Seven Principles by Dr. Maulana Karenga

Happy Sunday, Readers! Today we focus on the principle of self-determination, in honor of Kwanzaa which began yesterday and is celebrated until Friday, January 1.

This cultural celebration was created in 1966 and is based on African heritage and traditional African harvest festivals. Its name is from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza" which translates to "first fruits". 

Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday, but is a celebration of family, life, and unity. It has a similarity to Hanukkah, with the tradition of lighting candles over several nights. Each day of Kwanzaa highlights a different principle outlined by Dr Maulana Karenga:

Unity in family, community, nation, and race.

Self-determination 

Collective Work and Responsibility to build / maintain community and solve problems together.

Cooperative Economics to build /maintain businesses and to profit from them.

Purpose a collective vocation of building / developing community.

Creativity to always do as much as we can to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Faith to believe in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

What do you think of today's principle self-determination? This can be defined as the process by which a person controls their own life. Our ability to make choices and manage our own life impacts our psychological health and well-being (as well as how we contribute to our family and community). How do you define yourself? How do you create for yourself? How do you speak for yourself?

Changing your life starts with changing our thoughts. What you tell yourself defines who you are. Each of these principles are helpful to all of us in creating action and mantras for a better life.  Imagine what the best possible version of yourself is. Reaffirm your worth - that you are strong, capable, and your life will be filled with the joy. 

Each day this week, reflect on one of the principles and believe that you deserve wonderful things. Know that you can and will accomplish what you set out to do in life, after all, you are the master of your mind. 

Have a blessed week, and if you are interested to learn more about this beautiful celebration click: Kwanzaa - HISTORY

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali. 🐾

If you have a purpose in which you can believe, there’s no end to the amount of things you can accomplish. - Marian Anderson.

Christmas Week 2020

For those who celebrate Christmas, this week is filled with tradition, anticipation, and excitement.

I know it sure feels different in 2020.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asks that we keep plans to immediate household, this causes us to get very creative with online activities.

We cats are happy because there won't be lots of people visiting us, and ma is sure to stay in doing video calls or watching silly holiday movies. One thing I know she is excited about is baking and cooking. She is happy in the kitchen.  

Here is our year-end card this year - two versions were sent to a handful of loved ones in our world. Sharing here for all of you to see. We did not cooperate with the photo shoot so the photos aren't the best, but they certainly could be worse.     

                                        

Whatever you do this week, whether you celebrate Christmas or not, we do wish each of you peace, joy, and happiness.

Purr & Paw, 
-Stivali. 🐾 

May happy times decorate your holiday season. -Sunta.

Take Action Now to Prepare for 2021

It is the 51st week of this year, and today is the 348th day of the year. Today is the 4th day of Hanukkah for our Jewish Observers, and there are only 18 days left in 2020.

This has been the strangest year for us - mamma rarely goes out, and has been working from home on the kitchen table since March. She watches news programs more than I ever noticed before. The gift I find in this is that she cuddles with us more, and there is a bar on the bottom of the television which is fun for me to watch as it moves consistently. 

Our life is a journey of experiences filled with countless gifts. Sometimes problems overshadow the goodness that exists. It helps to be insightful to recognize love, forgiveness, and any light in the darkness. We are anchored by faith, and practice yoga with prayerful meditation to help heal from troubling times. 

This helps us relax in the present by letting go of doubt and fear so we can truly appreciate everything we are going through, even if it is not what we had planned.

Speaking of plans...

Do you follow our friend, Dr. James A Smith, Jr on Instagram or Facebook? He has a Challenge happening right now where each day he posts one word and asks how you would incorporate it in 2021. On the first day, the component was Authenticity, the second was Resilience, and the third, Grace. 

Intentional planning now for our upcoming year will help us balance our lives, don't you agree? 

Join his Challenge on either Instagram or Facebook or both. He is an energetic motivational speaker who mamma had the pleasure of meeting nearly 20 years ago. 😺 

It'll be fun to see our readers join mamma in the discussion and preparation of 2021. 

In other news, we are happy to report that our little feral, Grigio, has been spending more and more time on the deck as the weather has been getting colder here. 

Have a wonderful week, Dear Readers. 

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali. 🐾

Nobody is going to be at their best during a global pandemic. Just acknowledging this fact can be helpful and validating. We need to be compassionate with ourselves. - Dylan Gee, assistant professor of psychology at Yale University,

I am ten!

Today is a very important day! We celebrate my introduction to mamma and Stray Cat. 

Today marks ten years since they adopted me. We celebrate today as my birthday, too, since I was only a couple of weeks old when I met my mamma - so perhaps, I was born on Thanksgiving, I do not remember, I was too scared to realize what day it was.

🎈Mamma calls today, "You're Ours Day" but I like to call it, "I'm Yours Day!". Today is a good day. 🎂Hug the ones you love. 🐱

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali. 🐾

Don't just count your years, make your years count.- George Meredith. 

Arrivederci Novembre!

This wonderful week was filled with blessings. Our little Grigio visited daily, and even used the shelter mamma built for him. 

Grigio still won't come inside the house, but we remain hopeful that soon he will trust us enough to. 

Also this week, mamma had a couple days off from work, which made us so happy. We got to nap in peace and play more than usual. 

November is ending and we are about to greet December. I like December because I get to follow mamma into the basement to retrieve all our Christmas decorations. One item in particular is my absolute favourite - an actual tree for the house. 🌲

Coolest thing ever for housecats. 

Each December we celebrate a Christian holiday - but we also celebrate me! More about that next week. I know you will look forward to reading all about it. 

The title of this week's blog bids "farewell" to the month. As our names suggest, you might have guessed we are bilingual kitties. One thing that is awesome to us, no matter which languages you speak, everyone smiles in the same language. 

Hope this week brings lots of smiles.

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali. 🐾

A simple smile. That’s the start of opening your heart and being compassionate to others. -Dalai Lama.

Finding our Mecca for Thanksgiving

I was thinking of ways to help my mamma deal with the upcoming holiday season, other than being my adorable self and allowing her to cuddle me.

In my research I learned about M.E.C.C.A.:

Meditate

Exercise

Create

Connect

Accomplish

This seems pretty intuitive, but thought it was helpful enough to share with all of you. This has been a tough year for most of us, and anything we can do to stay grounded yet hopeful may help us through the holiday season.

Read more about M.E.C.C.A. here: Tips from LiveHappy

We hope you take some time this week to meditate, exercise, create something beautiful, connect with your loved ones, and accomplish something (maybe a task you have been putting off for a long while, this may be the perfect week to tackle it). 

This week we prepare for an annual holiday in the United States celebrating autumn harvest and all our blessings of the past year. The Thanksgiving tradition began a very long time ago, and wide it was proclaimed nation-wide in 1789 by George Washington.

This is a deep-rooted religious tradition; however, now it’s celebrated as a secular holiday. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November here in the States; in Canada it is celebrated on the second Monday of October. Federal legislation set our contemporary date of the fourth Thursday of November in 1941.

Us cats know that Thanksgiving is not going to be the same for most of us in 2020. Please be mindful and respect family members and loved ones who have various comfort levels in joining in-person celebrations. This is a perfect opportunity to have a no-judgement zone and show respect for those who choose not to join in-person gatherings.

We give thanks despite this challenging year. We are grateful to you, our readers, who continue to support our little blog. Even if you aren’t able to physically be with your loved ones this year, we sincerely hope your Thanksgiving is filled with love. 

Merriam Webster defines the word mecca as a place regarded as a center for a group. May you find a special mecca in your world to carry you through this holiday season. Maybe meditating, exercising, creating, connecting, and accomplishing will help us all get there. 😺 

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali. 🐾

Vegetables are a must on any diet. I recommend carrot cake, zucchini muffins, and pumpkin bread. - Pasqua Scheggiare Marino.

No Complaints November

November is the month of being thankful. Many of our readers are declaring each day something they are thankful for. In my opinion, November should not be the only month dedicated to gratitude, every month should be. 😽

Our Ma has been calling this November, "No Complaints November" and each day is replacing complaints with blessings. She says if she does it for the entire month, she will have created a new habit, and broken an unhealthy one - complaining. 😸

Truth be told - one thing she never could complain about is us! 😺

November is Native American Heritage Month and the National Park Service has a terrific website to share the history and culture of America's indigenous people. Learn more here: Native American Heritage Month 

We are sincerely grateful for all the original inhabitants of America. There are so many cultures in this country, and we have a rich history and heritage, truly making this land beautiful. 

Have a wonderful week, Readers. 

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali. 🐾

Greek Mythology

When mamma was attending university, she really enjoyed learning mythology. One of the myths which keeps coming to her mind this week is the story of Cassandra.

Us cats enjoy hearing her ramble on, and on occasion her rambles turn in to great fodder for my blog here.

The King of Troy's daughter, Cassandra was cursed by the god Apollo when she refused his romantic advances. The curse was a gift with a cruel twist - prophecy with the guarantee that no one would ever believe her predictions (despite her always being right). 

One of the consequences of no one listening to her was the fall of Troy.

If you ever read a story or heard someone call another person claiming impending doom a "Cassandra" now you know why.

We all have our own thoughts, our own beliefs. They are influenced by our individual experience, our upbringing, and the conditions of which we live. We each read different news articles and watch different news broadcasts. It is crucial during this tumultuous time to educate ourselves in order to distinguish between what is opinion versus fact. 

Equally important - being kind to people who have different beliefs than us. 

Happy Sunday, Everyone, stay well.

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali. 🐾 

 
We are both disturbed and fascinated by visions of bleak futures, predictions of what might come if we as a society aren't careful. - Marie Lu.

It's November!

Today is the day to purchase books written by your favourite author to support them (maybe as gifts for the upcoming holiday season). Today is also a day people share favourite novels on social media, and encourage fellow authors to keep writing.

As you may have guessed, today is November 1st and we celebrate Author's Day. I am not sure where this unofficial holiday originated. Some records suggest its creation started in 1928 by Nellie Verne Burt McPherson, the President of an Illinois Women’s Club. 

In 1949, the United States Department of Commerce recognized National Author's Day as a holiday to commemorate American authors. 

Now most people think about Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday) when they turn their calendar to November. However, there are a lot of other observances to consider, Author's Day is one of many:

November 2: Cookie Monster Day

November 3: National Sandwich Day 

November 4: National Military Families Recognition Day

November 6: National Nacho Day

November 7: International Merlot Day

November 8: National Parents as Teachers Day

November 9: World Adoption Day

November 10: U.S. Marine Corps Birthday

November 11: Remembrance Day, Veterans Day

November 12: Chicken Soup for the Soul Day

November 13: Caregiver Appreciation Day, Sadie Hawkins Day, World Kindness Day

November 14: World Diabetes Day 

November 15: National Philanthropy Day

November 16: International Day of Tolerance

November 17: World Peace Day

November 18: National Apple Cider Day

November 19: Gettysburg Address Day, Equal Opportunity Day, Great American Smokeout

November 20: Universal Children's Day

November 23: National Espresso Day

November 25: National Parfait Day

November 29: National Square Dance Day

That is a lot of observances, and I bet that is just a partial list of them. If you are in the United States, and have watched television at all this fall, you must know that Presidential Election Day is this week (the first Tuesday after the first Monday). 

Voting on a Tuesday in November isn't as random as you may feel it is. Since November marks the end of harvest and typically has mild weather, Congress passed a law in 1845 mandating that the Presidential Election Day would be held every four years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in the month (with traveling voters in mind). Interesting!

Pasqua always willing to help.

                                                           I like to relax.

                                                         Grigio visits daily.

We say to October, "Peace Out Sauerkraut!". 🤣

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali. 🐾

November reminds us to be thankful for the many positive things we have in our lives.

E' un posto accogliente.

If you are wondering what my title of this week's post is, when translated from Italian: "It's a cozy place."

That is the definition of home and all of the blankets we have here. It is getting colder and it certainly makes winter more bearable to have lots of blankets to keep us warm and cozy.

Although we would like "accogliente" to be a word everyone knows and uses, there may be a different word you come across each winter: hygge (say: "hue-ga"). This is a Danish and Norwegian word for a mood of coziness with feelings of wellness and contentment through enjoying the simple things in life.

It is the wonderful pumpkin treats you all are baking this season. It is warming up by the fireplace with a great book. Relaxation, comfort, indulgence are all part of feeling safe, secure, and living hygge.  

To create more hygge in your life, be like us cats - turn down the lights, close your eyes, get out your softest blanket, and nap. Eat your most indulgent treats, focus on being present in the moment, and appreciate all the small moments of your life.

Embrace hygge this week - may you find you slow-down and destress because of it.

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali. 🐾

Get into the habit of asking yourself, "Does this support the life I am trying to create?". - Author Unknown. 

Grateful for having a cup!

Last week, we offered an acronym to help us maintain optimism - PERMA. How did you do this past week displaying happiness and maintaining a positive outlook? We hope it was a week of being grateful for having a cup instead of viewing that cup as half-full or half-empty. 😸

Since you liked the PERMA acronym so much I thought I would share another one my mamma uses to foster a positive world. We all are going through so much right now - we need to let one another vent, and maximize personal connection by caring, actively listening, and creating transparency. We all deserve to be treated fairly, and connection happens when we practice empathy. 

Listen
Acknowledge
Understand
Relate
Act

Listen to your friends and family, acknowledge the emotional impact and their feelings, understand their needs, relate to them, and take action to make things better for them.

LAURA - it is that simple. 

Putting PERMA and LAURA together could truly help all of us, don't you think? 

Grigio's Fall Portrait.😻

                                                            When all else fails, nap! 😽

Every one is unique, and empathy is an important factor in adapting to someone and their current situation. Being empathetic creates positive friendships and relationships while reducing conflict and misunderstandings. Next time you are chatting with someone who you have a difference with, try out the LAURA technique, and see if the conversation is smoother than usual for both of you! 

Have a blessed week, Readers.

Purr & Paw, 

-Stivali. 🐾

"You only have twelve notes, do what you want with them." - Eddie Van Halen. 💓

Learning Optimism and Displaying Authentic Happiness

Our mamma knows the world is troubled right now. She seeks solace in hunkering down with us at home during this global pandemic. She is very fortunate to work-from-home and be safe during the current state of our country. She is well-aware that not everyone is able to work-from-home, she talks to us all the time about how blessed she feels, and how she is in a constant state of prayer for people unemployed or people employed who have to be in the public and work in these trying conditions.  

Throughout the years, mamma has learned optimism and is constantly displaying joy. She jokes that she was born with a joy filled heart, but her life has not been free of negativity. Can anyone really say their life hasn't had their share of troubles? 

She is often asked how she can maintain such a joyful outlook in deep times of trouble, we have heard her explain many times that it is a choice. Some days are harder than others to display authentically happiness. Being happy doesn't mean there isn't pain or negativity faced - sometimes on the daily. 

For anyone wanting to hone in on optimism and happiness, and if you are needing a book recommendation for the winter, check out Flourish by Dr Martin Seligman. 

Dr Seligman uses the acronym “PERMA” to explain the five elements essential to lasting contentment:

• Positive Emotion - can't we all strive to own this?! 
• Engagement - getting busy in a project, a book, helps us be engaged. 
• Relationships - research suggests those of us in meaningful and positive relationships are happier than those who aren't. 
• Meaning - what matters most to you? Is it a cause for your community? What gives your life meaning? 
• Accomplishment/Achievement - consistent intention to achieve gives life significance and satisfaction. What are you striving for to be better each day of your life? 

Us cats are pretty blessed. We can easily define each of these for ourselves to ensure our positive outlook. The squirrel who visits us each day to use the window bird feeder is one thing that brought us great happiness again this week. 

May your Sunday be filled with happiness and gets your week off to a great start! 

Purr & Paw, 🐾

-Stivali.

For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness. - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Was watching scary movies on your list of things to do this October?

We welcomed fall last week and in my blog I wondered what fall activities you liked best. A lot of mamma's friends let her know that they like to watch scary movies, especially in October!

So this weekend, she found a great one for us to watch: I See You 

Have you heard of it or watched it? The ominous music creeped me out - it was so loud that it was very hard for me to nap while the movie played. Mamma said it was a tense movie, with a lot of plot twists - an entertaining psychological thriller - if you are looking for one to watch, check it out.

If you need more movie recommendations, here is a list of 31 Horror Movies to Watch in October.

Get a comfy blanket and your movie snacks ready! 😸

Today is October 04. We would be remiss to not mention that today is a special day for animals. We recognize today that St Francis, who founded the Catholic Church’s Franciscan order, died in Italy on October 4, 1226. He is remembered for his generosity to the poor and for his love for animals and nature. Because of this, he is the Catholic Church’s patron saint of animals and the environment. 

A lot of churches in the United States celebrate each year on October 04 the Feast of St Francis of Assisi. The feast commemorates his life, and it is a popular day for pets to be blessed at church. Mamma had taken me and Stray Cat multiple times to be blessed at the church. This year, we are unable to go - so we hope next year, Pasqua can experience it with me.   

Blessings to all of you on this beautiful Sunday.

Purr & Paw, 🐾

-Stivali.

October had tremendous possibility. The summer's oppressive heat was a distant memory, and the golden leaves promised a world full of beautiful adventures. They made me believe in miracles.
- Sarah Guillory.

Welcome Fall!

Tis the season to watch the leaves change and fall. Bird watching is a must for most of us, too. The sounds and scents of fall are our favourite. 

There are so many things to do in the fall, that we wish mamma would buy us a stroller so we can join her on her adventures. Are you heading to the pumpkin patch or are you going apple picking? We would like to live vicariously through all of you! We hear that corn mazes and hayrides are super fun for the kids and adults. 

Our mamma likes to bake - a lot - and this season is filled with some of her best pumpkin and apple recipes. So what better way to start the season then by sharing one with you?!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Ingredients:
2 cups canned pumpkin puree
2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
Vanilla extract (to your preference, ma uses 1 tsp)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (add more if you like it!)
1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
1 to 2 cups chocolate chips (your preference - semi sweet or milk chocolate)
+you will need cooking spray. 

Prepare it! 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray two 9x5inch loaf pans with cooking spray.

Mix pumpkin puree, sugar, eggs, oil, extract, and spices together in a bowl. Add flour little by little, and mix each time until combined. Add chocolate chips into batter. Pour into the prepared loaf pans.
Bake for one hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool a bit before removing from pan and eat!

Mamma saw this on her walk yesterday, isn't that a nice thing to do for our neighbours? 

Another nice thing to do in the fall is to reflect on our life and make a list of all the people we’re thankful for. Fall is the perfect time to let people know you care, why not send handwritten notes out to the people on your list? 

Hope you enjoy the last week of September, and that your October is filled with gratitude and good food.

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali. 🐾

Ah, September! You are the doorway to the season that awakens my soul… but I must confess that I love you only because you are a prelude to my beloved October. - Peggy Toney Horton.

The Quickness of September

We cannot believe it is already September 20th.

These few months have really gone by too quickly for us. This past week, we celebrated Pasqua's second birthday. I am surprised I have put up with him for nearly two years.

For the most part, I tolerate him. Typically, we are in the same room together, and often, he wants to play or be too close to me, that is when I get annoyed with him. A girl needs her space. 

It has been a transition for me to go from being the baby to my big brother Stray Cat, to being the big sister to little Pasqua. There is a part of me that misses cuddling with a sibling, I just haven't missed it enough to allow Pasqua in to that part of my heart or blanket. 

Also this week, on the evening of September 18, 2020 we began the 5781st Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah). This is an annual reminder of our need to pursue enhanced behaviour. In the Jewish faith, the New Year ushers in ten days of repentance - a study of our moral values, a review of our past (as a way to avoid past errors), and helps inspire us to change our behaviour. The ten days end on Yom Kippur. 

As I reflect on the study of peace-through-strength, may it encourage me to love my brother better. 

For all our Readers of Jewish faith, we wish you Shanah Tovah Umetukah!

Purr & Paw,

-Stiavali. 🐾

Rosh Hashanah isn’t just about being new, it’s about a change. – Max Levis.

Pasqua's Birthday Week!

Hello Readers, 

The week that just passed was filled with much sadness for all Americans. We do not take it lightly, instead, we focus on the good we know exists in humans. Every crisis has a silver lining. One deep thinker, Michelle Dean, said, "Crisis forces commonality of purpose on one another." 

Commonality of purpose. Such a great thought. A strong sense of purpose has a powerful positive effect on our lives. When we have a sense of purpose, we know exactly what we are doing, "on purpose", making life less complicated and less stressful. When you are "on purpose" there is less space for negativity to take over our lives.

You may remember last year, we celebrated Pasqua turning one with this post: Pasqua is one!

This year on his birthday, we are once again reminded of the bountiful joys we receive from our family and friends. We are blessed to have so much love from everyone around us. 

We are thankful for all of the things we have in life, no matter how insignificant they may seem to be. Our mamma teaches us to have an attitude of gratitude and to be optimistic. So we are always hopeful  good things will happen in our future. She says both gratitude and optimism are advantages we have that improve our outlook on life, and it is why we are such happy cats. This is our "on purpose". 

We realize humans have lots of stress, which causes havoc on health, so an attitude of gratitude and an optimistic outlook helps all of us, feline or human, to be more resilient in times of crisis or calm. 

Be "on purpose" with your attitude, and may peace be with you, always.

-Stivali. 🐾

Happiness will never elude you if you begin each day appreciating the countless priceless gifts that life has blessed you with. - Author Unknown.

Cover Boy!

Remember in March when we announced I was a cover girl? Well, this month it is Pasqua's turn - check him out! 

This is the Girl Scout calendar filled with local cat photos, the proceeds from the sale of the calendar benefitted a TNR program. We are so blessed to be part of this worthy cause.

I must admit, Pasqua makes a gorgeous Cover Boy for the month of September. Purr-fect month for him, since he was born on September 17, 2018. 

Speaking of birthdays, it will be one week ago tomorrow that we celebrated our mamma's. She had a beautiful day, and we had a wonderful week celebrating her.

Joyce Meyer says that it is never too late for a new beginning in your life. I think that as we begin a new month, approach a new season, and celebrate birthdays, that is a good thought to meditate on.  Birthdays and nature remind us how life is ever changing and ever evolving. We can think of that change as a way to begin again, to have a new beginning, to seek out a new adventure in our life.

Since things right now seem chaotic and unstable, it is healthy to meditate, and be intentional in how we create our best life, to help not only our selves but our loved ones, and everyone in our community. 

What will you intentionally do this fall to make it the best for you, those you love, and those people you may not know but can help support? 

Happy September, Readers, may you be blessed and be a blessing. 

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali. 🐾

September days are here, with summer's best of weather and autumn's best of cheer. - Helen Hunt Jackson.

Lazy days of summer

The lazy days of summer have consumed us. All we want to do is nap, nap, and nap some more.

How do you get motivated when all you want to do is sleep?

We have a list of things we want to achieve but no motivation to do any of them. Our list includes eating, exercise, bird watching, and playing.

Exercise supposedly is the best thing to do to overcome laziness. Mamma does squats while she is washing dishes, and lunges while she is watching television. Just watching her makes us want to sleep some more. She tells us that if we can overcome the lazy feeling with exercise our brain will naturally follow.

But it is summertime, after all, and the days are made for being lazy. My brain likes to just relax. 

She tries to tempt us with ribbon to chase, and cat nip toys to force us in to exercise masked as "play time". She insists that exercise helps motivate her to put effort in her dreaded to-do list.

I think we will stick to napping...

Hope your Sunday is filled with love, peace, and naps.

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali. 🐾

Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend. - Lao Tzu.

This week in pictures. . .

We saw a family of deer from our window! So much fun to watch. 💓

Grigio visited us every single day. Some days, multiple times, and on a few days, he spent hours basking in the sun on our deck. 💘

Looking out windows help us decompress. That, and music. If your kitties seem stressed, and you want to provide them a relaxation room - be sure to put on some music to soothe their souls... here's an article that says it does help. We agree with the scientists. 😸

We had a wonderful week and we hope you all did, too.

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali. 🐾

There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats. – Albert Schweitzer.

Bust Stress Boost Happiness

Happy Sunday, Dear Readers!

We hope your week was wonderful. Mamma read us the following article and we had to share it with you: 4 Stress Busting Tips to Boost Your Happiness

We do all of these suggested tips and highly recommend them:

1. Practice Mindfulness

2. Make More Connections

3. Keep Your Body Moving

4. Eat a Healthy Diet

We have one to add to the list. Stop and take the time to smell the roses! 

What are you doing to boost your happiness and bust stress? Let us know your tips and we will add them to the list.

Have a super Sunday.

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali.🐾

Even in the darkest of times, people are hopeful, innovative and resilient. -Chris Libby.

Are you telling your story?

Seton Hall University President, Dr Joseph E. Nyre, wrote the following message to the Seton Hall Community. Too beautiful to not share with each of you readers:

This is a moment where our compassion for one another, our understanding of the complexities of our situation, and our flexibility will define the character of our community. May each of us follow the example of our patroness, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, whose faith and determination helped her overcome incredible adversity. I join you in looking forward with hope and optimism.

For readers who do not know a little bit about Elizabeth Ann Seton's story - at 29 years old she was widowed with five children and penniless. She was living in Italy at the time, and converted to Catholicism because of the faith and kindness she observed in Italian Catholics. She moved to the United States, first to New York, and then to Maryland. It was in Maryland, where she started a school, and took in any child who wanted an education.

She died at 47 years old, and became the first American-born citizen to be beatified (1963) and then canonized (1975). She is buried in Emmitsburg, Maryland and is the patron saint of grief. She experienced deaths of many loved ones, including her husband and two of her five children.

Our stories are important. Our history can define who we are, and how we see and react to the world. Hearing other's stories may change our perspective, or help see the world a little differently. 

Tell your story.

Little Pasqua wants to share some of his today with this video clip: Pasqua and a q-tip

He likes to play. All of the time.

Enjoy your Sunday, Everyone!

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali. 🐾

History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.  - Maya Angelou.

Hello August!

Did you know that lower-case august is an adjective, defined as respected and impressive?

I did not know this. Mamma just taught us, its origin is either from French auguste or Latin augustus meaning sacred or respected. Fascinating! 

For the most part, August is one of our favourite months because we celebrate Mamma all month long (it is her birthday month). However, we are a little somber today as it is the anniversary of Kismet's passing in 2009. The gloomy weather outside doesn't help, either.  

We must remember, it is a beautiful day, no matter the weather. So we honour Kismet, and we celebrate his life. What a blessing he was to Mamma, truly a blessing to be grateful for.

King Kismet

If we can offer one piece of advice today, it is to "never put off until tomorrow the hug you can give today."🐱

Me - watching Pasqua watching Grigio.

Pasqua watching Grigio's every move.

Purr & Paw,🐾

-Stivali.

“August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time.” - Sylvia Plath.

It is a beautiful day.

Do you ever think, "It's a beautiful day" when it is raining?

Do you think it during a snow storm?

Or only when the sky is clear and the temperature is 73 degrees and sunny?

It was hot today where we live - felt like one hundred degrees outside - and very humid. Not a comfortable day outside at all, so, we kept our focus on gratitude and the electricity we have that makes our air conditioning run.

If we reframe our definition of a beautiful day, maybe we would start to view each day differently.

Starting today, Pasqua and I affirm, it is a beautiful day every day. 😺

Here's to a week of beautiful days ahead for each of you.

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali. 🐾

A Sunday well spent brings a week of content. - Proverb.

Our Stories Matter

Happy Sunday, Readers,

Last week, I shared Pixie's story in honour of her passing. 😿 Which got me thinking about our individual stories - and how they matter.

Like Pixie, I had a rough start, too - the runt of a litter born in the parking lot of a shopping mall and abandoned by my cat-mother.

Me as a kitten.

When you share your story, what do you start with? Do you start with your rough beginning, or do you begin your story with a memory of courageous perseverance in the face of adversity? We all have a story to share and maybe we all can inspire others with our resilience.

You may remember how Pasqua came in to our life. We don't know much about his back story, or why he was dropped off at the cat sanctuary that October. We do know that they named him Chip because he was found during their Halloween Chip or Treat event.

Pasqua as a kitten.

Maybe if I allowed Pasqua to write today's blog he would start out at Thanksgiving 2018, and his first night in his new home here with us. How he knew it was supposed to be temporary and it was just a foster situation, so he squeezed his way into our hearts so that he would never leave.

We all have our own experience and impression of the world. If we stick with starting our story at the bad times, our focus of the bad times grows. The bad times are important, but even more important is how we rise above them, that's what makes us who we are at the core.

We don't have to start our story with the bad times. Instead, we could start at the good times, start with the blessings. Maybe, if we focus on the good, we will see the good grow.

Give people a space to be heard, listen to their story.

Share your story.

It matters.

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali. 🐾

🧡Sharing your story is heart work. It's not easy work, but it might be the most important thing you’ll ever do. - Jennifer Williamson.🧡