The Cats Meow

 

Welcome! THE CAT'S MEOW is an opt-in weekly newsletter. If you've received it, you've subscribed or been given a subscription, or had it forwarded to you.



Should you desire to subscribe or unsubscribe,you can do so at , or email: JC@online-thecatsmeow.com . Please feel free to forward any part or all of The Cat's Meow to your friends, either in e-mail or printed form!!


THE CAT'S MEOW would love to hear from you! We welcome all purrs, hisses, articles you've written or enjoyed (Please include the source!), and suggestions for new features on the website or in the newsletter!!! Send them to the editor!



June is National Adopt A Shelter Cat Month. It's also the month traditionally associated with weddings. And, the Summer Solstice -- the 'official start' of Summer, is June 21. So, with a nod to all those things, THE CAT'S MEOW, this week, is pleased to offer a special collection of cat-related articles for your enjoyment.






"Are there any questions?"

An offer that comes at the end of college lectures and long meetings. It's usually asked when an audience is overdosed with information and time is short. At the final session on the last morning of a two-week seminar on Greek culture, led by intellectuals and experts in their fields, Alexander Papaderos rose from his chair at the back of the room and walked to the front, where he stood in the bright Greek sunlight of an open window and looked out. We followed his gaze across the bay to the iron cross marking a cemetery from WWII. He turned and asked the ritual question: "Are there any questions?"

Quiet quilted the room. These two weeks had generated enough questions for a lifetime, but for now there was only silence. "No questions?"

Papaderos swept the room with his eyes. Then someone asked, "Dr. Papaderos, what is the meaning of life?" Laughter followed, and people stirred to go. Papaderos held up his hand and stilled the room.

"I will answer your question."

Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket, he fished into his leather billfold and brought out a very small round mirror, about the size of a quarter. What he said went like this:

"When I was a small child, during the war, we were very poor and we lived in a remote village. One day, on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror. A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place. I tried to find all the pieces and put them together, but it was not possible, so I kept only the largest piece -- this one. And by scratching it on a stone, I made it round.

I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine -- in deep holes and crevices and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find. I kept the little mirror and as I went about my growing up, I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game.

As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a child's game, but a metaphor for what I might do with my life.

I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of the light. But light is there. The truth, understanding, knowledge that accompany the light will only shine in many dark places if I reflect it. I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know.

Nevertheless, with what small part I have, I can reflect light into the dark places of this world -- into the black places in the hearts of all -- and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of my life."

And then he took his small mirror and, holding it carefully, caught the bright rays of daylight streaming through the window and reflected them onto my face and onto my hands folded on the desk.

Much of what I experienced in the way of information about Greek culture and history that summer is gone from memory. But in the wallet of my mind I carry a small round mirror still.

Are there any questions?"



James M. McCarthy


Reprinted from Prose -n- Poems


>

Youth and Age

Youth that rides the wildest horse,
Youth that throws the deadliest steer,
Spending strength without remorse,
Grappling with the ghosts of fear,
Knows it only holds to-day
All it freely flings away.

Youth that rides a race with Death
When the frightened cattle break,
Living in the moment’s breath,
Risking all for honour’s sake,
Lightly knows it holds in fee
Life and immortality.

Age that rides the spavined grey,
Age that seeks the safest track,
Scenting perils by the way,
Dreaming of the journey back,
Leaves behind it all the truth
Known to the wild heart of youth.

Vance Palmer (1885-1959)



Reprinted from Life's Adventure's
THE NEW "FOOTPRINTS"

 
Now imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking along the beach together.
 
For much of the way the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying in the pace. But your prints are in a disorganized stream of zig zags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures, and returns.
 
For much of the way it seems to go like this. But gradually, your footprints come in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling His consistently.
 
You and Jesus are walking as true friends.
 
This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens; your footprints that once etched the sand next to the Master's are now walking precisely in His steps. Inside His large footprints is the smaller "sand print", safely enclosed. You and Jesus are becoming one; this goes on for many miles.
 
But gradually you notice another change. The footprints inside the larger footprints seem to grow larger. Eventually they disappear altogether. There is only one set of footprints. They have become one; again this goes on for a long time.
 
But then something awful happens. The second set of footprints is back.
 
This time it seems even worse than before. Zig zags all over the place.
 
Stop. . .start. Deep gashes in the sand. A veritable mess of prints.You're amazed and shocked. But this is the end of your dream. Now you speak: "Lord, I understand the first scene with the zig zags, fits, starts, and so on. I was a new Christian, just learning. But You walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with You."
 
"That is correct," replied the Lord.
 
"Then, when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in your steps. I followed You very closely."
 
"Very good. You have understood everything so far."
 
"Then the smaller footprints grew and eventually filled in with Yours. I suppose that I was actually growing so much that I was becoming more like You in every way."
 
"Precisely."
 
"But this is my question, Lord. Was there a regression of something? The footprints went back to two, and this time it was worse than the first."
 
The Lord smiles, then laughs. "You didn't know?"
 
He says.
 
"That was when we danced."


Reprinted from Inspire Today






~~ Life's Journey ~~
 
Life is a journey through many terrains, from gardens of pleasure to
deserts of pain. From an ocean of love to a jungle of hate, from
mountains of glory to canyons of fate.
 
There's a highway for joy and a highway for sorrow, a road for today and
a road for tomorrow, so choose your path wisely and walk it with care.
If you follow your heart, you'll find your way there.
 
I've been to the garden and planted seeds there, I've been to the desert
and felt the despair. I've swam in the ocean and drank of it's wine,
{and I've soared the skies through the clouds}.
 
I climbed up the mountain to touch the sky, I went to the canyon and
started to cry. I've traveled both highways: both today and tomorrow;
I've basked in the joy and wallowed in sorrow.
 
My Path has been chosen and I've walked it with care; I followed my
heart and I'm on my way there. So I'll just keep walking till I find
what I'm after, to mountains and oceans and gardens of laughter.
 
          ~~~~~Author Unknown~~~~~


Sent to TCM by a subscriber


What Life Taught Me


 
I never really "found" myself, and yet, here I am.
 
While I was out looking: I tripped across life, and it taught me to watch where I'm going and take bigger steps.
 
Fell into the river of joy and learned that one can swim into it and out of it.
 
Got lost in the forest and learned that pine needles and moss make a comforting bed.
 
Climbed up a tree and found a bigger world than one I saw looking at the ground..
 
Raced the wind and found the joy is in the running: it doesn't matter who wins.
 
Looked up at a mountain peak in the distance that seemed smaller than the hill I was climbing.
 
Came face to face with wild animals; we stared each other down, then went our own ways.
 
Felt the awful heat of burning sun, and then freezing snow, and took off, then put on, my coat.
 
Grew hungry looking at golden hanging apples; and took one.
 
Heard music where there couldn't be any, and sang along.
 
Danced to the drumbeats of my own heart.
 
Let my mind fill up with dreams, and found there was still room for more.
 
Met myself in everyone I met; and found they were not so bad.
 
Found myself back at my starting point, but it was much further away.
 
I never really found myself, and yet, here I am.


Reprinted from Smile Awhile


Inspiration Line logo
Inspiration Line is a FREE weekly e-mail magazine for people seeking encouragement and fresh perspectives. Our intent is to inspire through motivational articles, poems and uplifting quotes, while balancing the equation with lighthearted humor, historic wonders, interesting news and helpful tips on relationship skills, pet care, health issues, world travel and more.  www.InspirationLine.com 




PEACE


Do not undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Do not set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

Do not take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Do not let your years slip through your fingers by living in the past, nor in the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

Do not give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Do not be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Do not shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give love; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly.

Do not dismiss your dreams. To be without dreams is to be without hope; to be without hope is to be without purpose.

Do not run through life so fast that you forget not only where you have been, but also where you are going. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.



author unknown


Reprinted from PAG E-NEWS Sunday Wit and Wisdom



 

SUBJECT - "Age"

 

"You can't do anything about
the length of your life, but
you can do something about
its width and depth."

~~ Shira Tehrani ~~

 

"Grow old with me!

The best is yet to be."

~~ Robert Browning ~~

(to his wife, Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

 

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
FEATURE
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
 
WHAT WOULD I SAY TO A YOUNGER ME?
© 1995 - Jim Warda
(In "Chicken Soup For The Soul")
Source - http://www.chickensoup.com
 
Looking at my high school
yearbook picture, I wondered
what I would say if I could
go back twenty years and talk
to him?
What would I tell him about
the years ahead, about the
ways he would change and
what would remain?
The face in the picture was
unlined. His eyes were bright
and so sure he'd live forever.
His hair was long, just right
for the time for a guy in a
band. But today, when I showed
it to my son and he saw the
wide lapels and denim sportscoat,
he just grimaced.
Would I tell young Jim that
he'd marry a beautiful Italian
girl who dances and bakes? Would
he see in my eyes the love that
he'd one day have for his three
children? Would I tell him that
soon he'd revel in the way words
tumbled and fell across the page?
Would I let on about the suffering
that inevitably would come, that
is as much a part of life as
breathing?
And, what would his questions
be to me? Would he need to know
what not to do, what not to say,
who not to trust? Would he ask
about our parents, our family,
our friends? Would he want to
know how I went from wearing
jeans and T-shirts to Dockers
and a tie? Or if he ever made
it as a rock star?
If he did, I'd sit him down
and gently explain that he
hadn't become a musician. But,
then I'd smile and tell him
that he was doing exactly what
he was supposed to do, saying
the things that had been strong
and silent in his heart down
those long high school halls.
And I wonder. Would he be
proud of who he'd become?
What would you say to a
younger you?

© 1995 - Jim Warda
 
 
 


Sent to TCM by Donna
YOUR RESILIENT SELF

I often come back to a story about two men who came from similar backgrounds. They both grew up in "dysfunctional" homes. An alcohol-addicted parent raised them both. They both endured numerous hardships as a result of the many problems brought about by their unstable home lives.
As adults, however, their lives looked quite different.

One man held a steady job. He was married with a happy home life. He was involved in his children’s lives.
He felt productive and useful.

A reporter interviewed him as part of an article she was writing on the effects of alcoholism in the home.
"To what do you attribute your present circumstances?" she asked him, referring to his obvious success.

"Given my background," he replied, "what do you expect?"

The other man could not seem to keep a job for long. He was frequently let go for alcohol-related problems. He had been married, but lost his wife due to his addiction. He felt hopeless and believed himself to be a failure.

The reporter also asked him, "To what do you attribute your present circumstances?"

"Given my background," he replied, "what do you expect?"

Naturally, our past will shape our present. Our backgrounds are crucial in determining the kinds of decisions we will make as adults. But here is a case in which similar upbringings produced quite different results.

Both men were shaped by their past. One slipped into those old, familiar patterns and recreated them as an adult. The other was determined never to repeat what he had experienced as a child. The first man felt helpless to change. The other used his background as motivation to make needed changes.

In his book THE RESILIENT SELF (New York: Villard Books, 1992), Stephen Wolin emphasizes how our difficult backgrounds can actually make us more resilient. Hardships can make us strong and give us needed motivation to be different in the future. A difficult background can be no less than a marvelous gift!

For some, their background is an excuse. For others, it is a gift!

________

Steve Goodier Publisher@LifeSupportSystem.com is a professionalspeaker, consultant and author of numerous books. Visit his site for more information, or to sign up for his FREE newsletter of Life, Love and Laughter at http://LifeSupportSystem.com.



Reprinted from Insprational Angels (out of publication)



THE AMAZING CAT MIRACLE DIET

Most diets fail because we are still thinking and eating like people. For those us who have never had any success dieting, now there is the new Cat Miracle Diet! 

Most cats are long and lean (or tiny and petite). The Cat Miracle Diet will help you achieve the same lean, svelte figure. Just follow this diet for 4 days and you'll find that you not only look and feel better, but you will have a whole new outlook on what constitutes food. Good Luck! 



DAY ONE

Breakfast: Open can of expensive gourmet cat food. Any flavor as long as it cost more than .75 per can -- and place 1/4 cup on your plate. Eat 1 bite of food; look around room disdainfully. Knock the rest on the floor. Stare at the wall for awhile before stalking off into the other room. 

Lunch: Four blades of grass and one lizard tail. Throw it back  up on the cleanest carpet in your house. 

Dinner: Catch a moth and play with it until it is almost dead. Eat one wing. Leave the rest to die. 

Bedtime snack: Steal one green bean from your spouse's or partner's plate. Bat it around the floor until it goes under the refrigerator. Steal one small piece of chicken and eat half of it. Leave the other half on the sofa. Throw out the remaining gourmet cat food from the can you opened this morning. 



DAY TWO

Breakfast: Pick up the remaining chicken from the sofa. Knock it onto the carpet and bat it under the television set. Chew on the corner of the newspaper as your spouse/partner tries to read it. 

Lunch: Break into the fresh French bread that you bought as your part of the dinner party on Saturday. Lick the top of it all over. Take one bite out of the middle of the loaf. 

Afternoon snack: Catch a large beetle and bring it into the house. Play toss and catch with it until it is mushy and half dead. Allow it to escape under the bed. 

Dinner: Open a fresh can of dark-colored gourmet cat food -- tuna or beef works well. Eat it voraciously. Walk from your kitchen to the edge of the living room rug. Promptly throw up on the rug. Step into it as you leave. Track footprints across the entire room.

DAY THREE

Breakfast: Drink part of the milk from your spouse's or partner's cereal bowl when no one is looking. Splatter part of it on the closest polished aluminum appliance you can find. 

Lunch: Catch a small bird and bring it into the house. Play with it on top of your down-filled comforter. Make sure the bird is seriously injured but not dead before you abandon it for someone else to deal with. 

Dinner: Beg and cry until you are given some ice cream or milk in a bowl of your own. Take three licks/laps, and then turn the bowl over on the floor. 

<

FINAL DAY

Breakfast: Eat 6 bugs, any type, being sure to leave a collection of legs, wings, and antennae on the bathroom floor. Drink lots of water. Throw the bugs and all the water up on your spouse's or partner's pillow. 

Lunch: Remove the chicken skin from last night's chicken-to-go leftovers your spouse or partner placed in the trash can. Drag the skin across the floor several times. Chew on it in a corner and then abandon. 

Dinner: Open another can of expensive gourmet cat food. Select a flavor that is especially runny, like Chicken and Giblets in Gravy. Lick off all the gravy and leave the actual meat to dry and get hard. 

VOILA! A NEW YOU!



Supplied by Inspiration Line
Privacy Notice: We do not sell or share our subscribers email addresses.
Disclaimer: All articles and images in this newsletter are believed to be of public domain and, therefore, reprintable. Where a source is available, it has been stated. If you believe a mistake has been made or know the source of an unattributed article or image, please write to: JC@online-thecatsmeow.com ! A correction will be made!!!




Copyright © 2003 - Jane Cate
All Rights Reserved
Webmaster: Jane Cate - JC@online-thecatsmeow.com
This newsletter is hosted by Bright-byte.