You’ll Never Walk Alone-An Inspiring Story of God’s Grace

Have you ever felt alone?  Loneliness is something we all experience from time to time during our life’s journey.  Where it stems from can vary- maybe you are becoming an empty nester for the first time, or moving away (new kid on the block syndrome) or have suffered the loss of a companion.  Maybe you have even been hurt or abandoned.  Maybe you long for good friends to share life with.  Whatever the circumstance, feeling lonely is a pretty common thing (I guess you could say we are not really alone, as others experience it too ;)).  
 
 

I have experienced that lonely feeling several times in the past year.  One such time that comes to mind is after my dog died in late July of 2012.  Actually the story of Kassie’s sudden death and then the miracle of births to follow was my very first blog post and part of the inspiration in starting this blog.  If you want to read the 2 part story to my first blog posts, click HERE.

 
 

If you are an animal lover, you will understand what a companion our pets can be.  People come and go, more often than not people are too busy to be there for us like a pet is.  Our pets are our 24/7 companions.  Kassie was always a comfort to have in the home.  She loved to be near her family.  She loved to lay in the kitchen and watch me cook.  She loved to sun bathe with me in the summer and eat popcicles (I always brought one out for her too and she would LICK hers and not chew it :)).  And she loved to take walks.  She especially loved to take walks with me in the snow!  It was kind of a tradition for her and I to go out (especially around the holidays) and trudge through the silent streets of our neighborhood together in that magical fluffy white stuff we both loved.

 
 

With Kassie I never had to walk alone.  I enjoyed having a walking companion- especially when it was dark out.  She made me feel safe and she also just made walks more fun with her enthusiasm (she was an Australian Shepherd).  After Kassie died, I wasn’t looking forward to starting the new routine of going it alone.  However, God in His grace (and with a sense of humor too) took care of that for me.  🙂

 
 

Just 2 months before Kassie passed, a cat colony had seemingly appeared out of nowhere in our neighborhood.  If you have been with me for awhile now, you are familiar with my cat stories (if not, just look up the cat colony tab on my site, or watch cat colony videos on my YouTube channel).  There were all of these homeless (mostly feral) cats running around (some were kittens).  While these cats were scared because they were not used to human contact, it became evident after awhile that some of them were lonely too.  They longed for companionship.  I feel that God knew exactly what he was doing when he allowed this endearing little colony of kitties in to my life.  He knows the future , and was preparing me for the loss of both my dog, and my favorite cat 2 months after that.  I didn’t know what was going to happen down the road, but He did-and He did not leave me all alone.

 

By the time Kassie had passed I had been working with the colony at least 2 months, and several of the cats had started to trust me and bond with me.  When Kassie was buried, guess who sat right by my side in the back yard as I mourned?  The colony cats.

 

As for those walks- I wasn’t alone there either.  In fact this is where the story gets funny :D.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but when I took off on my walk I was not alone after all.  It turns out I had a parade of kitties following me!  HA!  I found out when a neighbor lady started waving and called me over to chat.  When I stopped to chat she asked me if I often take my cats for walks.  I looked behind me, and there waiting patiently for me at the curb and in the street (we live on a dead end road so there isn’t much traffic), were 4 cats.  They didn’t trust the neighbor lady, so they kept their distance, but they were lying/sitting behind me like a loyal dog would.  I smiled and told the lady they weren’t my cats, really.  They were part of this feral colony.  I must have chatted with the lady for 20 min. and those cats stayed there until I walked across the street to my own yard (in which they followed me home).  

 

 
That was the start of me, an apparent pied piper of sorts, and a little parade (or entourage if you will) of kitties that would follow (and STILL follow) me wherever I walk outside.  The only issue with that is that I get concerned for their safety, so I have to be careful where I walk.  I suppose they would follow me anywhere!  At one time (when the colony was larger last Spring/Summer) I would have as many as 8-9 cats walking with me (usually single file behind me!).  Since then about 4 have been adopted and 2 left one day and never came back.  The number has been reduced to 3 now.  In any case, I have these devoted little friends that accompany me now on not just walks, but outdoor meals, book readings, campfires, etc.

 

Here he is napping with his female friend (she is fixed).
 
“When you walk through a storm keep your chin up high, and don’t be afraid of the dark.  At the end of the storm is a golden sky, and the sweet silver sound of a lark.                           Walk on through the wind, Walk on through the rain , Tho’ your dreams be tossed & blown.  Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart and you’ll never walk alone.                                     You’ll never walk alone.”

(those are the lyrics to the song You’ll Never Walk Alone)

 

If you care to see a 19 sec. video clip that someone caught of the cats walking with me, click HERE or watch below for the YouTube video.  There were only 4 following me this day and they weren’t single file, but at least you will get an idea 🙂  The cats walking with me here are Tangerine (who is now an adopted indoor cat), Apollo, Pumpkin, and Chance.  You can hear the nature sounds of birds and crickets in the video too.

 


 

You are never really alone my friends.  Stay inspired~Rebekah

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8 Responses to You’ll Never Walk Alone-An Inspiring Story of God’s Grace

  1. kendra says:

    Love this post, and that song. 🙂
    On the farm we would have cats all over the place. After being kicked and stepped on and tripped over, they all learned to walk behind us. It was always pretty funny to see some-one walking and right behind them would be several kitties. 🙂
    I’m sure your neighbor was amused!

    • Rebekah (We Live Inspired) says:

      Thank you 🙂 Isn’t it funny though? It’s cool that you got to experience that too on the farm. I think she was amused this Winter when they followed me in the snow and sat on the front steps with me in the cold too. 😉 It is pretty unusual to see cats playing in snow I suspect.

  2. Esther says:

    ah! That is so adorable!
    I never knew Cats have it in them to be loyal like dogs, no offence but I really never knew! 🙂
    That is so sweet 🙂
    God created animals/pets for this very reason, for us to care for and for us to find joy in caring for them 🙂

    xoxo

    • Rebekah (We Live Inspired) says:

      :D. That is part of why I blog about these cats. Some people dislike cats -in fact with the neighborhood colony here, most people don’t care about them and don’t want them to come near. Some people would prefer them to be taken away and euthanized to “fix” the problem and so their lives can be in danger. It’s pretty common for people to not get that a cat can be loyal too. It’s true that some cats can be aloof and they all have a different personality (some being more friendly than others). I think a lot of it has to do with how they are treated also. I always treat them with importance and they get lots of gentle love and affection. I think they are glad for the help , and so that is part of why some have become so loyal. My cat Tasha that passed away, also acted like a dog though as far as never leaving my side. I have lots more cat stories to come that may surprise you! These little ones that I care for do the cutest things! They were just enjoying the Spring weather with me in the lounge chair today as a matter of fact. 🙂 I so agree on that last part you said.

  3. Paula says:

    O’ my goodness, Rebekah, love this story & the video, too! How inspiring; how appropriate! Love the life you & your kitties live!!!

    • Rebekah (We Live Inspired) says:

      Thanks Paula! I love it too. It’s so nice to have little companions garden along with you, walk with you, bask in the sun, nap, etc. etc. Anything I do outside. I just love animals.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Thank you. Feeling alone at the moment. Your article inspire me to feel better. God is with us.

    Han.

    • Rebekah (We Live Inspired) says:

      I am sorry you are having a bout of loneliness. We all get those at one time or another. Take heart and know you are not really alone. I am glad this article could help! Keep seeking out life’s little miracles and reach out to others out (and God too) when life gets you down. You are so right. God IS with us. Even in those lonely moments.