For seven hours we searched and called. Neighbors helped us scour the house in case our missing cat was hiding somewhere. We put out food to bring Merlin back.
Then, as if nothing were ever wrong, Merlin appears in the house. He never left. He was always there.
(A cat that doesn’t want to be found won’t be found.)
We learn that cats often punish their owners for leaving on long trips by ignoring and hiding from the family. Oh, Merlin!
I wake up remembering how desperately I searched. I find myself recalling the statement, “that which you seek is in your midst.”
I think of God and Jacob in Genesis when he cries, “Surely The Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it!”
I think of how he was there all along.
I think of Jeremiah 29:13: “If you seek him, he will be found by you.”
He was here all along!