This morning I called our orange cat Raggedy Ann Pumpkin by mistake.
That was a bad move.
We had a cat named Pumpkin once, much loved by Leanne.
Pumpkin died a painful death.
We were watching a foster child, just for the weekend. The little boy was angry and resentful and took it out on the cat. Leanne gathered Pumpkin in her arms with tears streaming down her cheeks. We brought him to the vet, but we both knew that he could not be fixed up. So the vet put him down. Social Services paid the bill.
But then what? We know the pain foster children feel when they get shoved around from home to home. But our children have suffered too, from having them around.
As I am reminded of that, I feel anger and sadness. I know that I must forgive the boy, and the powers in Social Services.
I shudder at the fate of a cat, and know that everywhere in the world people are treated like that: beaten up because of frustration and anger.
And God weeps.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
