the day after halloween is not merely the day to wish you hadn’t eaten all that candy last night.  it’s also all saint’s day.  this makes sense if you consider that halloween comes from the words “all hallow’s eve” which means the day before the day that the saints are remembered.  but who or what is a saint?  is it one who has died and attained a shiny crown in heaven?  or is it a living being who believes in the practice of kindness?

my mother birthed the litter of which i was part in a leafy nest in an urban wood.  she did without food so she could curl around us in our first days.  when she needed to hunt, she left us woozy on milk and covered in leaves to keep us quiet and hidden.  she taught us the importance of touch and play and sitting still in the sun.  she taught us that when we relieved ourselves, we should do so outside the nest and away from our food.  she taught respect for life–our own and other’s–and through her love, she taught me to live well and always, ALWAYS, find the lap that most needs catting.

today is for the saints; cats, dogs, birds, humans, who give their hearts and teach us love. purr, y’all.