Miracle

A Martin Luther King Jr. Day miracle has occurred! Now you may not be familiar with MLKJ Day miracles. Neither was I. Yet, we prayed for this miracle at Thanksgiving, and we asked Santa for this miracle at Christmas. Both failed us. In fact we had given up on our miracle-asking and we were shocked to discover that it was given to us yesterday. I had a dream this day would come. Yes, I had a dream. And now, it has come true.

Sleeping at my feet is the skinny, dirty body of my sweet cat Sam. Sammy has had a hard winter. He arrived in Lehi in July. A weary traveler from California, he was welcomed into our home as a guest. He belonged to my niece Rachel, who once a Californian, was in transition to becoming a Virginian. The entire Zlotnick family has paused in their continental travel to rest and recoup with us for a month or two before continuing their journey. Sammy was welcomed into our home with open arms. Mostly Jacks. Jack loved him to the point that Sammy would run away when Jack came near. He much preferred the gentle love of Halle. Or Big Mama. But then again, who doesn't love a Big mama? The neighbor children came to visit him regularly, and we eased into a rhythm of daily life. Soon the day came to for the Zlotnicks to continue their travels. Sammy was happy in his temporary home and it was decided that it should become his permanent home. And so the Garrett family became 6.

October 30th was a dark and dreary day. It was a day to get lost. And lost Sammy became. He went outside to survey the perimeter and never came back in. Night after night I would wake up in the early hours and stand at the front door wearing only my knickers. I would call to him. He never came. We drove around the streets of the neighborhood yelling his name out the car windows. We looked for him for weeks. Halle alerted her Second Grade class to the news and her classmates looked for Sammy as well. In November we went to the Humane Society. We filled out paperwork. We looked in cage after cage for our Sammy. He wasn't there. I would return two more times to search.

Christmas came. We continued to talk about Sammy on a weekly basis. Did I think Santa would be able to find him? Oh course, I said. Did I think he missed us? Of course, I said. Late at night I would wonder if he was hungry, or cold, or smashed on the side of a road. Halle asked Santa to bring Sam back to us. It broke my heart. It had been 2 months. I knew that Sam was not coming back. I stopped looking at the Humane Society's web page. I stopped calling his name out the front door at 2 am. We did not stop thinking about him.

Today, I came home to a message on my phone. It was from my favorite sister in Virginia. She has received a certified letter from the Humane Society in Utah. Sammy had been found! What? What did you say? Sammy had been found! He was captured as a stray on December 26th more than 3 miles from our home. He was taken to the Humane Society 30 miles away. He had been micro chipped in California and a certified letter was sent to the California address informing the Zlotnicks of the recovery of Sam. That letter was then forwarded to Virginia where it arrived just yesterday. 3 hours later, Sam was home.

It seems Sammy traveled into the wilderness and was lost. Not having a compass, golden or otherwise, and not possessing thumbs to hold one, he was hopelessly lost. He got dirty. He became very thin. He lost his collar. And he was sick.

During his stay at the Society, he was treated with two different antibiotics and was deemed"very ill" on the medical history. The licking of his runny nose caused sores on his nose that were treated with bag balm. (Apparently, it's for everyone, not just those with bags.) By the time we arrived today, he was on the mend.

The story of the MLKJ Day Miracle proceeded us to the Society. They knew us when we arrived. We went to find Sam in his cage. He was laying in the back of it, and didn't lift his head when we talked to him through the bars. I filled out paperwork and was interviewed. I told the story to 3 different Society women. Finally we were told we could get him out. I opened the cage and he stood up. I scooped him up and held him close. We placed him in a large Chinese take home box and loaded him in the car. He cried mournful meows. We sang him songs. Namely, "How Much Is That Kitty In the Box." A Halle Garrett original.

When we arrived home we opened the box and out climbed Sam. He walked around the house and became more and more at ease. He followed me from room to room. Halle layed on the ground and he did the famous rub-collapse on top of her. He seems happy. He seems tired and sneezy too. Mostly he seems happy to be home. He remember us, and he remembers this home. He even remembered where his food and litter box were. This morning we made certain to say a special prayer of thanksgiving.

Home at last, home at last. Sammy Zlotnick-Garrett is home at last.