The Day Her Kitty Died

This morning as I herded children out the door for church I decided to take a few minutes to tidy the house. As I threw dishes in the sink my oldest daughter runs in the house crying and screaming. Her teenage brother ran over Addie’s kitty.

I feared the worst. I ran to help the kitty but it was the worst. Actually it was horrible. Daddy was out-of-town. In that split second I was in charge and I had to make some decisions. I threw my jacket over the writhing kitty. I ran to my daughter who was being held by her big sister. The weeping had already begun.

You see there was no greater girl made for a kitten. This kitty was played with, snuggled, cuddled and completely spoiled. My girl loved this kitty with all her heart. My heart was broken for her.

Now there was also a dead kitty in our drive way that needed dealt with. This typical Daddy job was all me today.  I wrapped Stormie in my jacket. Big brother got a shovel. Addie chose a spot and her brother started digging.

The sisters got some markers and the headstone was selected. We cried. We prayed. I preached Jesus.

When it was over we all knelt on the ground and patted handfuls of dirt around Stormie as we laid her to rest.

Now I had to deal with the blood on our concrete driveway. I asked the girls to sit on the patio. I didn’t want them to see that mess. I grabbed a jug of bleach, the hose and a broom.

That’s when it hit me. I started weeping.

“I don’t want to do this!”

I said it out loud. I cried. I scrubbed. I cried. I scrubbed. I didn’t want to do it at all. I didn’t want Stormie to die. I didn’t want to pick her up. I didn’t want to bury her. I didn’t want to scrub blood off my drive-way. I didn’t want to but there was no other thing I could do. My girl needed me to wash this mess clean.

At first the water ran red as I scrubbed. Eventually it was gone.

And then I realized a much bigger truth. This is what Jesus does for me every day.

Rest in peace Stormie. You taught me a big lesson today on just how much my Savior loves and how much he does, not because he wants to, but because there is no other thing in the world he would do for his girl.