It was HOT. 102 degrees. In June. In Minnesota! What kind of madness was mother nature experiencing? I was doing my best to keep myself cool, feeding in the barn early in the morning, turning on the fans in the barn to keep the animals feeling the movement of air. I had just come into the air conditioned house for a long cool drink of ice water when I saw her.
She was in our mudroom. It is a not insinuated 3 season porch where many of our farm animals start their lives. Chicks are brooded here, ducks grow big enough to go to the barn here, and as in this case, kittens are born here. Mui Mui, as we affectionately call her is one of our female barn cats. I saw her, lying on the floor of the mudroom, stretched out as far as she possibly could, panting away as her lungs pumped and her all black coat rose and fell with each breath. She was over heated. Around her lay the bodies of 8 kittens, in similar stance. Four of these little creatures were her offspring and 4 were from our not so nice “mama kitty” in the barn. Mui Mui was kind enough to play the part of wet nurse for all 8 of the kittens.
The sliding glass door was open to the outside and I had the ceiling fan on in the room, but at this temperature, it did little but moves hot air around. She was panting so heavily that her mouth never closed. I went into the freezer and got some ice for her water. If you have ever heard the old saying, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can not make it drink”, than it will be helpful to know that it is possible to take out horse and insert mother cat on a hot day.
My dilemma was that I really could not take her out of the mudroom. We have other cats in the house that would not appreciate mama and her upstarts in their space. As well as my husband who has long ago lost his sense of humor about newborn kittens. Letting her go out to the cooler place of the barn would mean risking losing babies in the hay loft. No, she had to stay where she was.
Given that the place couldn’t change, I resumed looking for any alternative to cool her down. I brought out ice packs from the freezer, but had no luck convincing her or the babies that they should cuddle up to these wet blocks of ice. Then with some help from my husband the solution appeared! If I took our old oversized cookie sheet and laid the ice under it, the aluminum would disperse the cold and the cats could lay on it to cool down. Brilliant! The bunnies in the barn used the same concept by moving their bedding away to reveal the cool cement floor underneath.
Mui Mui and the babies did not need much in the way of convincing to think that this platter of coolness was the cats meow. Mama laid down without a moment of hesitation and the babies followed. Soon all were breathing slower and the babies even nursed on the cookie sheet. I spent the rest of the day reviving the ice packs and keeping everyone happy.
Later that evening as I watched Mui Mui give the babies their baths, I had an epiphany.
How many times in my life had I been so very uncomfortable in my circumstances? How often had I found myself facing situations that were not going to change quickly or easily? Or worse of all, unpleasant situations where I had little or no control? What were the moments in my life where I was panting for breath and wondering when the discomfort would end? What had happened during those times? How had I managed through them?
I realized that while my situations don’t always radically change, that somehow, I can bear them long enough for resolution. I think that is God’s intervention in my life. Not that the situations change without pain, but that he helps us to bear the pain. The bible clearly states that tough time happen, to everyone. But God’s word is quick to remind us that we walk these paths with him, not alone.
Mui Mui was not alone that terribly hot day. Please do not misunderstand what I am about to say, I am comparing myself to God directly, but if he is the ultimate father in our lives, then for Mui Mui, I am mom. A good parent realizes that the situations their children find themselves in are not always going to be pleasant, but as a parent, when tough times abound, we try to cloak them in peace and ultimately we show them love.
