I’d like to tell you a little story about a storm, a sick chicken, and a caring cat. Along with the lessons we can learn on a stormy day under a carport…the storms in life.
The Storm
Yesterday evening we had a few pretty loud thunderstorms roll through our town.
In the meantime, I had to tend to our little red hen. Who, we believe, may have had a stroke last Tuesday. Every evening she is fed her dinner. Which has improved from homemade mealworm oatmeal to a bitty grower crumble that she can now sort of eat on her own, thankfully. Our little cat, Tux….short for Tuxedo cat, loves to participate, encourage, and of course clean up any leftovers.
The Chicken
Yesterday evening was a little less, actually a lot less, relaxing due to the weather. Our therapy area is under our open carport. Which can be no match for sideways wind-blown rain, and the thunder and lightning just added to the mood.
In hindsight, with these pictures for proof, I watched and eventually realized our little Tux had decided that it was not a safe place for him and his new-found BFF. By BFF I mean little Red, who is now blind and immobile due to her stroke. She doesn’t have the ability to run from Tux. So now Tux seems to believe little Red is friends with him by her choosing. But hey, it’s turned out to be nice for both of them.
The Cat
At first Tux started patting little Red on the head during a big roll of thunder, as if to tell her “Let’s get out of here! What are you waiting for?!”. Which I initially interpreted as him trying to play with her or something of the sort. Which “playing” with cats can sometimes turn into a scratch or a nibble….so I watched them closely.
Then, as I turned around to change out Red’s crate pad, Tux decided that this bad weather was just too much and attempted to drag Red off like a kitten by the “scruff of her neck”. Which chickens do not have…
My initial instinct was to swat Tux on the rear-end in discipline because, I assumed at the time, he was trying to have a crippled-chicken-dinner. He’s a hunter, and I love that about him because he keeps the rodents in check. So I thought he may have decided to upgrade from his occasional rodent snack.
After Tux had a small walk of shame and a good chance to shoot me a serious stare, another round of thunder and lightning came. Off Tux ran as fast as he could to his little red friend’s side. I immediately felt guilty for disciplining him for his instinctually loving gesture that I had assumed to be hurtful.
At that moment I realized that not only was this little friendship just about the cutest thing I have seen but this lesson that I learned from our stormy chicken physical therapy session compares to family life as well as spiritual life…
The Lesson
Just because, at first glance, a loved one or the One who loves us most may seem to push, or “pull by the scruff of the neck” in some instances, doesn’t mean the gesture, words, or actions are hurtful as they may appear.
Sometimes these seemingly harsh gestures are the ones that come from the most loving place, especially in moments of fear. If these gestures, that are sincerely from a place of love, are given the chance for a step back with a second glance, they can be seen for their true meaning….the strongest and purest forms of love and caring.
For Tux, little Red would have been a heavy load to carry. But he was giving it all he had to “save” her. For Red, it hurt to be pulled by her neck. But if she understood what Tux meant by this tug then I’m sure she would have been ever so grateful.
These loving gestures can be the hardest to give for the giver and the hardest to receive for the recipient. Yet, these are the very gestures that can encourage us and pull us to safety from the storms in life.
To read more about the gal behind Home on Magnolia Hill, click here.
Here are a few other Home on Magnolia Hill posts you may enjoy!
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