Sky’s Room

The glory of the young is their strength;
the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old.

“SKY DOESN’T LOOK GOOD TODAY,” Phil commented to his wife, Lisa, before leaving for work.

Lisa’s heart sank. The truth was, their fourteen-year-old Ragdoll cat hadn’t been looking well or acting like herself for several weeks. The once affectionate, playful feline, who had always been underfoot and looking for an available lap, recently had been hiding, hissing, and barely eating. A battery of tests at the vet’s hadn’t revealed anything out of the ordinary for a geriatric cat. But Lisa knew a Ragdoll’s average lifespan was twelve to fifteen years, and now she feared her precious Sky was coming to the end of hers.

Lisa peeked at the fluffy, creamy beige-and-gray cat hiding between the back leg of the sofa and the side table. Sky’s big blue eyes met hers.

“No need to move, girl,” Lisa assured Sky. “If you’re happy there, you stay there. You’ve earned some peace and quiet.”

As Lisa began folding the blankets on the sofa, memories from long ago started playing through her mind:

The squeals of delight from her children, Emmy and Ryan, who had been just five and seven years old when she placed an eight-week-old Sky in their hands. The lights of the Christmas tree had paled in comparison to the joy on their faces that day.

Curtains curled up over the rod like ocean waves cresting in their family room so that a curious and determined Sky couldn’t climb them.

A baby gate placed in the doorway to the enclosed porch after Sky shredded part of the screen.

Waking up to find Sky sleeping on Phil’s chest, despite her husband claiming he had no affection for the cat.

Sky pawing the bay window every time a squirrel entered the backyard, meowing in chorus with the songbirds in the morning, and watching at the front window for Emmy and Ryan to return home from school.

Lisa sank into the sofa as she remembered sitting and crying with Sky on her children’s beds after dropping each one off at college. Sky had seen every tear, heard every laugh, and been privy to every worry. Her willingness to be held provided soothing comfort to Lisa’s heart.

“Oh, sweet girl,” Lisa said. “What am I going to do without you? You’ve been such an important part of this family.”

Sky crept from her hiding spot and silently walked to the back door. She peered through the closed glass door to the screened-in porch. The damage to the screen from Sky’s sharp claws had taken so long to get repaired and the new furniture they put out there had been so expensive that Sky had been forbidden entrance ever since.

Lisa stood up and opened the door wide. An autumn breeze wafted through the opening. Sky stood rooted to the ground as if held back by an invisible barrier.

“It’s okay, girl. It’s high time you get your porch privileges back.” Lisa crossed the threshold and went to her favorite glider.

Sky hesitated and then, as if testing the water, put one paw through the doorway. She took a first tentative step. A second one. She crept along the back wall of the porch and plopped beside a potted plant.

The phone rang, and Lisa went into the kitchen to answer the call. Her heart soared to hear Emmy’s voice on the other end. Her daughter wanted to tell her all about the fall formal she had been invited to the night before. Mother and daughter chatted for quite a while before Emmy had to go. Lisa smiled as she hung up. Her once painfully shy little girl was growing into a confident and capable young woman.

Lisa returned to the porch, expecting to find Sky still hiding by the ficus. But instead, the Ragdoll was perched on the ottoman, looking out over the backyard.

Meow, she greeted Lisa.

Lisa smiled and sat in the chair next to the ottoman. Sky stood, stretched, and then climbed onto Lisa’s lap and began purring loudly.

Lisa and Sky sat together for over an hour, both content, neither wanting to move. Eventually, when Lisa had to get back to her to-do list, she gently set Sky on the chair.

“It’s all yours, girl. You enjoy this room and this furniture as much as you want.”

And Sky did. For the next two years a happy, affectionate, and at times even playful cat spent every waking moment on that porch. A porch Lisa and Phil renamed Sky’s room.

PAWS & PONDER . . .

How do you feel about getting older? What hard-won wisdom from life experiences could you share with someone today? How might a strong young person and an experienced older person bless each other? How could you bless someone today—either out of the strength of your youth or the experience of your age?

Paws & Pray

Lord, you are the God of all my days. Keep me focused on you in every season of life. Use me to help others around me. Teach me to use my strength, my experience, and the abilities you have given me to serve you, to respect others, and to love well.