December 11 Advent thoughts 

I will bless the who bless you and curse those who curse you: and all people on earth shall be blessed through you. Genesis 12:3 

Blessings come in many forms. There is a feral cat in our neighborhood that regularly has kittens and then abandons them. 7 weeks ago two ended up on our back porch, about 2 days old and dying of exposure. They are God’s creations and we-my daughter and I-felt we could not abandon them, so we took them in. Now, they have become a part of the housed, blessing us as kittens are want to do. We need to stop and think about the blessings that we are able to give. Not so much for our own ‘rewards’, rather the profound effect they might have. God gave us the ultimate present. What small thing can we do that might be greatly needed by others? And the rewards we ourselves might get. Sometimes, tho, the rewards aren’t always appreciated. As I attempt to write this, two abandoned kittens have decided to show their appreciation today by ‘helping’, their tiny paws skittering across the keyboard in their attempts to help me speed up my writing. But I suppose all of God’s creation wants to give at this time of year! 

What can I bring Him, poor that I am? 

 If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb.  

If I were a wise man, I would do my part.  

Yet what can I give Him, Give Him my heart. 

-In the Bleak Midwinter, written by Christina Rossetti, 1872