life with cats - Leslie Nelson Writes

Cleo is wandering around the house, following me around closely, not something she normally does. Her sing song safe song has helped. Thank you @Copilot for your help

🌙 Cleo’s Safe Song
(for the Matriarch of the Meowsehold)

No loud hands, no slammed doors,
No chasing feet across cold floors.
This house is yours, this heart is too—
No one’s ever leaving you.

The boxes speak in softer tones,
No yelling, no forgotten bones.
You’re not a guest, you’re not a chore—
You’re the queen we all adore.

We move with care, not fear or haste,
No one’s pushing, no one’s waste.
Your velvet paws deserve the grace
Of quiet rooms and gentle space.

So rest, my love, the past is done.
The porch is warm, the light has won.
We’re not just moving things around—
We’re building peace on solid ground.

Dedicated to my family- what’s left of it

I once posed a question: What would you do if you landed on Mars, or Jupiter, or somewhere utterly beyond—and encountered beings not perfect, not like you, yet still loving, still kind? Would your heart open… or would you turn away?

It’s easy to speak of love in theory. Harder to embrace when it shows up wearing unexpected clothes—or unexpected identities.

Estrangement in families, often rooted in fear or misunderstanding, leaves behind ghost years. Vacant chairs at holidays. Unsent birthday cards. I’ve seen what it costs. And I’ve felt the alternative—the kind of love that saves you quietly, day by day. My father gave me that. Not perfect, but present. That presence may very well be why I’m alive today.

So when I see people cut ties over ideology, pride, or personal discomfort, my gut says: please reconsider. Especially when someone’s truth isn’t harming you—it’s asking to be heard.

Love doesn’t require perfection. It requires courage. The courage to say: “I don’t fully understand you, but I won’t abandon you.”

🐾 George’s Philosophy Corner

George, my feline co-author, curled on his sun-warmed windowsill, simply said: “Love transcends species, beliefs, and furniture choices. I’ve accepted humans despite their obsession with vacuum cleaners. So surely they can accept each other.” Then he went back to chasing dust motes and pondering string theory.

If he can, maybe we can too.

Tag: life with cats

Cleo’s Safe Song

Between Mars and My Father: On Estrangement, Identity, and the Aliens We Love