What kind of life are you living? What kinds of friends do you have right now? What kind of significance are you making in the world around you, now? Today? Or, are you just biding your time… waiting… until life gets better?

Ah.

He was only a cat.

Just… a stray cat.

But he was beloved by the entire community.

…

What did he do that you are not?

The following is a nice little story titled “Cathedral hosts memorial service after ‘enormously popular’ resident stray cat dies” it was written by Sara Spary, for CNN, updated 1756 GMT (0156 HKT) October 29, 2020 and presented as found with no editing aside from fitting within this venue. All credit tot he author.

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(CNN)London’s famous Southwark Cathedral is traditionally recognized for its architectural significance.But in recent years the Gothic cathedral, which stands on the south bank of the River Thames, became known for another reason — the presence of a stray cat, affectionately named Doorkins Magnificat, who made the building her home for 12 years before passing away on September 30 2020.

In an unusual move, Andrew Nunn, the Dean of Southwark Cathedral hosted a service of thanksgiving, which was live streamed on Wednesday.

“She was enormously popular and had a massive Twitter following — and was also the focus of a lot of people’s visits to the cathedral,” Nunn told CNN, adding that some people who could not have their own cat in central London even saw her as their own pet.

“When she died the response was huge, and we knew we had to do something — there was no way in which we could just ignore the fact — and why would you, we loved her, and she gave a lot to our life,” he said.

“It felt entirely appropriate.”Doorkins Magnificat — or Doorkins for short — made Southwark Cathedral her home in 2008 after visiting between Christmas and New Year in search of food.

Over the years, she became a common site at the church — whether sprawling across the pews, sauntering across the altar during a service, or catnapping in the hay of the nativity scene at Christmas time.

Celebrity status

She was even present during a visit by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012, who she looked at nonchalantly before falling back to sleep — much to the Queen’s amusement, Nunn told CNN.

Last year 2019, because she had become blind and deaf, Doorkins was moved into the home of the cathedral’s verger, a church official, who looked after her until she died peacefully.

On social media, many people thanked Nunn for the “wonderful” and “touching” service, and shared fond memories of Doorkins.

Presenter Kate Bottley said the service had allowed her to mourn her aunt, who died last month.

“I hadn’t cried yet, until today. I watched this and cried and cried and cried, because you know what?

This wasn’t about a cat.

It’s ok if you don’t get it, it’s ok if you think it’s silly, but for me this helped, it really helped,” she wrote on Twitter.

However, one bishop asked whether it was a joke, and labeled the service “insensitive,” given the coronavirus pandemic having made it hard for people to have proper funerals for loved ones.

Nunn told CNN he had “no regrets” about the service, and said he was taken aback by how many people had said they had wept watching the live stream.

“There’s such a lot of emotion around at the moment, and sometimes, something like that can just release it for people… It was heartwarming as well as emotional,” he said.

Doorkins reached people he couldn’t have done, Nunn added.

“I got used to the fact that she had more Twitter followers than I did — and that she brought more people to church than I will ever do,” Nunn added.

“People came in and they wouldn’t necessarily be churchgoers, but they’d come in to find the cat — and I think that they found themselves very welcome. Ending up in a sacred space and spending time with a cat was good for people.”

So what?

Dogs and cats and other creatures big and small touch us in ways that we have difficulty vocalizing.

But the feelings and the emotions still exist.

You just cannot ignore that fact. This little cat touched the lives of so many people, and how? By just laying there? By accepting them, as they were? Not trying to change them? By rubbing against them or purring on their lap?

What is that “thing” that this little tiny cat provided that made him so missed?

…

How are you doing? I mean, on a personal level, and you really don’t need to tell me. re you appreciated, have friends…real friends who will drop everything to lend you money if you need it, or allow you to crash in their house if things got bad? Real, honest to goodness friends…

Friends…

If you asked someone for $3,000 how would they react?

• A real friend would say, “how do you want it? Can you wait a day until I can gather it up for you?”
• An acquaintances would ask “why do you need it“, and ask for a great deal of explanation.

Who do you surround your life with? Are they meaningful people? Are they important in your life, and for your family?

Having a good “time out”

I believe that it is so very easy for us to get all caught up in the life that we are living. And being caught up can be magnified by television, the radio, social media or work. Not to mention, having a baby or working on an intensive project, or starting a business. We can become all caught up, wrapped up, and we forget about what is important.

What will people say when we are gone? When we are no longer around? Will they miss us?

Remember…

…people will not remember what you say, what you do, or how much money you make. People will remember how you made them feel.

Obviously, this cat, made people feel good.

…

I think that if we strive to make other feel good, in what ever they are doing, in whatever role they have…

…we will be doing a good thing.

We will be doing our community and our society a much needed service.

…

I do not know what the immediate future holds for you, your family or your government(s). But, I do know that if everyone tried to be more caring… more considerate… more empathic… more inclusive of the needs of others, then much of the turmoil and problems that we encounter in our lives will just start to dissipate.

We need to get rid of the narcissists, the pathological, the sociopaths and the psychopaths from our communities and from our institutions and start being more concerned about each other.

We, you and I, can make this word a better place to live.

Do you want more?

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