Carel Price
A few months ago, I received a call from a friend and she wanted to know if I could keep a kitten for her for a little while. She had found a kitten on the side of the highway, but she needed some time to take care of some matters to have the kitten stay with her. I have always been fond of animals, and I felt sorry for this kitten. So, I agreed to keep the kitten until she could do this. The kitten was very, very mischievous, and at my house she grew to have a very curious and quirky personality. However, after a week or so, my son and I came to care for her very much.
One morning, the kitten, who usually sleeps on my feet, was nowhere in sight. I assumed she was sleeping in my son’s room, but he said he hadn’t seen her. We realized that she must have slipped out the night before when we left to get food. My son and I immediately began searching our apartment building to find her. We knocked on the doors of every unit in our building, asking everyone if they had seen our kitten. We listed her description, our phone number, and apartment number, and hung them on each door. Then we began searching outside for her, and we also posted her on social media and called the animal shelter to check if she was brought there. Despite our efforts, we could not find her. We continued to walk the hallways calling her name, hoping to hear her loud, distinctive meow, and searched outside until night fell.
Late that night, I decided to go outdoors and search one more time on my own. While searching, I began to feel guilty about all the times I had gotten easily annoyed with the kitten, not wanting to be bothered by her as she was very pushy and loud and often made messes. I felt anxious and saddened at the thought that she must be so scared, and could even be hurt or lost forever. I should have taken better care of her so that she did not become lost. I made my way back into the apartment building from outdoors and checked in the hollow space under the stairs, though my son and I had checked there several times.
Getting down on the ground with a flashlight and going back further than I had before, I called the kitten’s name one more time. Just then, I saw two glowing eyes barely peeking out. It was the kitten! It was ironic that after searching here and there in all sorts of ways, she ended up being about 10 feet from home the entire time, stuck under the stairs. I happily brought her into the apartment. She was dirty and terrified, but as I carried her to our apartment door, she became excited.
Through this incident, I could not help but think of how I had tried finding my lost brothers and sisters. When the kitten was missing, I stopped everything and made every effort to find her. How immediately and diligently I searched for a kitten, a small creature! So why haven’t I put that same urgent and constant effort into seeking my lost heavenly family? Why did I not patiently take better care of each and every soul who is more precious than everything in the world? I realized that I did not have enough love for brothers and sisters. God has shown me so much love and grace by saving my soul. If I were filled with the love of God, I would have put much more effort into seeking my lost brothers and sisters. The thought of it brought me to tears and I felt so sorry to Father and Mother because I had not taken the gospel work They entrusted to me seriously enough. I earnestly prayed to Father and Mother, asking Them to fill my heart with Their love and passion for finding and taking care of the heavenly family members. I wonder how many may be lost, scared, and stuck out in the world just like the kitten was. Perhaps they are even in my building and because I have not worked diligently enough for the gospel, they have not yet come to the truth. I vowed to pray more earnestly, to study harder, and to seek more diligently so that I may change quickly and be used to lead my lost brothers and sisters back into Heavenly Father and Mother’s arms. I am so thankful to Father and Mother for letting me realize what I need to improve on and teaching me many valuable lessons.