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.🧡

Cat Story

A long long time ago, our mamma penned a children's picture book inspired by her orange tabby, Kismet. It has taken on many renditions over the past decade - rewrite rewrite rewrite - as she seeks a literary agent to represent her and a publisher to publish it.

She has many stories written for it - making it a picture book series. This is in addition to all her other works she has written and others she is working on.

There are many stories about cats, and we are hopeful that hers will be published one day for the world to enjoy. 

™© suntawrites

There's a lot of lost work out there, or forgotten work, and we don't want that to happen to Kismet's story.

For instance, the author famous for The Grapes of Wrath, wrote a cat story in the 50s that was published in French. The Smithsonian reports that for the first time it has been published in English (through purchase of a magazine, check it out here: https://strandmag.com/product/john-steinbeck-issue-plus-1-year-subscription/).

© Jeffrey McKeever

Steinbeck's The Amiable Fleas is a lighthearted short story about the friendship between a chef and his cat (depicted above). It inspires us to keep encouraging mamma to work at her craft, to try to get published, and to remember that the loyalty 'n love between human 'n cat is a story worth writing and reading! 

Inspire one another! 

-Stivali. 🐾

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” - Louis L’Amour.