My Cat

My little cat knows that I don't always allow her to sit in my lap, so, when I'm on my deck and she comes to sit in my lap she at first assumes that I'm going to allow her to come, and she jumps right into my lap. And if I'm not in the mood to have her there I gently nudge her away and she hops down on the deck and doesn't seem to be disappointed at all. So she waits a while as I'm meditating, and starts, at some point to ease back closer to me, then jump up on the table in front of me; sits there for a while, waiting for my mood to change. At some point, with head held low and eyes half closed she puts one paw very gently on my knee as if to ask permission. It's as if she is the prodigal son returning home from the pig pen in a spirit of "I don't deserve to be your cat, but if you would just let me sit here in your lap, you don't even have to pet me, just let me lie peacefully on your knee"... and so I reach out my hand to let her know that she can come; and she comes, and sits peacefully and thankfully on my lap as I stroke her fur and we both benefit from it. And as I am benefiting from it, and thinking about the benefit that I am receiving, I look at this little creature and I realize that God made this little creature for me to be sitting here in my lap in this moment and the affection I feel for this kitty and the affection she feels for me [in whatever way kitties feel affection] are a manifestation of the Love of the God of this universe---the God Who created us both; gave us life; gave all life, and gave all love and all affection. And so this little creature, this experience that we are sharing is like a shaft of light that is the Light of this universe; like a beam flowing down through the forest of sunlight. And like a hologram, this beam contains the Whole.