Wordless Wednesday

Penny--Then & Now

I was looking through some of the first pictures I have of Penny-Cat, and decided I would share a quick before and after of her. She didn't turn out anything like we thought she would when we first took her in as a 'foster'--though the lady who asked us to foster her apparently really had no intentions of it being a foster, but more of a free kitten kind of thing. Ah, well, we love our Penny girl, so it all worked out okay.

Anyhow, here are her before and after shots. =)

This was taken within a couple days of our getting her. . .she was about 8 weeks old here.

This was taken back in February. See how much she's changed? Ha ha! Sadly, I don't have any recent full-body shots of her to show how dark and tabby-ish she is on her back and tail. . . .

By the way, apparently my previous post was my 100th post! Craziness!

Emotional Overload

You may not remember, but last year I asked my readers to be praying for a homeless man we were ministering to back in Hawaii. . . . Well, that man, Raymond, became a dear friend of ours and I have been trying to keep in touch with him since we left via snail mail and a care package filled with snacks, food for his beloved dog, Coby, and Raymond's favorite cookie: OREOS! =)

In the package I sent stationary, pens, and stamps so he would have a way to write us back and let us know how him and Coby were doing. So, imagine my absolute joy to find a letter from him waiting in my mailbox this past Friday! I couldn't wait to hear how he was doing, so I opened it and started reading it as we walked back up the driveway. . .A couple of pages into the letter I discovered the reason why Raymond had written that particular letter: Coby had been hit by a car, left for dead on the side of the road, and died in Raymond's arms shortly thereafter. My heart broke when I realized that Coby was gone and Raymond had lost his best friend. I started crying right there on the driveway. You have to realize that Coby was almost quite literally ALL that Raymond had--and now he is gone. Raymond and Coby were completely devoted to one another. . .you only had to take one look at Coby to know how much he adored Raymond and vice versa. It always made us feel better knowing that he had Coby, because we knew they had each other.

Raymond said he knew he needed to tell us what had happened. . .he knew how much we loved Coby right along with him. He blames himself for the circumstances surrounding Coby's death and is so incredibly heartbroken--and understandably so. Please pray for Raymond that he would feel God's peace and that he would indeed turn to God even more so in his grief than before. . . . My heart is broken for him knowing how much this loss has affected him--and knowing that his beloved Coby is gone.

Please pray for me as well. . .the grief of Coby's loss is like the cherry on top of a whole lot of family drama that has been causing quite a bit of stress for me. I've been so exhausted emotionally ever since I read the letter about Coby. . .along with other events from the past couple of days just piling up on top of everything else. Please pray that I would have wisdom and strength and that I would be able to show God's grace and love to Raymond and my family.

The last few days haven't all been negative though. . .on Friday evening I received a delivery of a beautiful bouquet of red roses and Calla Lillies from my wonderful hubby! Thank you Baby!! =) It was perfect timing--and a wonderful 'pick-me-up' in the aftermath of Raymond's letter.

Anyhow, all that to say: please remember Raymond in your prayers--he really needs them right now! Thanks everyone!