour, and the great conversations we can have when we are together. This last week the Covid-19 Task Force met in person in the sanctuary to see with our own eyes what personal distancing means in the sanctuary, and to brainstorm what it might look like when we open our sanctuary for worship. We sat in a large circle in the space. Six well-masked individuals. And I thought to myself – this is the first gathering I have been physically present for in four months. I got a little giddy. There we were:

pragmatists, dreamers, faithful one and all, planning for what it might look like for us to once again worship in the same space – with the Zoom worship ever a piece of our life together.

 We are getting needy. We need to see each other. . .and we need to care for one another. We have always cared for one another, even in these times, but something is missing when we are unable to gather together. We are getting needy in our society. . .claiming my needs for freedom outweighs any need for a mask. . .for protection for other people. We are needy. We need the presence of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives. . .to save us from ourselves, and to show the needy world the love we know in Christ. The love of Christ is a gift freely given. May you know that love, may your needs be met with this love, may the needy world be changed as you share this love.

Peace, and love to you all —

 Pastor Janice