Issue 208 - Feline Friends
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November 2019
Cats can provide endless entertainment, either on the stage or in your home. Some cats can tender hearts just by their presence. In this issue, we reflect on the cats that lately have held our attention.
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OKAY, THE WORD IS OUT. We are cat lovers. We are parents (servants) to our two cats: Empathy (aka “Sweet Empy Doll”) a Persian mix, and Mister Smokey (aka “Adorable”) a Russian Blue mix. They are indoor cats, but the word got out. On October 18, mama cat transported her 4 nurslings to our back deck, seeking shelter and a good home. Of course, we obliged. Just like many immigrants, they settled into their new lives, meanwhile changing ours.
THE CATS. Mama cat, now named Gaylinda, tenderly nurtured her babies, nursing them on call, shielding them from barking dogs next door, protecting them from the cold wind, and teaching them quintessential feline habits. Guided by her tender heart, this single mom made a cozy home for her little family.
THE SERVANTS. Every family should have a myriad of servants. Or that’s what Gaylinda thought. Bill and I obliged. We provided major home improvements for the little family: a furry igloo which they flattened and slept on instead of in; a cardboard box to call their castle which was shredded and became a playground of shards; gourmet service until the kitties walked around in their kibble. The kitties have been an endless source of entertainment. Precious little kitties like that can make anyone more tender hearted.
THE FUTURE. Gaylinda and her brood will soon be neutered and then stay with foster parents until they are old enough for the rabies shot. Then they will be available for adoption. Gaylinda is a beautiful, small, Russian Blue whose coat shimmers silver in the sunlight and glows like cobalt in the dark. Two kittens look like her, one is a gray tiger-striped, and one is an oversized black fur-ball. Wherever they go to their permanent home, no doubt they will leave tender paw prints on the heart of adopting parents.
--Jan [How many kitties can you find in the photo? Hint: there are 4]
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I am a fan of cats. For nearly 30 years, with only brief interruptions, at least one cat has been a part of my household. (As I write this, there is a cat between my keyboard and the computer monitor!)
I am also a fan of
Cats, the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical that premiered in London in 1981. I owned an original cast recording – back in the days of vinyl LP albums and record players. Even before that, I owned a copy of
Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, the T. S. Eliot poems that inspired the musical and provided most of its lyrics.
So it is somewhat surprising that I never saw a performance of
Cats until earlier this month (at the same time we had kittens romping on our deck!). It was great fun. Although the LP record has long been lost, I could still sing along with some of the songs. I already knew the tunes. I already knew the lyrics. But the sets, lighting, and dance took the experience to an entirely new level. (As many times as I listened to the record, I never realized that the fast sections of “The Old Gumbie Cat” were intended for tap-dance routines.)
I celebrate the great creativity that brought
Cats to the stage, from the poems, to the music, to the dancing. I still enjoy simply reading Eliot’s poems – the man obviously knew his cats. Lloyd Webber’s melodies, by themselves, remain enchanting, even after all these years. But to see the whole production come together, presented live – that was something else entirely!
Kind of like the gospel: Many of us know the lyrics and can hum the old hymns. But only when faith is performed, when love and justice are enacted, does the gospel come to glorious life.
-- Bill
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Dear Friends, in a recent issue we celebrated 10 years and 200 issues of this newsletter. We also shared with you our dreams and plans for expanding
Soul Windows Ministries. We are so grateful to you for your feedback, support, encouragement, gratitude, and especially those of you who took the time to write us notes, emails, or cards. We appreciate you so much.
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Two videos reveal the difference made by enacted performance. First, a simple audio recording of T. S. Eliot reading one of the poems.
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And now the same poem performed in
Cats
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Recent Issues
Issue 177 - Mr. Rogers
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Please share Reflection freely by forwarding any issue (forward in its entirety), but remember to respect copyright laws by not altering, copying, or reproducing Reflection, text or photos, whole or in part, without written permission.
Copyright (c) 2019 Soul Windows Ministries
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Sincerely,
Bill Howden and Jan Davis
Soul Windows Ministries
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