Ugly

 

 

 

 

Well my dear ones,

 

 

I believe God sometimes uses

our furry friends in order to

teach us important life lessons.

 

Witness this account of “Ugly,”

a stray no one wanted:

 

http://www.littlechurchmouse.com/nobody-even-go-close-one-guy-came-along-changed-everything/

 

 

http://diply.com/videosworthsharing/ugly-the-cat-love-judge-appearance/156199

 

 

I haven’t been able to get this story

out of my mind.

 

If those links don’t work,

here’s the synopsis on Ugly,

the resident tom cat at

an apartment complex:

 

“Every time someone saw Ugly

there was the same reaction.

‘That's one UGLY cat!’

All the children were warned not to touch him,

the adults threw rocks at him,

hosed him down, squirted him

when he tried to come in their homes,

or shut his paws in the door

when he would not leave.

 

“Ugly always had the same reaction.

If you turned the hose on him,

he would stand there,

getting soaked until you gave up and quit.

If you threw things at him,

he would curl his lanky body

around your feet in forgiveness.

 

“Whenever he spied children,

he would come running,

meowing frantically and bump his head

against their hands, begging for their love.

If you picked him up, he would immediately

begin suckling on your shirt,

earrings, whatever he could find.

 

“One day Ugly shared his love

with the neighbor's huskies.

They did not respond kindly,

and Ugly was badly mauled.

From my apartment I could hear his screams,

and I tried to rush to his aid.

By the time I got to where he was laying,

it was apparent Ugly's sad life

was almost at an end.

 

“Ugly lay in a wet circle,

his back legs and lower back

twisted grossly out of shape,

a gaping tear in the white strip of fur

that ran down his front.

As I picked him up and tried to carry him home,

I could hear him wheezing and gasping,

and could feel him struggling.

I must be hurting him terribly, I thought.

 

“Then I felt a familiar tugging,

sucking sensation on my ear –

Ugly, in so much pain, suffering

and obviously dying,

was trying to suckle my ear.

 

“I pulled him closer to me,

and he bumped the palm of my hand

with his head,

then he turned one golden eye towards me,

and I could hear the distinct sound of purring.

 

“Even in the greatest pain,

that ugly battled scarred cat

was asking only for a little affection,

perhaps some compassion.

 

“At that moment I thought Ugly was

the most beautiful, loving creature

I had ever seen.

Never once did he try to bite or scratch me,

try to get away from me,

or struggle in any way.
Ugly just looked up at me
completely trusting in me to relieve his pain.

 

“Ugly died in my arms

before I could get inside,

but I sat and held him

for a long time afterwards,

thinking about how one scarred,

deformed little stray

could so alter my opinion about what it means

to have true pureness of spirit,

to love so totally and truly.

 

“Ugly taught me more about giving and compassion
than a thousand books, lectures, or talk show

specials ever could,

and for that I will always be thankful.

 

“He had been scarred on the outside,

but I was scarred on the inside,

and it was time for me to move on

and learn to love truly and deeply.

To give my total to those I cared for.

Many people want to be richer,

more successful, well liked, beautiful,

but for me,

I will always try to be Ugly."

 

That story made me cry;

one of God’s simple creatures,

Ugly lived out his life

as a lesson to people, since

that little spud did a better job

of showing unconditional love

than many humans ever will.

 

The good thing is,

if you’re reading this,

his life wasn’t lived in vain.

Ugly,

I pray for a place in Deep Heaven for you;

I’ll be honored to meet you, little fuzz.

 

 

 

have a great week! =)

 

 

 

grace, peace, and love to you,

dave