Scary cats and crazy mothers

So. There is this freakishly ugly cat that has adopted my neighbor and in turn likes to hang out on my front porch. My neighbor has decided to feed this cat and so it has decided to stay. Now when I say I am not a cat lover - this is true. When I say I HATE the smell of cat pee - this is true. When I say that I haven't looked twice at this mangy cat - this is true. Blech. It is skinny and has oozy sores that oozed its ooze on my front chair. My mom went to pet it and it is missing half its front teeth. Blech. It is a disgusting cat. I personally think it might be a witch. But anyway...I digress. My mother is a cat lover. She has always had cats and will one day be one of those crazy cat ladies with 5,000 cats running around her house. And peeing all over her house. It will not smell nice to visit her....Again I digress.
Anyhow, here is the story at hand and the purpose of this blog post. Compassion oozes out of my mom like ooze oozes out of this cat onto my chair. Jeff told her not to feed that cat because he doesn't want it hanging out here. I think she triednot to feed it. But on the last day she was here I saw her sneak out front with something. I ran out after her and saw her giving that witch cat the leftover eggs from breakfast. She had the most guilty look on her face and the most sad one too. "Oh Mel, Look at how skinny he is! He is sick and skinny and needs food." Then she went on to quote some scripture that she embellished and changed to meet her needs, "When you have done it unto the least of these my creatures....." My mom sat down on my front driveway and petted and petted the witch until it purred and purred. Then it opened its mouth and tried to bite her. (That's how we know it is missing front teeth.) My mom could not NOT feed that cat. It isn't in her nature.
Tonight when I pulled into the driveway, that cat bolted off my porch and over to my neighbors. Right then I got thinking about my dear mom and how much she loves me and EVERYONE and every creature too. When we were younger she brought people home too. She is has had many people live with her. My cousin, another cousin's son...some kid who slept in our garage - Thomas, the list goes on and on. She is letting a couple and their daughter live in her house for free when she goes on her mission. She is always the one who became friends with the kids in her class that needed the extra love and attention. The elders in Rochester are going to LOVE her. She is so fun and so encouraging and so concerned about everyone around her. She has a gift. I love her for it.
Someday when she is gone I'm going to remember her sneaking out the door with food for that mangy cat and I'm going to wish that I can grow up just like her someday. I'm grateful for her example of always giving everyone the benefit of the doubt and not judging - just loving everyone. Thanks mom. You're amazing.
(And I still hope I accidentally run over that freaky cat. I have a long ways to go....)