Prince the Cat and Susan's Week in Review

This has been quite the last ten days: Since a week ago Tuesday night, Brian McLaren spoke at one of my churches; I was in cabinet two days and Pathways one day; I spoke in unnecessary and hurtful haste inappropriately at least one of those days; I met one of my new pastors for the first time and "put him in" to his new appointment; I ordered the MLB InDemand sports package to watch the Cards; I made Hello Dollies--bar cookies; I preached at Saint Paul ( Subject: New Occasions Teach New Duties; New Wine and old wine skins; Wesley and field preaching, yeah, you've probably heard this one from me before); I went to see a wonderful play/musical at the Gem Theater called Crowns with lots of gospel music and hats (and I went with Penny Ellwood, which was very nice, too); I have decided I want to try to write and get published a book on emergent/emerging and the Wesleyan Tradition and so have been in email conversation and phone conversation with Dr. Weems, Dr Knight III and Dr. (Douglas) Strong, Dr. (Elaine) Heath as well as with Abingdon very preliminarily; which means I also am on a reading regimen which includes a 1 1/2 mile round trip walk to Starbucks in Westport where I read and think (I am worried about jinxing this book thing, which probably won't happen---publishing I mean---so I don't want to say much more); I also am getting ready to take good care of Caleb this weekend--he is having oral surgery to remove all four wisdom teeth on Saturday (his dad, by the way is at the Deacon and Diaconal Ministers convocation in Orlando, so I am single parenting this week); and the bishop is coming to consecrate the new Faith: Grain Valley church building on Sunday and will preach both services.

AND: There's Prince. He is the oldest of our two cats, 11 1/2 years old. Over the last month he has gone through periods where he doesn't want to eat or drink, but has come out of it. This week, he pretty much stopped all together. We took him to the vet, had blood tests run, and the tests don't show anything to be wrong. Tomorrow we take him in for x-rays. I wonder if he is just tiring out. He has been a good old big tom cat, neutered as a young cat, and gentle with humans, with a tiny meow, although in his heyday he was the biggest baddest cat any other feline had the misfortune of meeting. He is smart; our other cat Maggie is beautiful but stupid (sorry to be so harsh, but it is true). Prince is a true UMPC (United Methodist Preachers' Cat.) He has fully itinerated, living in six different houses (not even counting the month in 2004 when all the Cox-Johnsons, including cats lived in Philip's duplex waiting for the Old Broadway parsonage to sell), in four different counties, and has seldom complained. But now, I have a feeling he is tired and wants to go live in kitty heaven. And although we are not happy about it, we are resolved to give him gently palliative care until that day arrives, which may be soon. We love him.