More About "Dame Julian"

Here she is, Dame Julian, looking as sweet as only a sleeping kitten can. "DJ" is a rescue kitten.  She was rescued, in other words, from euthanasia.  She was among a group of kittens it the Health Sciences' Animal Resources Facility who medical residents used to practice a procedure (don't ask). One of the lab techs in our department learned these kittens were going to be "put down" if they were not adopted by 5 on Friday. She and another tech took it upon themselves to bring the future Dame and her sister and brother to our department. Happily, all three kittens were adopted.

Now, I have resisted getting a pet, although I'm quite fond of cats. My concern has been that the animal would be relatively lonely, since I'm out of the house so frequently (on average).  I think it a tad ironic that I would write my poem featuring a romantic vision of a cat on the same day I would adopt one. I still have that concern, though I'm assured cats are fairly self-reliant. So — we'll see how it works out.

I asked Elsie to suggest a name for the new addition to the house, and she suggested Dame Julian. The source of this name is Julian of Norwich, a 14th century saint, who had a special affection for animals, and is best known for her Revelations of Divine Love in which is recorded the well-known reassurance "All will be well, all will be well, and all manner of things shall be well."

DJ is pictured, incidentally, on a pillow which sits at the top of my recliner. She fell asleep there, just behind my head, while I was watching tv. The pillow is maybe about a foot square, and she fits on it rather nicely, don't you think?

I take the responsibility of pet ownership seriously. I don't know how I'll be able to support this kitty, but I keep her namesake's reassurance in mind. She is loved, and is providing cozy companionship.