One day when Trevor went to the Pet Food Store, he wound up coming home with more than he had expected - a black and white tuxedo kitten! It had been discarded near the store, unwanted, unloved & starving. The owners brought it in; hoping a customer would adopt this poor stray.

When Trevor carried Samwise (as in Lord of the Rings) into our home, something inside of me went "Click", and we had our new baby! Our Sammy helps us battle all the demons and "orcs" that come our way and also performs acrobatics that put the flying Wallendas to shame! He slept that first week cuddled underneath my chin and shoulder, his untamed fur catching every tear I shed over the death of our older cat. As he purred like a tiny lion, he also absorbed my sadness. And so God came to me in my grief and bitterness, in the form of a diminutive black and white kitten, who taught me that His love is so great that it can be found anywhere at anytime and in anything. To look into the unconditionally loving eyes of a kitten is to see the face of God.

Sammy has also taught us, once again, that it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Looking into his bright, golden eyes which are always filled with such unconditional love (and mischief, to be honest!), we are reminded, if we ever forgot, that God's love conquers all: death, grief, separation. And even though we may not understand His ways and means right now, someday we will: just as someday we will be reunited with all the pets we have loved unconditionally and who have loved us back.