cat – Grits with Grace

Family, friends, gratitude, life, loving others, Scripture, thankful

Coach

Posted on September 4, 2024August 28, 2024 by Dewayne Taylor

A man who has friends must himself be friendly.” Proverbs 18:24

We had a new staff member at 217. If you are a regular reader of “Grits” you know a lot about the Taylor tribe. Included in that information is the fact that my wife, Judy, and I have an Airbnb over our garage. It is a classy two-bedroom apartment that we rent out as a short-term vacation rental. We have lots of people staying and well, it is quite fun. Our staff is small at 217. There is Judy who manages everything and trust me that is a big job. She also helps with the cleaning when needed. We have a friend who does the bulk of our cleaning, and she is awesome! She is always willing to go the extra mile and when Judy and I need to be gone she makes sure the water fountains stay running and flowers keep blooming. My job is to serve as the occasional handy man and the guy who mows and trims the grass. It is not the most important job but trust me in grass growing season I am definitely the man.

So that is the staff at 217…or at least it was…for a while. A couple of years ago a new and unexpected member was added to the team. His name was Coach. Here’s the deal. One day our neighbors, who are also awesome, decided to get a cat to make sure no unwanted rodents took up residence in their garage. So, they got a cat and named him Coach. Now to be honest I am not a big fan of cats. Most of them are a little bossy and arrogant so at first, I was pretty cool on the idea of a new feline friend. And then it happened.

As it turns out, Coach had more personality than most people I know. He was cool and calm and way friendly. You know how some cats think they own the place? Well, Coach was satisfied with just working the crowd. If Judy and I were out on the patio, he would sway his way over and just make his presence known in a gentle way. It seemed he was saying, “Hey, my name is Coach, and I just wanted to say hi.” Now really, this cat had it down. You couldn’t help but like him. Now if I am cool on cats, Judy is cold but not this one. While she wouldn’t want one of her own, she sure was glad when Coach came to the neighborhood.

Now this is the 217 part. When a guest would pull up at 217 and park, it was not unusual for Coach to come over and say hi. It almost seemed that he was just waiting for them to arrive. You would think that he had peeked at Judy’s reservation book to see when guests were coming. At first, we were a little concerned that the guests might see him as a bother but not to worry. He was a hit almost every time.

One day, I came home from work and there was our guest bending down to pet Coach. At first, I always explained that he wasn’t our cat but belonged to the neighbors. But when he became a social rock star, I let that go. I mean if the guests wanted to think that Mr. Cool belonged to me who am I to correct them? Way to go Coach. Way to go.

Do you know what? If I were a cat, I would want to be like Coach. But wait…why can’t I, why can’t we be like Coach now? Why can’t we make a conscious decision to be kind? Friendly? Loving? Hmmm…the truth is we can. Every day we bump into people, dozens of them, and have the opportunity to make them feel special. Every day we bump into people and have the opportunity to be a friend, to offer a smile, to make their day a little better. Every day we have the choice. I like that. I want that.

Well, Coach is no longer with us. One day he tried to cross the road and didn’t make it. We all grieved for him…we even had a short service for him. I know that all cats are not like Coach, and I certainly know that not all people are like Coach, but I also know we all can be. Tucked away in the Christian Bible is a book called Proverbs. In that book is this, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly.” In other words, if we want friends, we need to be one. If we want others to like us…we need to be likable. I saw a quote that said, “Our vibes draw our tribes.” That is so true. Let’s take a lesson from Coach and be the kind of person who makes someone’s day. Need a little help? Well, the “Head Coach” is just waiting to lend a hand. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, friends, gratitude, life, loving others, Scripture, thankful

Coach

Posted on August 24, 2022August 23, 2022 by Dewayne Taylor

A man who has friends must himself be friendly.” Proverbs 18:24

We have a new staff member at 217. If you are a regular reader of “Grits” you know a lot about the Taylor tribe. Included in that information is the fact that my wife, Judy, and I have an Airbnb on top of our garage. It is a classy two-bedroom apartment that we rent out as a short-term vacation rental. We have lots of people stay and well, it is quite fun. Our staff is small at 217. There is Judy who manages everything and trust me that is a big job. She also helps with the cleaning when needed. We have a great lady who does the bulk of our cleaning, and she is awesome! She is always willing to go the extra mile and when Judy and I need to be gone she makes sure the water fountains stay running and flowers keep blooming. My job is to serve as the occasional handy man and the guy who mows and trims the grass. It is not the most important job but trust me in grass growing season I am definitely the man.

So that is the staff at 217…or at least it was. About a year ago a new and unexpected member was added to the team. His name is Coach. So, here’s the deal. Last year our neighbors, who are also awesome, decided to get a cat to make sure no unwanted rodents took up residence in their garage. So, they got a cat and named him Coach. Now to be honest I am not a big fan of cats. Most of them are a little bossy and arrogant so at first, I was pretty cool to the idea of a new feline friend. And then it happened.

As it turns out, Coach has more personality than most people I know. He is cool and calm and way friendly. You know how some cats think they own the place? Well, Coach is satisfied with just working the crowd. If Judy and I are out on the patio, he will sway his way over and just make his presence known in a gentle way. It seems he is saying, “Hey, my name is Coach and I just wanted to say hi.” Now really, this cat has it down. You can’t help but like him. Now if I am cool on cats, Judy is cold on cats, but not this one. While she wouldn’t want one of her own, she sure doesn’t mind that he came to the neighborhood.

Now this is the 217 part. When a guest pulls up at 217 and parks, it is not unusual for Coach to come on over and say hi. It almost seems that he is just watching and waiting for them to come. You would think he had peeked at Judy’s reservation book to see when guests were coming. At first, we were a little concerned that the guests might see him as a bother but not to worry. He is a hit almost every time.

Earlier this week, I came home from work and there was our guest bending down to pet Coach. At first, I always explained that he wasn’t our cat but belonged to the neighbors. But now that he is a social rock star, I let that go. I mean if the guests want to think that Mr. Cool belongs to me who am I to correct them? Way to go coach. Way to go.

Do you know what? If I were a cat, I would want to be like Coach. But wait…why can’t I, why can’t we, be like Coach now? Why can’t we make a conscious decision to be kind? Friendly? Loving? Hmmm…the truth is, we can. Every day we bump into people, dozens of them, and have the opportunity to make them feel special. Every day we bump into people and have the opportunity to be a friend, to offer a smile, to make their day a little better. Every day we have the choice. I like that. I want that.

I know that all cats are not like Coach, and I certainly know that not all people are like Coach, but I also know we all can be. Tucked away in the Christian Bible is a book called Proverbs. In that book is this, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly.” In other words, if we want friends, we need to be one. If we want others to like us…we need to be likable. I saw a quote today that said, “Our vibes draw our tribes.” That is so true. So, let’s take a lesson from Coach and be the kind of person who makes someone’s day. Need a little help? Well, the “Head Coach” is just waiting to lend a hand. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, gratitude, Integrity, life, Southern born, thankful, wisdom

Ricky…and I Don’t Mean Ricardo

Posted on January 10, 2022January 9, 2022 by Dewayne Taylor

I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Me will live, even after dying.” John 11:25

His name was Ricky. We lived on the fringes of a large city but were more country than city. For a young boy finding his way it was the perfect place to grow up. Snyder’s Grocery was about a half mile from our house and Owen’s Lawnmower Shop, who had the best penny candy around, was through the woods a ways. The big day was when they opened “Jackson’s Minute Mart” just down the road from our house. We were now in the big times.

Since we were in the country it was only logical that there were always a few pets around. We had several dogs, all but one were mixed breeds. The one was a beautiful red Irish Setter we named, “Satan.” Go figure. I’m pretty sure we were the only family around that had a dog with that name and the funny part is he was very gentle. We also had a cat, and his name was Ricky. I’m not sure if we ever had more than one cat but maybe that was because one was enough. Ricky was a tom cat, a tabby cat, and let’s just say, all cat.

He was kinda legendary around the home place. I remember that he wasn’t a “sit in your lap” cat but rather one that preferred to have the run of the place. He, Satan, and the rest of the dogs seemed to get along just fine. Since he was a real cat, we didn’t buy cat food for him…he simply ate what he could catch and what the dogs ate which were scraps from the table. Yup, Ricky was a “John Wayne” cat if there ever was one. And then…it happened.

One day, Ricky died. Now my brothers and sisters might remember more details, but I don’t. I don’t know if he was sick or tried to chase the chicken across the proverbial road, but he was dead. For some reason I can remember us burying him out back. We had a backyard and at the back of the backyard we had this big row of bamboo bushes and beyond that was the wilderness…or at least it seemed that way. It was often grown up with weeds and it seemed like a good place to bury Ricky. So, we did.

Well, and you are not going to believe this, but something happened that seems almost impossible. The day after we buried Ricky, sometime during the day, we found him sitting in the backyard, a little dirty but other than that none the worse for the wear. As I remember it, we went out back to the wilderness and found his grave open. Apparently, he had dug his way out. Now none of us were veterinarians and we didn’t do an autopsy, but I am pretty sure I can vouch for the fact that he was dead. So, I guess I am telling you that Ricky the cat came back to life. And it seems to me, though I can’t verify it, that it happened another time…or two. It seemed that Ricky did indeed have nine lives.

I know you are thinking, you must be thinking, that this just can’t be true, but I promise you it is. Ricky was one unusual cat…very unusual and the story is still circulating around the family today. It was legend, it was myth, it was truth. And that dear friend is true about someone else…and He wasn’t a cat. A couple of thousand years ago they nailed a man named Jesus to a Roman cross and He died—not accidentally but with a purpose—to pay the price for the sins of the whole world. After the bad guys made sure He was good and dead, His friends buried Him and guess what? Three days later He came back to life. You might doubt Ricky’s story, but you can’t doubt this one. He was dead and then He was alive. Amazing.

I know there are a lot of skeptics about God today and too many have decided He just can’t be real. Let me challenge you to get a copy of His story, the Bible, and check it out for yourself and then decide. It is worth reading and believing. Millions and millions of people have chosen to investigate…and then believe and them…it is a game changer. Ricky did eventually die and not come back but not Jesus. He’s alive today and forevermore. In fact, He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Me will live, even after dying.” Go ahead, check it out and you might discover what so many already have. It’s the real deal.

As I have journeyed, especially over these last couple of years, I have seen, and I have experienced many difficulties. We all have. And a whole lot of people have talked about discovering or rediscovering the reality of God. Maybe it is your turn to do so. One thing I know. No matter what, how big or how small, He has been a faithful friend. And no matter what, how big or how small, He always says, “I’ve got this.” And…He does. Bro. Dewayne

Family, forgiveness, Grace, life, Scripture, thankful, Trials, wisdom

Between a Rock & a Hard Place

Posted on July 15, 2021July 14, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.” James 1:5

Dewayne, we have a problem.” It was Judy got my attention as I was going out to the garage to get something. I think I know how it must have felt when the crew of Apollo 13 uttered those now famous words, “Houston…we have a problem.” I had started painting our upstairs bathroom. You need to know I am no Michelangelo, and this was not going to be a Mona Lisa. Into that melee came the news. “We” have a problem.

I quickly explained to Judy that I didn’t have time for a problem. My paint was drying and some of it was in the wrong place, like the floor. She told me there was a cat trapped in her car. Wait. What? Now the night before she had told me she saw a cat go in our garage and I should check before I closed it up for the night. About 9.30, I went out and did the “here, ktty, kitty” thing, shined my flashlight around in the corners and such. No cat. “Good.” I said. Or not.

Now it turns out our homeless friend didn’t move on—he moved in. The crazy part was that it took up residence in the engine compartment of her car. Silly cat. I was going to say, “Stupid cat” but I thought you might think me harsh. So anyway, I left the drying paint in the bathroom to attempt a rescue. It was about then that I discovered why it is so expensive to work on Volkswagen cars. You open the hood to only discover that every square inch is stuffed with something. And somewhere in all of that was the cat. Silly cat.

A friend was there with Judy and all three of us looked and prodded, we called and cooed and saw nothing, we just heard the occasional meow of the cat. Judy volunteered to look if I jacked up the car to see if we could see underneath. I did and she couldn’t. It was time to call in the calvary. I called my neighbor Jared, who manages a local tire place. Surely, he would have an idea. As we waited for him to arrive, we continued to prod and poke, coo and call. In my sweetest voice I kept saying, “Hey silly cat, come here silly cat.” I wanted to say stupid cat, but I was trying to be Christian about this whole deal.

Then it happened. The cat, who turned out to be the cutest kitten south of Chicago wiggled out of its tight spot and ran to the corner of the garage. We then moved from poking and prodding under the hood to poking and prodding in the corner filled with stuff we didn’t need. Cute or not this kitten was about to mash my button. Not to bore you with details but four grown adults spent the next ten minutes chasing this cute little silly cat from one corner of the garage to the other. From behind the washer and dryer to the corner of no return, we played hide and seek. Finally, the cute little kitten saw the light of day, ran through our friends hands and legs and out the door. Game. Set. Match.

The cute little silly kitten was on the run and that was all that mattered. Jared went back to work, the ladies went on with life, and I went upstairs to scape dried paint off the floor and I know I heard this kitten laughing from across the street. So, what is up with all this? Surely the kitten knew better. Surely, he or she knew the danger of living under the hood of a car- but probably not. To the cute little kitten, it was just a place to hide.

You see the kitten wasn’t silly, the kitten wasn’t stupid (well, not really stupid anyway). The kitten just lacked experience. It was naive. It hadn’t lived long enough to understand the dangers of garage living. And do you know what? That is true of a lot of us. Solomon, the wisest guy to ever live, wrote in Proverbs, “I saw among the inexperienced, I noticed among the youths, a young man lacking sense.” And the crazy part was that it had nothing to do with age. We have all made some crazy decisions at one time or another. Too often we just throw common sense to the wind and well, we end up with a train wreck.

The good news is that God is in the train wreck avoidance business. That’s what He led the half-brother of Jesus to write in James 1:5, “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.” If we would do that one simple thing, we could avoid a lot of painful situations. Just stop for a moment, ask God if this is the wise thing to do, and wait for an answer. By the way, silence might be an answer, so don’t miss it.

Well, I hope our cute little kitten found a new place to live and hopefully it wasn’t in someone’s engine compartment. And I hope we will learn to trust a wise, loving Father to give us the wisdom we need to live better lives with fewer regrets and better consequences. You know He loves you, don’t you? He wants you to come to Him and rest in the safety of His arms. He wants you to know He has this. And He does. Bro. Dewayne

Family, food, life, Scripture

Food Truck

Posted on June 23, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

“When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36

There’s a new food truck in town. For the past several years I have begun my day by walking for exercise. I take several different routes but one of my favorites is around the lake at the city park. It was there I met Bubba the goose (for past readers he said to tell you hi), saw the power of integration in the goose families (they are doing fine), saw a man waging a war with people I could not see, and saw the new food truck in town. Let me explain.

We walkers see two kinds of exercisers. Some people come and go and some are regular as clockwork, they show up to walk each day. Like Forest Gump they start running—or walking—and just don’t stop. These folks become unofficial friends. We may not know each other’s names, what we do for a living or where the other person lives but for those few minutes at the park our lives intersect. And then, there’s the “food truck.”

She loves dogs and really animals. She walks her dogs every day in the park…and there are several. But what is interesting is that for a long time there was a cat walking with her. I mean a lot of people walk dogs, but a cat? The feline wasn’t on a leash but would just quietly walk behind her and the dogs. Talk about intriguing. So after a while I just had to talk with her. It turns out it wasn’t her cat at all. She met the cat one day while walking and it looked a little thin so she started dropping some dry cat food on the sidewalk and …well the cat had breakfast and hung around for dessert. There was a new “food truck” in town.

Sadly, one day our feline friend wasn’t there and I learned that he was hit by a car and didn’t survive. We mourned together…a lady I didn’t know losing a cat she didn’t own but we paused and grieved. But before long, there was another cat. I first saw him on the sidewalk about a block from the park and he was having breakfast on the sidewalk and I knew the “food truck” had been by. The relationship wasn’t as tight or as long but she had made a new friend by meeting a need.

Well, one day I was again walking in the park and ahead I saw several squirrels having breakfast. Yup, the “food truck” fed squirrels too. And then a few days later I saw several ducks gathered on the walking trail. Turns out ducks like cat food and they too were having breakfast. The “food truck” was a hit in the park and everyone was invited. But the funniest part was yet to happen.

So I am walking, and across the narrow lake I can see her walking her dog. Behind her is a group of ducks having breakfast. Then on my side of the lake there are three ducks and they are on the move. They are waddling as fast as their little legs would take them and they are quacking up a storm. Again, my duck is a little rusty but I believe they were saying, “Hey wait for us.” So huffing and puffing they waddle down a small peninsula and jump in. Paddling furiously they headed straight across the lake. Like kids chasing the ice cream truck they swam on. It was my last lap for the day but the last time I saw them they were on shore and hollering, “Wait, we’re coming.”

I don’t know my friend’s name but I do know her impact. Her acts of kindness to animals makes her a hit with them and with me. She just seems to care and really, besides this strange sort of fan club, gets no other reward. She just does what she thinks is the next right thing. I wonder how different our world would be if we did the same. Jesus did. The Book tells us that when He saw people—He didn’t see social class, He didn’t see color—He just saw people and He had compassion on them. He saw them as sheep without a shepherd or maybe like ducks needing breakfast.

Compassion is best defined as simply love in action. Its seeing a need and then doing what you can to meet that need. Imagine today taking the time to show kindness to someone having a difficult day. Imagine today taking the time to give someone a smile when they are only used to frowns. Imagine today doing simply the next right thing—without reward, without expectation—simply because it is the right thing to do. It might just be amazing. It might just look crazy…like a cat following a lady walking her dog. It might just be game changing.

In a few minutes, I’m going to do my walking thing. I don’t have any cat food. In fact my shorts don’t even have pockets but I can pack an intentional smile for someone who needs one. I can do that. Sometimes Jesus gave out free lunches to crowds—big crowds. Sometimes He healed broken bodies and spirits. But something that I think we overlook is that He probably smiled…a lot. Imagine His joy as He shared and showed compassion—love in action. Like the cat, like the ducks following the “food truck” people followed Him. Not just for the bread, though some did, but because around Him they felt safe. They felt loved. They found a place where they could rest from the craziness of life. We can too. He’s got this.

Family, life, Scripture, wisdom

Here Kitty, Kitty

Posted on June 16, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.” Proverbs 7:5

“Dewayne, we have a problem.” It was Judy and it was what greeted me as I was going out to the garage to get something I needed. I think I know how it must have felt when the crew of Apollo 13 uttered those now famous words, “Houston…we have a problem.” I had started painting our upstairs bathroom. You need to know I am no Leonardo da Vinci and this was not going to be a Mona Lisa. Into that throes the news came. “We” have a problem.

I quickly explained to Judy that I didn’t have time for a problem. My paint was drying and some of it was in the wrong place—like the floor. She told me there was a cat trapped in her car. Wait. What? Well, the night before she had told me she saw a cat go in our garage and I should check before I closed it up for the night. About 9.30, I went out and did the “Here, Kitty, Kitty” thing, shined my flashlight around in the corners and such. No cat. “Good.” I said. Or not.

So it turns out our homeless friend didn’t move on—it moved in. The crazy part was that it took up residence in the engine compartment of her car. Silly cat. I was going to say, “stupid cat” but I thought you might think me harsh. So anyway, I left the drying paint in the bathroom to attempt a rescue. It was about then that I discovered why it is so expensive to work on Volkswagen cars. You open the hood to only discover that every square inch is stuffed with something. And somewhere in all of that was the cat. Silly cat.

A friend was there with Judy and all three of us looked and prodded, we called and cooed and nothing—just the occasional meow of the cat. Judy volunteered to look if I jacked up the car to see if we could see anything from underneath. I did and she couldn’t. It was time to call in the calvary. I called my neighbor Jared who manages a local tire place. Surely he would have an idea. As we waited for him to come, we continued to prod and poke, coo and call. In my sweetest voice I kept saying, “Hey silly kitty, come here silly kitty.” I wanted to say stupid cat but I was trying to be Christian about this whole deal.

Then it happened. The cat, who turned out to be the cutest kitten south of Chicago, wiggled out of its tight spot and ran to the corner of the garage. So I moved from poking and prodding under the hood to poking and prodding in the corner filled with stuff we didn’t need. Cute or not this kitten was about to mash my button. Not to bore you with details but four grown adults spent the next ten minutes chasing this cute little silly kitten from one corner of the garage to the other. From behind the washer and dryer to the corner of no return, we played hide and seek. Finally, the cute little kitten saw the light of day, ran through our friends hands and legs and out the door. Game. Set. Match.

The cute little silly kitten was on the run and that was all that mattered. Jared went back to work, the ladies went on with life and I went upstairs to scape dried paint off the floor. I know I heard this kitten laughing from across the street. So what is up with all this? Surely the kitten knew better. Surely he or she knew the danger of living under the hood of a car—but probably not. To the cute little kitten it was just a place to hide.

You see the kitten wasn’t silly, the kitten wasn’t stupid (well, not real stupid anyway). The kitten just lacked experience. It was naive. It hadn’t lived long enough to understand the dangers of garage living. And do you know what? That is true of a lot of us. Solomon, the wisest guy to ever live, wrote in Proverbs, “I saw among the inexperienced, I noticed among the youths, a young man lacking sense.” And the crazy part it was nothing to do with age. We have all made some crazy decisions at one time or another. Too often we just throw common sense to the wind and well, we end up with a train wreck.

God is in the train wreck avoidance business. That’s why He led the half-brother of Jesus to write in James 1:5, “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.” If we would do that one simple thing we could avoid a lot of painful situations. Just stop for a moment, ask God if this is the wise thing to do, and wait for an answer. By the way, silence might be an answer, so don’t miss it.

Well, I hope our cute little kitten found a new place to live and hopefully it isn’t in someone’s engine compartment. And I hope we will learn to trust a wise, loving Father to give us the wisdom we need to live better lives with fewer regrets and better consequences. You know He loves you, don’t you? He wants you to come to Him and rest in the safety of His arms. He wants you to know He has this. And He does.