Good Friday

Is 'good' a strong enough word to use on Good Friday ?

Growing up I guess I never paid attention to Good Friday except that we got the day off from school so in my mind it WAS a good Friday ! I was always grateful to God for His timing and having all this go down on Friday instead of , say , Tuesday . Good Tuesday and then back to school . Or Work . I'd like to think the three day weekend was part of the plan .

We are cat people . Well , really , kitten people as we don't have much use for them past the first 8 months . They're just so cute in that box the kid's holding at the Publix front door . "Free kittens mister" he says with this sad look in his eyes . "My mom wont let us keep 'em on account of my dad lost his job and she has eye cancer and can't look after them and my sister ran away 'cause we have no food and . . . " "Alright stop . I'll take . . . 2" . sucker .

Dummy . We have 5 kids and each one needs to 'have their own' so I had to go back and get 3 more because it's 'only fair'. I shoulda given 'em the life's not fair speech but there you go . I like cats so I didn't fight it .

Cats are sorta disposable aren't they? We've had bunches over time and they just disappear after a few years . We've taken a couple to the vet in a moment of weakness but mostly if they get sick they wander off and die . I guess . It sounds heartless and fairly irresponsible (sounds ?!?) but my granny used to put 'em in a sack with a brick and toss 'em in the pond so I like to think I've evolved .

It's not a good Friday for one of our cats . I'm going to take it to be put down . He's been sickly for quite a while and he's to the point of being disgusting . He sneezes snot all over the place , he pulls out his hair , doesn't clean himself and he stinks . He's really gross but he's a lover . He wants so bad to be a lap cat but it's like eeeww when he jumps up in your lap .

 I was raking the lawn this morning and he kept coming by and rubbing up against my leg and meowing , wanting a scratch and a rub and a little love . Most of the time he ignores me like all cats until he wants something and then it's purring and the lovey dovey treatment . But he's gross and looking down at him in all his grossness I said you gotta go . I felt bad . He didn't deserve this . He deserved better care . Truth is I don't care . Ouch . I am a small man .

As I contemplated this I realized what day it was . Good Friday . A day when Someone who didn't deserve to die was put down . A day when God looked down at a gross and hairless and stinky humanity and had mercy . At a people who occasionally come around , for a scratch , and a pat and more food in a bowl , and He had mercy . He didn't put me down!  He put His Son down .

Then He raised me up .

It's not Good Friday .

It's Great Friday !