I saw these two things on the same day (yesterday) and they came together in my mind.
First, at Take Joy I rediscovered a quote from Elizabeth Goudge, one of my favourite English authors. Born at the turn of the last century, her father was an Anglican clergyman. Her family life and faith instilled in her a deep love for the natural world, and especially for the English countryside about which she writes vividly in her novels. It’s sad to think that so much of the countryside she describes barely exists any more.
The following quote is not from one of her novels, but from her autobiography, The Joy of the Snow:
Nothing living should ever be treated with contempt. Whatever it is that lives, a man, a tree, or a bird, should be touched gently, because the time is short. Civilization is another word for respect for life.
Elizabeth Goudge
And then from Chasing Grace (which in turn I found from Take Joy) I found this beautiful video about a cat with I guess the feline equivalent of cerebral palsy. It struck me that the video is all about love and respect for life.
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What a perfect connection between the quote and the video.
Thank you for putting these together, Tess. I read your blog post first thing this morning after giving my dog a cuddle. I really do believe we should treat all Creation with respect, reverence and TLC.
charley warmed my heart. i love his swagger