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Our daughter, "Megan" just accepted a position as the federal grant administrator for a large mental health clinic in Massachusetts. As a result, she put her home up for sale in Florida, and she and my wife transported many of her possessions via SUV, and U-Haul trailer to her rental house there.
My wife and I have been getting her Florida home ready for interested parties whom the realtor will be providing a guided tour in the next several weeks; 'til it is sold.
We contracted with a local moving company to move a few items to our place, and this week they brought Megan's cinema style sofas over. And given we only have so much space in our living room, we decided to donate my late mother's sofa to my wife's sister.
And as the movers walked the sofa through the garage, and across our driveway towards their truck, they set it down, and the younger fella asked, "Do you have a cat?"
And that's when I noticed a couple of orange "Maine Coon" style paws sticking through the thin fabric liner beneath the couch. And no sooner had I seen Milo's paws than he broke through the cloth liner, and ran under our Nissan Altima.
With this, I hurried over to the car, did a forward arm thrust onto the concrete, and completed the exercise with an extension of my legs behind me. (And not to brag, but I consider this quite an achievement for a guy who turns 75 in a few months. In retrospect, I like to think the two young men were duly impressed).
I could see Milo next to one of the vehicle's back tires. However, by this time, I have learned not to attempt to pick him up. For you see, he has left bloody claw tracks on my arms several times the past year. Did I mention we also inherited him from our daughter? (Well, we did).
After calling the large cat by name, I sprang back up to my feet to the applause of the moving men, (well, not really), and as "Mrs. Fairfax" in the novel, "Jane Eyre" was prone to say, I thought, "What to do? What to do?"
Well, about this time my wife needed to jump in the car, and lead the movers to her sister's house; just two minutes away. And as you might conclude, I was a bit concerned since we had last seen Milo in the vicinity of our automobile.
Delaying Jean slightly, I attempted to open the hood; to no avail. (I admit it, I'm not the sharpest tack in the box when it comes to simple mechanics). Now, my wife attempted to blow the horn. Not a sound emitted from the vehicle. Frustrated, and needing to leave, Jean touched the ignition switch...
and was greeted by a quadruple "clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk" in quick succession.
I could "just see" bloody pieces of our poor Milo falling in small bits onto our concrete driveway. A sob involuntarily rose in Jean's throat; just knowing he was a "goner." However, now we witnessed the large orange cat spring from beneath the car, and run towards our neighbor's front yard.
And while my wife backed out of the driveway, I hurriedly chased Milo to the place I presumed he had gone; our neighbor's garage. Peering into the open garage, I saw nothing more than his vehicle, and some garden tools.
Now, I saw Milo disappear into the shrubbery of the home next to Brian's house. And as I made my way through the foliage, I saw absolutely nothing.
When I reached my garage, I jumped on my bicycle, and pedaled up to the busy street towards which Milo had run. And as I made my way along the sidewalk, I looked left, right and forward.
Failing to see Milo, I returned home.
A half hour later, Jean pulled into the driveway. Greeting her, I made her aware that Milo was still "on the lamb." And as is our custom in dire circumstances, we prayed together.
"Father God, we have no idea where our Milo is. Would you please guide him back to our home? Amen and Amen."
No sooner had I said, "Amen," we heard a "Meow."
Standing at our back screen door we saw our precious Milo. He had made his way home, and had, apparently, climbed over our wooden fence to get here.
And I immediately thought of the verse,
“It shall come to pass That before they pray, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear." (Isaiah 65:24)
The speediest answer to prayer in my entire life. God had begun to answer that prayer before I ever uttered the words.
By Bill McDonald, PhD
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