enouragement – Amy's Axons

September 2023

Cats ❤️ Cornish Rex ❤️

September 20, 2023September 20, 2023by amysaxons6 Comments

My cat story, told through pictures of our new, 16- week old Cornish Rex (CRX) kittens.

Wally Cornwall – in honor of county Cornwall, England where the CRX breed emerged from a genetic mutation in a barn cat in the 1950s.

Clemmy Clementine – because Winston Churchill was prime minister in the 1950s and his wife’s name was Clementine, which I’ve always liked.

Growing up, my family always had dogs. I had never been around cats until I was 9 years old and my Dad took me to an animal care class through 4-H.

The farm where the 4-H class was held had a barn cat who had just given birth to a litter of soft, fuzzy kittens. I was mesmerized by their purring and mewling sounds, I had never heard anything so lovely before. My future was set the moment I actually held one in my hands – my heart was gone and, though I didn’t know it at the time, I was already morphing into a crazy cat lady.

I started begging my Dad instantly for one of the kittens on the farm. His response was a firm, “No, we already have a dog at home.” My response was something along the lines of, “Yeah, but he isn’t a cat.” Why didn’t my Dad understand that?! As the 4-H class progressed over the next several weeks so did my begging. I had never wanted anything so badly in all my little 9-year old life. Somehow, someway my Dad came around and on the last day of the class I took my first kitten, Princess, home.

The first thing I did when I was 16 and got my driver’s license was go to the Humane Society, without Mom’s permission, and get another kitten. I named her Bumpy because she meowed sweetly when I drove over a pothole pulling out of the parking lot on the way home. I also thought I could persuade Mom more easily if I had already named her 🤓.

Mom let me keep Bumpy, though she wasn’t allowed to come in the house. It wasn’t until I had finished grad school and had my first job that I FINALLY got an indoor cat. I was still living at home to save money for a house, as was my sister who had just finished her nursing degree and was saving for the same reason.

With Mom’s permission, my sister got a little Shih Tzu puppy that stayed in the house. “Hmm,” I thought. So again, without permission, I drove to my first ever American Cat Fanciers Association show in Joplin, Missouri, a little over an hour from where we lived. I was really excited about seeing all the cat breeds, but my real intent was to get a CRX kitten, if anyone there had one available. As fate would have it, there was exactly…one.

The rest is history. I brought Rexy home and, to my relief, everyone, Mom included, fell in love with him immediately! Because CRX don’t have a lot of fur and can’t live outside, my dream of having an indoor cat became reality. Though I now admit I went about it by a bit of hook or crook 🫢.

Aside from my method of acquiring him, living with a CRX has been even more profoundly wonderful than even I dreamed it could be. I moved into my first home just a few months after getting Rexy. Chemy, my second CRX, came soon after to keep Rexy company while I was at work – at least that’s what I told myself 😉.

Once you’ve owned a CRX you will forever be owned by the breed. You cannot not have at least one in your life. Laudy, our current 13 year old blue tabby CRX joined the family when Chemy died. Lest you think I’m a cat snob, we (I’m married now) had a sweet rescue boy, Harry, who lived with us until he passed away a few years ago from old age. Pip, our sweet CRX who died recently, came when we lost Harry.

My life has become very small now since I don’t work anymore and I don’t get out of the house much because of my Multiple Sclerosis. However, my life feels very full because of three main reasons: God, my family, and our cats. They are my constant companions, always with me in my arms, or on my lap, beside me in bed, or at my feet playing. We have a routine together of snuggles, meal times, and interaction. We experience each day together, which reinforces and deepens our bond.

I don’t know how to describe or explain my love for cats except to say it’s something innate within me. Perhaps it’s a bit like people who feel compelled to climb mountains or are fascinated by cars or need to garden and feel dirt on their hands. I know there are people who love dogs or horses or birds or all manner of other animals with the same passion I have for cats. I look at cats and see God as our Creator. Only He could love us so much to make animals so perfectly. I know, in His omniscience, He had my enrichment and joy in mind when He made cats!

May God be with you! ❤️, Amy

December 2020

Chocolates and Pelicans

December 8, 2020December 8, 2020by amysaxonsLeave a Comment

The first week of December is in the books, and I can hardly wait for each new day to hurry up and get here. I got myself an “Oh, Nuts!” chocolate advent calendar to enjoy. Mmm, Mmm! Here are a few of my favorites so far!

I know many people put their trees up early this year, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. My Mom always had us girls decorate the tree the day after Thanksgiving. Somehow, now that she is gone, it makes her feel closer to follow familiar traditions. She gave me many of the ornaments, and I love the memories each of them brings back.

My sister surprised me last week by sending me the adorable Cat’s Christmas tea towel. She saw it as she was Christmas shopping and thought I needed it to “add a bit of Christmas cheer”. I have the best sister in the world and I know it!!

I have a niece who is going to love this little doll bed with a rag quilt and matching pillowcase. It’s a special gift because the doll bed was my stepmom’s when she was growing up. She bought the fabric herself to make up, but wasn’t able to get it done before she passed away last month. My Dad is going to give it to my niece “from Grandma” ❤️. It was my first attempt at making a rag quilt – it took FIVE lint roller papers to clean myself up 😂!

Hubby and I drove by the river near our house as we came home from grocery shopping this past Saturday and saw several American Pelicans floating around. I got home, grabbed my camera, and drove back as fast as I could hoping not to miss them. I needn’t have worried, they weren’t in any hurry. The fishing was apparently good because they snacked all afternoon. Wow, it was fun to watch them throw their heads down, bring up a fish, and watch it wiggle down their necks!

I wasn’t the only one who took an unexpected break in their Saturday to enjoy the pelicans.

I sat and watched the pelicans for about an hour and started back along the walkway to my car when I heard a rustle in the bushes and trees. There were several bluebirds eating berries not five feet from me! I got as many shots as I could of them before the sound of my camera scared the group off, these were the best two images. It was just as exciting for me to see them as the pelicans.

I got in the car and drove just a bit further down the road to another access spot by the river and took a few more snaps before heading home. I was running out of energy and only stayed 10 minutes or so, but every second by a river is bliss to me and I’m not going to waste it.

I think these shots are proof positive that there is beauty in every season. As a matter of fact, there’s beauty in everything and in everyone, if you look for it. I am going to try to remember to look for the beautiful in the world around me. I’m especially reminded during the holiday season to be grateful God saw beauty and worth in His creation, enough so that He sent Christ to redeem us. God be with you! ❤️Amy

June 2020

If Only

June 21, 2020June 21, 2020by amysaxons1 Comment

The whole world is mad enough to chew nails and spit rivets at each other. The wildfire of anxiety already fueled by a viral pandemic and financial hardships has roared into an inferno fanned by outrage over racial injustice. Add all of this to an overly politicized, deeply divided, radically idealized, and seemingly diabolicaly opposed Left and Right presidential election year and, voila, here we are. McCarthyism (“The practice of making unfair allegations or using unfair investigate techniques, especially in order to restrict dissent or political criticism.” – Dictionary.com) turned into Cancel Culture (“The popular practice of withdrawing support for public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive.” Dictionary.com). Unsurprisingly, we (collectively as humans) have learned absolutely nothing from God or history on how to get along with each other. Like sheep, we’ve all gone astray. The only difference between us and sheep is that we like to point and call out the wrong courses everyone else has taken, but never look back at our own errors.

As a result, I’ve been rationing my news intake and limiting my time on social media platforms. I can’t take all the lava-hot words and vitriol spewing out of the mouths on all sides of the world’s current, self-inflicted problems. I don’t know how to heal or even understand the differences of opinion and the vast chasms that seem to lie between the logic and thinking of some of us. So, with that admission, what can I do? I have been and will continue to lay them down at my Father’s feet. He is the answer to everything, always. God excels in doing what everyone says is impossible.

I’m doing the same on a personal level. While the huge fires of the world keep burning, so too do the little flames within my life. I’m sure you understand because we’re all the same. My personal fire is called MS but yours might be named such things as Furloughed, Job, Money, Stress, Anger, Divorce, Death, Parent, Child, Spouse, Cancer, Diabetes, Aging… just about anything, really. For me, MS is constantly melting away tiny pieces of my own sovereignty. It’s very difficult to let go of the things in life that make you feel like you have some control, such as driving, shopping, cooking, and walking.

In much the same way that I realize I can’t put out the MS fire in my own life and deal with the destruction it leaves in it’s wake on my own, we, as a nation and even world, must understand we will have to work collectively to bring the flames of our society back under control. The solution will not be conceived in fear of an unseen germ, worry over the next great depression, or riots that break our neighbors’ windows and loot their livelihoods because of injustice. No, if it could then we would already have the answer. The fix is to be found in love. The kind of love the apostle Paul described in I Corinthians 13:4-7, the sort God has for us. His love is patient, kind, happy for others instead of envious, lifts others up instead of boasting about self, is well mannered instead of rude, seeks the good of others instead of self, is slow to anger, keeps no records of wrongs, delights in holiness instead of evil, rejoices in the truth instead of sensationalism, always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.

I realize what I am about to say is very Pollyannish of me, but… If every person would recognize the truthfulness and wisdom of this type of love and make it their own personal goal to practice it, without policing others and how they are doing as they attempt to do the same, all the infernos of the world would simply burn themselves out. If only.

May 2020

Goodbye May 2020, Don’t Forget to Take Your Germy Germs With You!

May 31, 2020May 31, 2020by amysaxonsLeave a Comment

Below you will find a few more pictures from the scrapbook of our May under CV-19. We have completely settled into our new home and are grateful to be here, virus or not.

We went for a drive in the country on Memorial Day.

Slowly, restaurants in our neck of the woods are opening back up.

We’ve had a lot of rain and storms the last few weeks. I see a lily in the clouds, can you?

This little house finch found a good spot to shelter during a heavy downpour.

A friend from church gave me this beautifully fragrant peony…

After some research, I got a couple of new, weighted feeders and a different suet feeder. The seed feeders are on a spring that closes the seed ports when triggered by anything greater than the weight of a couple of finches. I also changed the kind of seed I put out and stopped spreading it on the ground. It has worked to cut off the riffraff grackles, crows, and brown headed cow birds.

Carolina Chickadee, I think. It’s hard for me to tell the difference between a Black-capped and a Carolina.

One of our neighborhood squirrels hanging out on the fence.

We’re ready to ease into June with fewer restrictions and, hopefully, greater normalcy. May God be with us one and all! ❤️

April 2020

Life During the Time of Corona through My Camera Lens

April 26, 2020April 26, 2020by amysaxons6 Comments

A quiet lane a block or so from our house.

Our neighborhood has a small lake with a walking trail around it.

Breathing new life into our old iron rocking bench.

My stepmom gave me a cutting from a plant my sister Glenda gave her 20ish years ago. Glenda died in a car wreck 14 years ago next month. It’s a happy coincidence the pot she put the cutting in matches the lawn ornament behind it 💙.

I added a few bird feeders last week and they sure have been busy!

This Nuthatch is a new visitor, I get so excited every time it visits.

We have a pair of stunning Bluebirds nesting in one of our boxes!

Momma Cardinal sporting a beautiful crest.

This little fella thought “crest” meant a mohawk!!

We’ve had a lot of House Finches at the feeders, they sing and chirp until you can’t help but smile that God created such marvelous creatures!

I think this dove may have a birth defect. He comes around a lot and I’m always happy to see him. I’m rooting for him out in the great-wide world.

Hubby has kept himself busy with chores…

Meanwhile, my life under the shutdown looks exactly like it did before Coronavirus. I always have a cat nearby and I don’t leave the house very often. I guess MS has been good for something, it’s made surviving the shutdown easy-peasy for me.

I’m still sewing when I have the energy, but I have swapped my usual tasks to making masks. As ever, Laudy supervises my work.

I’ve been using my foot pedal a lot these days. My MS has been a beast lately, but I’m determined to keep moving by hook or crook.

We celebrated Hubby’s birthday on the 20th of April…

…and mine on the 22nd. (I forgot to take a picture of the donuts we had for Hubby’s breakfast.)

Texas Roadhouse for dinner on my bday 😋.

We’re both ready for the current madness to end and return to whatever the new normal will be, I’m sure you and yours are too. Stay sane, safe, and healthy, we’re all in this together together ❤!

February 2019 Posts

Part 2: It Takes Both Rain and Sunshine To Make a Rainbow

February 20, 2019February 20, 2019by amysaxonsLeave a Comment

In part 1 of this two-part post I told you the essential story of my Multiple Sclerosis to date or, if you will, the daily “rain” in my life. Now, if I stopped there all I could ever expect would be perpetual, devastating floods that would eventually drown the whole of me into an ocean of hopelessness. But, to the praise of His glory, this is not where things end!

God has created each of us to be more than just simple, physical creatures satisfied by nothing more than the air we breath and the food and water we intake. He has created us in His image and in doing so we reflect, albeit to a much more limited and imperfect degree, His palette of emotions as well as a spirit which will live on once we leave this life. Therefore, all of us have emotions which, when properly trained, can transcend the physical realities of our circumstances. We also have a spirit within us that longs for something, someone greater than ourselves. Our spirits cry out to be restored to fellowship with our Creator; wanting and needing to rise above the physical needs of our bodies. My spirit found the one, true, living God when I was 13 years old and from that moment on faith in God and Christ, His Son, has filled and overflowed my life with joy.

I don’t have complete control over how my MS affects my body nor the vicissitudes from day to day of what it will or will not let me do. However, I do have control over how I allow my emotions and my faith to run my life. Psalms 19:9 says, “The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever”. Did you know that “the fear of the Lord” is an Old Testament expression meaning “reverential trust”? Yes, once we realize Who God is and His holiness, we will fear Him because we realize who we are. We are not holy and knowing Him reveals our sinfulness. That is why Proverbs 9:10 tells us that “the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding”, it reveals our need. But once we yield to Him and become His by putting on Christ His Son through baptism, our faith is based upon a reverential trust in God to keep His promises. Once we have trusted in who He says He is and the promises He has made, we go the next logical step by submitting to Him. The most beautiful and wonderful example of this submission is by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Of Him it is said, “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, “Here I am – it is written about Me in the scroll – I have come to do Your will, O God” (He 10:5-6). Further, the Hebrew writer describes the moment when the time of Christ’s passion came. Hebrews 5:7-9, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One Who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Although He was a son, He learned obedience from what He suffered and, once made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him.”

Of course Jesus trusted God, He had just been in heaven with Him and had left Him to come here. But look what that trust enabled Jesus to do! He reverently submitted. And so, that is what I will do. I will live each and every day trying my best to reverently trust and submit to God my Father.

Trusting and submitting to God has benefits that far outweigh my physical limitations. He offers the “fruit” or “gift” of His Spirit, which Galatians 5:22-23 lists as, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” The Holy Spirit has been given to us as our “Helper” or “Counselor” (John 14:16) and His “fruit” or “gift” has everything to do with how to manage my emotions when living with this disability. These are how I will stay emotionally strong through whatever MS or life throws my way. I will love the things MS has taught me. I will find joy in the things I can still do. I will find peace in the knowledge that God understands my limitations. I will practice kindness and goodness because others may be experiencing greater problems than I am. I will be thankful for God’s steadfast faithfulness to me and pledge to show mine to Him out of gratitude and because there may be others who would be encouraged by my example. I will let his gentleness toward me influence my thoughts, feelings, and actions toward others. I will allow all the other components of this great Spirit given gift to learn and practice self-control.

God is the sunshine mentioned in the title. The rain of our broken lives mingled with the sunshine (or Sonshine 😉) creates the most beautiful of rainbows. After all, what was a rainbow given as a reminder of in the first place (Genesis 9:16)? A promise!