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,

What will you do to celebrate this Memorial Day?

Good Day, Readers, tomorrow is a federal holiday in the United States, one where we honor and mourn the military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of May.

Here are some ideas to help you celebrate this year: 

5 Kid Friendly Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day

Virtual Celebrations for 2020

Memorial Day Recipes

And for those wanting to learn more about the history of Memorial Day, check out this article: History of Memorial Day 

Whatever you do tomorrow, we hope it is a day filled with gratitude, reflection, and love.

Update on Grigio: We have decided to set up have-a-heart traps since we were unsuccessful in securing a rescue group and our local animal control will not assist with a feral, unless rabid. ☹ As you can see from the photos below, the last time he visited us, his eye did not appear to be getting worse, but it is still not good.

Sadly, he has not visited us yet this weekend. We pray he is okay. 

We anxiously await his return. 

Stay safe, Everyone, and enjoy your week ahead.

Purr & Paw, 
-Stivali. 🐾

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter the words, but to live by them. – John F. Kennedy.

Cats and Coronavirus

I am sure you all have read by now that two house cats in New York tested positive for Coronavirus. If you are familiar with FIP in house cats, then you know how scary this is for us beloved animals.

CDC recommends to treat pets as you would any other human family members – do not let us interact with people or other animals outside of our household. If a person inside your household becomes sick, isolate them from everyone else, including pets. Read more here:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/animals.html 

It is vital at this time to not succumb to fear. Please don't drop your beloved pet off at a shelter or abandon them in a park somewhere. Please keep loving us. We need it just as you do during this challenging time.

Don't be discouraged, don't fall apart, keep moving forward and thanking God that He is fighting our battles.

If you are interested in learning more about FIP - here is information from WebMD:
https://pets.webmd.com/cats/cat-fip-feline-infectious-peritonitis#1

Pasqua says "Hang in there!"

Healing is coming, trust that. Choose faith over fear. Stay strong and safe.

We are thinking of all of you, and praying for your health.

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali. 🐾

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. - Eleanor Roosevelt.

We help each other through...

Good Day, Readers,

During this challenging time, we send blessings of hope, encouragement, and good health.

Pasqua and I are well aware of the benefits we have for health and happiness to our humans.  It is well-documented that having a pet reduces loneliness and anxiety, provides daily structure, and gives a purpose - a happy one.

If you don't have a pet, we provide photos of us and our outdoor friends to cheer you:

What is really cool, is  that one day we had someone other than Grigio come to visit us.

Grigio:

Random doe eyed kitten:

What a beaut, right?

ASPCA offers the following to help us protect our pets: aspca.org/coronavirus-keeping-your-pets-safe-during-covid-19-crisis 

We wish you peace, health, and safety this holy week - regardless if you celebrate - we wish you, still, a celebration of rebirth and renewal. In our Christian faith, Jesus celebrated a Passover meal with his disciples the day before his crucifixion, what we call Holy Thursday. Passover commemorates the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt.

Peace be with you and with those you love.

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali. 🐾

(Pasqua, named after Easter, really wanted to write this blog post. I feel he is getting too much attention as it is - maybe next time, Little Brother!)