A story for and about Gran.......

My grandparents’ farm is on a corner in the country not far from town and I think it’s a little slice of heaven. Throughout the years it’s been a convenient place for people to dump unwanted animals and often times when any of us would visit my grandparents; there would maybe be a stray dog or cat at their back door. Once such time when my husband and I were there and my 5-year-old niece, Lindsey was there as well, a tiny kitten “showed up.” Lindsey was thrilled to have the kitty to play with and she spent most of her days there feeding and caring for her new found friend. She saw this little kitty as a gift straight from God and she was so happy.

My grandfather was a great man with a tremendous sense of humor. He was fun and funny and maybe some would say a bit bawdy at times. He was over six feet tall with beautiful blue eyes and a laugh that was music to my ears. Truly Etheredge had grown up in Texas on a farm…..but not this farm and he had seen many hard times living through the depression. So he had little time for pets and an extra animal to feed was not his idea of a blessing. His and Lindsey’s views on the abandoned kitty were very different and he could only see the future after Lindsey had gone home and he would be left with the much unwanted resident.

Now when any of us kids would visit, we helped with chores around the farm gathering trash and stuff that would eventually be taken to the city dump. We enjoyed the time spent with Gran and Grandma and happy to help them out for a few days. During that trip, like always, we gathered the trash as we worked through the days and somewhere along the way, Gran decided that the garbage dump would be the perfect home for Lindsey’s little kitty. So as we worked, Lindsey spent her days playing with her new best friend unaware that she would soon be parting company with it. But finally the day came when the clean-up was complete and it was time to make the 10 mile trek to the dump, and introduce kitty to its new home.

Gran had already begun to try to “sell’ the idea to Lindsey. But salesmanship was not his strong suit and Lindsey wasn’t buying. Day after day she played with the cat until finally the time came when the long drive to say goodbye to her buddy had arrived. She was devastated. The four of us, my husband John, Lindsey, Gran, and I climbed into the truck and began the long sad ride to the separation. Lindsey hoped for a miracle but it seemed impossible. She held the kitten tightly as we made our way through the narrow streets of town, down the state highway, towards the doomed fate of her beloved friend. My grandfather’s resolve remained firm. Throughout the ride he was happy and enthusiastic. Lindsey was heartbroken. Where she saw abandonment Gran saw freedom. And neither could see the other’s point of view.

Finally we arrived at the dump and to my surprise it smelled exactly like you would expect, really really bad. I spent most of my time there “helping” by holding my nose and pulling out a tissue or two of trash from the truck. John worked much harder than me and finally emptied the truck and the time had come to say goodbye. I thought my heart would break as Lindsey put the kitten on the ground and with tears flowing from both of us, we watched as the cat quickly disappeared. And I'm talking quickly. He was gone in an instant and none of us ever saw where he dashed off to. And I did think, “Maybe Gran is right. Maybe the kit was just as excited about the dump as was my grandfather for him.”

As we gathered back into the truck to make the trip back to the farm, it was clear that Lindsey was heartbroken. But Gran was elated. Lindsey was crying for her lost friend. But Gran was rejoicing that heaven’s answer had rid him of the unwanted pet. The whole way back to the house he tried to convince Lindsey of all the fun the kitty was going to have at his new home. He would make a “nice living” at the dump and he would be fat and happy. It was a “win win” for everyone involved. He knew this was a great idea. But Lindsey would hear none of it. There was no consoling her. All she knew was that her heart was broken and life would never be the same. Clearly this was a defining moment in her short life and she was embracing it. She would never forget it……and neither would my grandfather.

We retraced our ride back through town and about 30 minutes later we were back at the farm. Life was sad…..Lindsey the saddest. She had sad shoulders, sad eyebrows and the slightest sad little whimper. It was unbearable. But at the same time, my grandfather had a little extra skip in his step because there were no cats in sight. Even though he loved Lindsey, he knew best. Children had short attention spans……she would soon find another interest. She would bounce back and be better for it. The tape recorder in his head was still playing these thoughts when we heard the strangest and tiniest of sounds.......

Meow?
Really?
We froze in our tracks all looking at each other.
We all looked around.
What?
Couldn'’t be.

But Lindsey also heard it and she knew. We turned to look behind us and sitting near the truck on the ground was Lindsey’s little kitten. It was like TV slow motion as Lindsey and kitty ran to each other. She scooped up her little friend in her arms. She was rejoicing, dancing, giving praise to God. She was certain all the angels in heaven were rejoicing as well. The rest of us stood there with our mouths hanging open.

How? Where? When? How? We left him at the dump. He darted out of sight. We left him at the dump.

One thing in my life I’ll never forget was the look on my grandfather’s face. Where Lindsey’s was full of joy……his was full of disbelief. He looked defeated. There was no skip in his step….he needed a wheelchair. Defeat is ugly. And he had just gotten his butt kicked by a tiny kitten. Fates changed quickly that day…....even in an instant.

Lindsey had faced the biggest crisis of her very young life and now she was standing in the greatest miracle she had ever known.

And all Gran could do was stand there in defeat. Somehow the cat had won the day. But after those few minutes of shock and awe, I can’t tell you how hard and how long we laughed……that is John and I laughed. We laughed for hours. Even hours later we would just laugh out loud. And all the while Gran was sitting mumbling to himself looking confused and beaten. Kitty had won and Gran knew it.

Later after inspecting underneath the truck, John discovered a small thin metal bar that seemed impossible for an animal to perch on for 10 miles......but that little kitten had. On that day in Texas the kitty had held on through 10 miles of highway, turns, bumps, and country roads to find his way back to his friend. It was amazing and if he had been bumped off somewhere……accidentally……we never would have known. But he had made it.

And so the four of us witnessed a miracle that day.

God cares about every one of his creations. You will never convince my niece Lindsey of anything less and somewhat begrudgingly, Gran either.