One of the characteristics that has endeared me to Baxter is his adaptability. He has been through five moves in his twelve years with me. Knowing cats' love for routine and familiar space, I was always a little anxious each time I introduced Baxter to a new home. Would he feel safe and secure again so that his eating, sleeping, grooming and bathroom habits that I came to count on would continue? Each move I worried that I would end up with a "troubled" cat--one who would stop eating (Fat chance!); would groom excessively and harm himself; would "mark" his new turf; would become hidden and aggressive when sought after. Baxter never came close to any of these neurotic symptoms. He might hide under the bed for a day or two when he first was introduced to his new digs, but after that, he was back to his old self, exploring the new terrain and staking out his favorite sleeping spots. With each change, Baxter found and made a new home.
Now I helped him in these transitions. I made sure that he knew I was sharing the new space as I had done the old. I would talk to him, pet him, play with him and give him a little extra attention at first. I tried to notice what he preferred--where he wanted me to place his food bowl, his litter box, and his scratch pad with the cat nip--and I tried to accommodate these preferences. Baxter and I helped each other make a home for ourselves.
That's a secret to all sorts of transitions we need to make in life. We have to make changes from time to time. It is the nature of being alive. But we can help each other through these changes if we are just sensitive to what the other person might need. In that regard, we aren't that different from other living creatures.
We need to feel safe. We need to know that we will be cared for in the new setting. We need time and space to adjust, but we need to avoid self-destructive behaviors in adjusting. We need some touchstones of the familiar in our new digs, especially people who stay with us throughout our lives. But there is something different about us human beings from the other creatures of this earth. We need to know that God goes with us and is as present, powerful and loving in this new setting as He was in the previous circumstances of our lives. In that sense, God is the home we take with us no matter how strange the new situation might be for us. Our Catholic Eucharist reflects this truth because its basic ritual is the same throughout the world, even if the language and style may vary.
The Book of Ruth reads, "Wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge, I will lodge". This is God's promise to us whenever we face some major transitions in our lives. The familiar, the reassuring, the comforting presence is just a prayer away. The helping hand of a fellow believer should be just an ask away. And with these two pieces in our luggage, we can find a home again when our world changes.
