A Tiny Reminder of Trust

Some mornings, the world hands you a lesson before the day even begins. Today, mine came wrapped in fur no bigger than my palm.

Down the road, where the blacktop bends and the guardrail hums with the memory of passing cars, we found kittens. Their mama never came back—likely caught by the cruel swiftness of a road that doesn’t wait for anyone. We gathered them up, small voices crying out, and carried them to safety. One by one, little homes opened their doors, even one waiting quietly for my granddaughter, though she hasn’t heard the surprise yet.

But this morning, as the coffee warmed me from the inside, I cradled the tiniest one. She pressed against my chest, trembling, eyes wide in a world that must’ve felt too big without her mama, too lonely without her kin. And there I sat, just a stranger to her, yet the only thing she had to hold onto.

I thought about how fragile trust really is. How a creature so small could hand her life over without question, hoping I’d be gentle. Hoping I’d prove worthy.

Ain’t that the way of life? We’re all that kitten sometimes. Lost, alone, unsure if the world is safe enough to let our guard down. Vulnerable as glass in a storm. And yet—it is in those moments of openness, of trembling honesty, that something holy can happen. That’s when gentleness shows itself, when kindness can reach in and cradle the fragile places.

I realized, holding her, that life doesn’t ask us to be hard. It asks us to be aware. To notice the small heartbeats beside us. To live more gentle, more thoughtful, more trusting, even when it’s risky.

That little kitten reminded me of a truth:

• Life is fragile.

• Love is risky.

• And gentleness is the way forward.

So today I’ll try to walk softer, to handle the world like that kitten in my hands—innocent, fragile, yet full of hope. And maybe, if we’re all a little more tender, the world will remember how to trust us back.

Donna Sue~