Callie's Legacy


There's a new baby in our household.  We expected all the adjustments and stress that 
usually go with new babies—sleepless nights, new room assignments, special food, diverted 
attention, toys, lots of crying, and the list goes on and on.  Not the least consideration was the 
fact that this was an unplanned baby.

Callie is different.  Callie is the most content baby I've ever known.  She sleeps all night 
without a single interruption, she is happy in whatever locale we assign, she demands little 
attention, she eats whatever she is given, she plays with whatever is in her reach, she never 
cries, and she is litter trained.

Oh yes, Callie is a cat—a tiny precious little calico kitten who adopted us by simply showing 
up on our doorstep.  Because we happen to also have a cat-hater dog, it was necessary to 
immediately bring little Callie into the house.  Although we loved her on sight, we had visions 
of shredded upholstery, lonely night cries, demands on our time, and horrid carpet 
"accidents."  

Instead, Callie seems to intentionally make herself a blessing to the family rather than an 
inconvenience.  She has damaged nothing; she quietly plays with whatever has been left in 
the floor—a feather, a spool, a ball of twine.  She is happy playing alone or is glad to share 
the joy of a wiggling toe or a swinging belt.  She eats whatever is provided, whether kitten 
chow or a handout.  She was immediately litter trained.  And she NEVER cries. On her first 
night, we imagined that nocturnal play and howls of loneliness would keep us awake if Callie 
stayed in the house.  So we put her in a protective cat cage on the porch, placed out of reach 
of the dog.  Feeling guilty at abandoning her, I immediately peeked back out.  Instead of 
crying in discontent, Callie simply sat down and surveyed her surroundings.  Soon she curled 
up in a tiny ball and went to sleep.   When I went out the next morning, Callie was sitting 
patiently.  When the door was opened, she calmly walked out—all was right in her world.  
After a couple of days of learning to trust Callie's contentment, she now is left free inside the 
house.  We have not yet been disturbed by a single sound.

Perhaps Callie's most remarkable display of consideration is when I nap.  As I first laid down 
on the sofa, Callie jumped up to join me.  "Oh, no," I thought, "she wants to play; I'll probably 
have to get up and cage her."   Instead, Callie sat down on my shoulder, leaned over and 
peered intently into my face with the sideways alert curiosity expression a kitten displays so 
well.  She seemed to be trying to discern my thoughts.  I'm told by family members that, as I 
slept, she lay contentedly, getting up every few minutes to again stare into my face, and each 
time quietly laying back down, waiting patiently for me to wake.

Because of family allergies, Callie will be going to a new home soon.  Her sweetness and 
consideration and contentment are lessons she will carry with her to bless another family.  
They're characteristics we people would do well to emulate.


"I have learned the secret of being content in any situation."

Philippians 4:12