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It's a Beautiful Life
These words will be etched in our minds for sometime
to
come, when we recall the acceptance speeches of Roberto Bebigi for
his achievements at the Oscars this year.
When I use that phrase, it is in respect of our
house cat Bud
and how he presides his life here at the Cottage. Bud has reached
the age of semi-retirement. The days of rodent chasing has long
passed.
He continues to do what he does best, spread unconditional love.
Around 4:15 PM a sleepy eyed cat appears from
upstairs
where he has been sleeping in either a box of socks or on a sweater.
Through the kitchen he strolls, he will sit in the dining room until
someone comes along and lets him out the back door. Taking a few
minutes to determine the weather conditions and if it favorable, down
the
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steps, across the yard, through the hole in the fence
to the front
of the building. There he will sit until someone calls his name to
pick him up. There are those occasions in which he gets passed
from one to another for several yards. Bud is patted as he listens to
their day. Eventually he reaches the door. Standing looking back,
there are times he returns to the line. Using his cat sense, he will
go
back to someone he feels needs more comfort. Then there are the
times glimpse are caught of him running through the kitchen checking
out who is going to let him sample the menu of the evening. In
that department there are no refusals. I have seen chicken being
served and a voice saying somewhere in the room "Hold on Bud, I'll
let you taste it, sure you'll like it because It's really good".
After the doors are closed and Bud has finished his
work for
the day, you will find him relaxing in the back yard seeming to
reflect on the day's work. The basement door opens and its time for
Bud to come in for the night. Sometimes he walks in on his own
but other times he loves to be carried.
Bud's message is quite simple, don't try to change
or to
judge, just take the time to listen to the person beyond that
sometimes rough exterior. In his own way I guess there is an Oscar
given
out each night by Bud, our cat, when stops to say I
Care.
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Winter is difficult time on the people at Hope Cottage.
Lining up daily in the snow, wind and rain is both
demeaning and physically demanding through the months of
January, February and March. The arrival of spring and the
warmer weather is welcomed by all, although this year April
arrived with a blast of winter.
The Easter season has come again for another year.
Unlike Christmas, Easter does not have the same festive
atmosphere around Hope Cottage. We are open on Good
Friday but serve only one meal, at 2:00 PM. As per usual, we
are closed Sat. and Sunday.
Fr. George Leach, the Sacramental Minister at St.
Patrick's Parish has been saying Mass at Hope Cottage on
Thursday's at 11:15 for the past three years. This Mass is usually
attended by 12 14 people from the neighbourhood, staff
and a couple of patrons. We were pleased to welcome
Archbishop Terry Prendergast as celebrant on March 19. Fr. George
was away and the Archbishop had coincidentally planned to
attend on that date. This Mass is open to all, so if you are in
the neighbourhood, drop in, Thursday's at 11:15.
CentreCorp, the managers of the Super Stores in
Cole Harbour and Sackville held a food drive for Hope
Cottage during Holy week. The much appreciated food and
money arrived Thursday and Saturday. Thank you and
Elaine Graham, Productions Co-ordinator and CentreCorp,
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Leona Nielsen
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About 14 years ago, Leona was walking past Hope
Cottage and decided to drop in and offer her services as a
volunteer. She has been with the Cottage ever since and is now
a full-time employee. Leona works the evening shift which
goes from 12:00 noon to 7:00 PM. Leona is the lay down cook
and is responsible for preparing the evening meal. She also
has the responsibility to deal with, and schedule the supper
groups. She is the mother of three children and two cats!
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