Sweet People and Others

Sometimes people wear me out.  I am (mosty) not gregarious, though my husband reminded me today when I am with people I know and like, I can be the life of the party. But there are so many people who do such sweet things that brighten my day...well, people and others.

Sometimes when I am feeling really discouraged, I meet with some other women who say just the right things that brighten my day.  Sometimes I will read something that just especially speaks to me.  Even shows on tv can remind me of the good in people. So many people do things annonymously, or randomly, that are so good and sweet. Sometimes people shoot me an email or post on facebook, and it is so sweet and thoughful, kind and helpful.

I am a "dog" person, really; I prefer dogs over cats.  Cats are so....temperamental.  They aren't warm and friendly, they are standoffish and cool.  Except for one I have met lately. Her name is Mange (I named her that-perhaps unfairly) and she is a stray that stumbled onto our porch. I may have mentioned her before, she has two paws that have 6 digits each.  She moves kind of slow and gingerly.  She is extremely vocal, and I can tell her mood the instant I step onto the porch.  If she is tired, her eyes are kind of slitty and she glares at me through them.  If she is cold, she huddles in a ball and glares at me. But most of the time, she is so chatty.  She strains her little neck, trying to meet my face.  I usually bend down and talk to her, so we are more face to face.  She has so much to say and she seems to genuinely like us-when she is in the mood. Sometimes she greets me from high up in our oak tree in the front yard. She is probably asking for food most of the time, but she purrs when I get within 5 inches of her, and she is just so sweet. I never thought a little ball of yellow fur on four legs could make me feel so cared for.

At this time of Thanksgiving, when the economy is struggling and money is tight, layoffs are all around and the world can be a very uncertain and confusing place, I am so thankful for the good I see in people.  I am so thankful for my family, who mean so much to me and are so thoughtful to me; I am so thankful for friends who are kind and giving, and I am thankful for our four-legged friends who remind me what it is like to have a sweet little friend to care for.