Yesterday, Mother's Day, was a very special day. We went to church, & our beloved pastor used my blog as part of his sermon. I found it very humbling & felt so honored (all at the same time). It was my blog called Privileged that he quoted. I believe each blog is a gift from God, tho' sometimes I think my lameness gets in the way & shows a little too much. I believe God forgives me for that.
After church, we used a gift card from my bestie & went to lunch at TGIF. I ordered one thing & was sure I ordered something else. However, what I actually ate couldn't have been any better! I just never cease to be amazed at how my brain is seemingly missing pieces. Then... on the spur of the moment, we drove for an hour & a half to a zoo in the country. This zoo, kind of like the zookeeper's very big back yard, allows visitors to hold baby tigers when they are under 12 weeks old, the prime time being 6-10 weeks, I believe.
The weather was gorgeous, & the cub was feisty! My baby daughter (who's 20 now) was a bit skiddish. I myself had to wonder at my own stupidity. I'm not sure my interacting with a wild animal was the intelligent thing to do with a compromised immune system. However, this cub had a natural attraction to me, & I wasn't about to miss this precious moment of opportunity. So... as Simon (the cub) pounced on my back & wrapped his paws around my neck, I could only laugh. As he bit my ankle (he did NOT break the skin), I squealed with delight. We fed him a bottle, & I mustered up the strength to hold this 25 pound kitty.
He had beautiful fur, & his markings were exquisite. My instincts were to cuddle up my face next to his (like I do with Bella) & squeeze him tight with a sweet bear hug. However, that is off limits! He, like all cats, gets to call the shots. He gets a bit snarly at times, & is in the stage of development (as his eyesight becomes keen), where he stalks his prey. One of the visitors was wearing sandals that intrigued the cub, & he removed them from her feet & wanted to play with them. She put them back on, & he wouldn't leave her feet alone. I think I would have remained barefoot. You were only allowed to pet him with an open palm from the neck down in the proper direction of his fur (from neck to tail). Other methods roughed the kitty up & made him a bit unruly. I'm not sure the cat was enjoying all of this interaction. He reminded me of a young schoolboy humoring his mother, being forced to wear a tie, mind his manners, & of course, no belching allowed. It was hard on the poor cat (to say the least).
As we left the scene, I felt like I'd had the experience of a lifetime. It was pretty adventurous for me (with or without cancer). The whole ordeal was a bit bizarre, unnatural because the creature was meant to be in the wild. He's been raised in a home, but as the zookeeper said, he still has his wild instincts. That's the part that made it an adventure! It reminded me of the old saying..."You can take the boy off the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the boy." Well... this side of Heaven, I don't think you can take the wild out of the cub.
One day, when there is a new Heaven on earth, I believe the wild will be gone from the cub. The lion & the lamb will lie down together, & the animals will be loving & peaceful as they were meant to be (before our world was cursed). Yes... I believe Heaven will be full of beautiful animals, with fluffy soft fur, pretty markings, etc. I also believe, I will be able to cuddle up next to them, & give them that sweet big bear hug that's meant to be (for the animal lover in me). It will NOT be off limits because all of Heaven will be in harmony. No more tears, no more suffering, no more wild. Just peace & beauty overflowing!
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