The FURRY TRUTH about Siberian Cats April 11, 2010
Posted by makingyourdashcount in Uncategorized.Tags: animal planet, cat, cats 101, Siberian, siberian cats
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It’s been about a year since my utter frustration with Siberian cat breeders advertising that their cats were low shedding animals, because this was not our experience.
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Chloe, who is about 6.5 years old and 12 lbs., sheds a mountain of fur, as evidenced in the photo. This is about one year’s worth of fur collected from daily brushings. If you are considering a Siberian, which we consider to be an AMAZING breed of cat, also know that whether or not you brush your baby daily this fur will not only end up everywhere in your house, but you will also be cleaning up daily hairballs. (Chloe still gets hairballs, especially twice a year during her fall and spring molts.)So why adopt a Siberian if they are so fur intense and hairball prone?
Although not all Siberians are created equal, as a breed they produce less of the allergen inciting protein, FEL d 1, that humans cannot tolerate. Because of our daughter’s allergies, we had pretty much given up ever getting a cat. When we found out about this breed, it was as if all of our cat dreams came true. Now Chloe is an integral part of our family. Even when she sleeps with our daughter, there are no reactions.
Talk about playful! Even at 6.5, Chloe plays hide and seek, chase and other games that most relegate to dogs. When she was younger, she would fetch and slide down inclined planes with glee, although it has been quite awhile since we have tried either of these.
The doorbell rings and Chloe is front and center seeing who it is. Everyone is a new best friend, even the pizza guy!
We caught this video last night on Animal Planet (choose Siberian) . I was happy that Cats 101 was truthful about the Siberian coat and shedding, because it was the first time that I had actually seen that. They did a nice job in summing up the wonders of the Siberian breed.
Prayer Quandries February 14, 2010
Posted by makingyourdashcount in Uncategorized.Tags: God, prayer, prayer groups, religion, tragedy
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This has the potential to offend; if it offends you I apologize. But I’ve always found the expression “I’ll pray for you,” curious and feel a need to write through this. “I’ll pray for you” is an expression that has gained popularity in recent years; I never heard it as a child, even though I grew up in as religiously diverse a community as one could and attended a Methodist school. Unfortunately, this expression has been directed to me many times in my life, from the loss of one of my brothers and daughter and difficult decisions in the final days of my mother’s life, but what does this really mean and what is the purpose of telling someone this sentiment? Does one think that praying for someone will invoke divine intervention that will change outcomes? Or is it really synonymous for “I’m thinking about you,” an emphatic note of support?
When Sarah was in elementary school, there was a mom’s prayer group that got together on Wednesday mornings at one of the member’s home to pray for the students and teachers of the school. HUH? Yes, there were at risk students there who could use divine intervention and I am sure there were teachers who could use divine guidance on how to work with these students; however, did these moms think that their prayer would make a difference? If so, how? Did they think that their prayers over coffee and cookies would do more than their sitting with these at risk students as tutors, like other moms did? Obviously, or they would have tutored the students.
I have always ascribed to the concept of praying with one’s feet when there is a need for something. Although I have found personal peace in the quiet action of praying, in finding that spiritual center, I have no expectations that prayer goes further than that. Prayer can bring a peace that helps one heal. Prayer can bring peace to help one make tough decisions. But prayer without the right physicians will not cure a cancer; prayer without antibiotics will not cure an infection. Prayer without a check sent to a trusted agency does not rebuild homes.
So I am curious. As tragedies unfold, why do people share the sentiment that they are praying? Is it because that the action of prayer lets them feel as they are doing something to help remedy the tragic suffering of others? Or do they think that their prayer will invoke a divine intervention? Even more curious, why do FaceBook and other public prayer groups sprout? Are they basically a communal concern group who feel a need to share with others but have no other outlet. I wonder if the people who publicly pray understand that others “just don’t get it” and may feel put off by their intention, especially when those prayers are directed toward them.
When people have said to me,” I’ll keep you in my prayers,” I’ve always translated that to I’ll be thinking about you and say thank you. Maybe I do that because I understand that outreach. I appreciate people’s empathy, even when there is little that they can do to remedy the situation. But the outgrowth of public prayer groups was described by someone recently, who was the target of the prayers as “creepy.” If it is seen as “creepy,” the purpose of the group must be more self centered than directed, since the recipient would prefer it not exist. That is not a judgment, just a statement.
So I continue to struggle with the concept of communal prayer. For if I were to believe in divine intervention, I would also have to accept that for some reason God hates our family, since we have had more than our fair share of challenges. My mother once said, “I don’t believe in a God who micromanages. God has more important things to do than meddle in my life.” With that, I will still connect with the hurt and will step forward when financial assistance is needed in disaster, but I will keep my prayers to myself.
