The Extraordinary Cats of Riverstone: Chapter Four

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” ~Albert Einstein

It was a magnificent night. The stars were shining ever so bright. I could see the Big Dipper and a couple of planets. The moon was just a sliver in the night sky. The Professor said there would be a new moon in a few days. I have heard that this is a great time to begin projects. This was wonderful news, because we were planning our grand adventure on Saturday morning. This was only three days away! The Professor wanted to make sure his navigational device was up and running before departure. I poured some of the Professor's hot fruit cider into a mug and made my way to the couch to join my friends. They were engaged in a conversation about today’s crazy episode at the Town Hall.

“Professor, you were willing to quit your teaching job for me?” asked Munchkin.

The Professor put his paw on Munchkin’s shoulder and looked into his golden eyes. “My boy, I fully support you on your journey. I fully support all of you.” The Professor made a sweeping gesture at all of us. “You are my friends.” We all smiled. Chai blushed.

“I greatly appreciate that Professor,” said Munchkin. “We fully support what you do, Professor. What you are doing at the University is incredible. The students that attend your classes are truly grateful. They say that you open their eyes to new ways of seeing the world. Even though you are a scientist, you don’t see the world in a mechanistic manner. You see the world through spiritual eyes.”

The Professor smiled. “I have you all to thank for that. I used to be that mechanistic scientist, but you all have showed me a new way of seeing things. Chai, your sensitivity and caring heart has taught me to honor this within myself. Sedonia, your kindness and love for nature has taught me how kindness can turn a life around and that nature has a lot to share with us if we will only listen to her. I enjoy connecting with nature. I feel connected to everything. Munchkin, your curiosity and passion for life is inspirational and uplifting. I have never felt so alive. I have to admit that I’m afraid of water, but my curiosity is much stronger than my fear. I am truly looking forward to our adventure. There is much to see and experience.”

“Professor, that was beautiful,” I replied.

Muchkin and Chai nodded their heads.

“I speak the truth,” the Professor added. “Our thoughts, emotions, and actions affect the lives of others. That is why it is important to be positive. If we are being negative, we are sending out this energy to others.”

Chai took a sip of her cider and added, “Professor, is that why you are always cheerful?”

“You know, my dear. I haven’t always been positive. When I was younger and engaged mainly in the sciences, I was more pessimistic. I tended to see the glass as being half empty. However, this changed when I realized that all of life is interconnected. That beautiful flower that is very pleasing to the eye is a reflection of the beauty within you. That magical sunrise that fills the sky with the sun’s radiance is a reflection of the radiance within you. My thankfulness and appreciation for life is what makes me see the world through positive eyes. I see God’s love in all things.”

“We are all actors in this great big cosmic play,” said Chai. “We each have a specific part to play.”

I smiled. I love this girl. As you already know, Chai is crazy about the theater. When she was a small kitten, she would jump on the kitchen table and recite Shakespeare’s plays to her parents. They would each smile at each other. They thought it was cute. It wasn’t until Chai was a teenager that they knew that she wanted to do this for the rest of her life. In college she took every theater class imagined. She would even write to her college professors and ask them if they were going to teach other types of theater classes. This would often take them by surprise. No student has ever asked for this request before.

“That is a beautiful metaphor, my dear. It is true that we have come here with a specific mission. Think about this for a second. We are each different and unique. No two one of us are the same. Many cats know that we are different and unique, yet we try to mold them to be the same. Take for instance Munchkin.” Munchkin smiled, pointing at himself. I winked at Chai. She smiled. “He loves swimming in the Emerald River. How many cats do you see doing that?” We all shook our heads, except Munchkin, he was again pointing at himself. “That’s my point, but society says that cats should not do that, due to the fact that they are afraid of water.”

“And Chai’s love for the theater,” I added.

“Excellent point! Her love and passion for the theater is her gift to the world. You remember how excited we were when watching Chai perform in the play?” Munchkin and I nodded our heads. Chai blushed and turned her head away. "I not only see her acting in plays, but I also see her writing and teaching classes as well. When you have such a strong passion for something, it will often spill into other areas. Let me share an example with you. My passion for science eventually led to a passion for philosophy, and this in turn, led to a passion for spirituality; and you see, this has branched out to other small areas, such as teaching yoga and meditation.”

I was blown away by what the professor had said. We often don’t witness how things influence other things. We normally just go about our business not really paying attention to the deeper meaning. However, when someone points it out, that is when the light bulb turns on and we make the connection.

“Professor, how about Sedonia?” asked Munchkin. I lightly punched him on the arm. Munchkin smiled.

“You two are something. Sedonia, is an Earth Angel. She connects people to nature. She fully understands the language of nature. This is apparent in her writings. You can also see this love for nature in her eyes.” I blushed. The professor placed his paw on my shoulder. “My dear, you have taught me that God is everywhere.” The professor then touched his heart with his paw. “You have also taught me that God is in here as well.” I cried when the professor said this. The professor then looked at each of one us and said, “You are each a Beautiful Being of Love.” After this was said, each one of us, including the Professor had tears in their eyes. I want to make it clear that these were not tears of sadness. These were tears of love. Each one of us learned tonight that we are all connected by love. That is what God is. It must have been Munchkin’s turn, because he smiled and pointed at himself.

“Alright, my boy. You are life. Life is meant to be explored and experienced. You are not satisfied by just reading books. You want to experience what you have read. You want to know what’s on the other side of the rainbow. You want to sail to uncharted lands. You want to experience new things. Hearing a foreign accent fascinates you. Where are they from? What kinds of foods do they eat? But what I really like about you, Munchkin, is the fact that you are not afraid to follow your heart, even if others do not agree with you. You are true to yourself. You don’t follow the crowd. Your heart is your true compass.” Munchkin smiled.

“Thank you Professor,” stated Munchkin.

Each one of us thanked the Professor for his incredible words. It was very refreshing to hear the Professor speak about all of our special gifts that we each have. We each have a calling. I have always been drawn to nature. I could spend an entire day walking through her beauty and not tire. I thought about my favorite oak tree and the beautiful acorn that fell from her branches this afternoon. Each one of us may feel small and insignificant, but just like that mighty oak tree, we are powerful Beings of Love. We touch the world with our unique gifts.

Knowing that the Professor had to teach a class tomorrow, we decided to say our goodbyes and head home. We also planned to meet the professor at his house at sunrise on Saturday and have breakfast before we began our river adventure. Yeah!!!

Thank you, God, for bringing these wonderful friends into my life. I love you. I’m looking forward to our great adventure.