April of 2020 was not the best of times for us in the Hoskins household. In March, I was laid off from the job where I had served for 16 years. My wife, Cheryl, was soon let go from her job. Our kids were suddenly transitioned into online school. I was not ready to embrace anything else new.
But God sometimes sends us unexpected blessings that we did not ask for. Our friends down the street had found a scrawny little gray cat wandering the street. Their daughter took it in and cared for it, but they were not in a place to add a little kitten to their home. So, they contacted us. I was resistant to the idea. “We can go see the kitten, but don’t get any ideas” was my line. My parents were in town that weekend–that was going to be a big help for the little kitty. Dad is a retired professor of veterinary medicine. Cheryl said we should have Dad “check him out.” The little kitty with beautiful, blue eyes made his way in to get an exam from Dad.
Dad picked him up and turned him upside down and a few other peculiar-looking things, and pronounced, “He looks good.” I was convinced the kitty was not staying long, because Cheryl is allergic to cats. I was waiting for her eyes to swell up and for her to start scratching them…but it didn’t happen. Turns out this little kitty is enough Russian blue not to be a problem.
After Dad checked him out, somehow he stayed and got a name (Atticus) and became part of our home. I was dubious. What were we doing? Was this a good idea? The kitty and I looked at each other nervously for a bit, then something strange happened. By the end of the summer, Atticus had identified me as his buddy. Every time I left the house for an errand he wailed. When I started cooking dinner, he would jump up on a stool by my side and watch and play with potato peels that I pushed his way. He was my buddy, too.
Now, we are several years down the road. As I look back, I think about what I have learned from Atticus’s entry into our home and hearts. Maybe I should not be so quick to dismiss something new, something different, even something that I had vehemently rejected in the past. God sometimes wants to bring new things into our lives–and sometimes they are wonderful and cuddly.