Prayer works. There were 3 times in my life that I remember Mom´s prayers, but that was long before she could have a prayer group with United Cats.
One was the night I died, she and a friend prayed that I crossed the Rainbow Bridge in peace and love, for I was old and sick and in pain. That prayer came true, as she was going to put me to sleep the next day, but I went on my own, in her arms, with great relief.
One was the time Bonker ate a nylon rope - like a boat rope. It was a toy in the house, we played with it all the time, but Bonker didn´t understand, and ate it. It frayed as it got to his intestines, and became a stiff nylon brush there, which perforated his intestines in several places. He was very very sick, and had to have 2 surgeries. Mom went to visit him every day, and prayed for him constantly, through infection, IV´s and surgery. She told the Goddess that if She would bring Bonker to health, he would be fed Iams or better all his days. And even though Bonker had to go through a lot, I benefitted, because I got Iams or Science Diet after that.
Another time she prayed was about me. She went to Florida with Bonker´s new Mom, and I was left with ex-Dad, who worked 70 hours a week and didn´t pay close attention to things like Mom. Well, this was in January, and it was a cold January at that, when I slipped out the door. I had been missing for 5 days when Mom got back from Florida. Boy was she MAD at ex-Dad! I was her kitty!
Dad just kind of shrugged. Momma started praying. Please let Squeak be safe, please bring her home, please don´t let her be lost or in the PCB creek/woods, please don´t let a skunk or dog or white-trash child get ahold of her. Please bring her home.
It was a week later when she was getting ready to feed Grendel, and she asked him to sing, like she always did at dinnertime. Well he sang, and then she heard another "Meow" after he was done! OMG! She asked him to sing again, and she heard the extra "Meow" again! OMG! I was under the house, where I could keep a little warm and dry in the snow and cold winter.
She made ex-Dad crawl under the house to get me (it´s the least he could do - I had never been outside since I was a kitten!), and sure enough, there I was, hungry and dehydrated but fine! I often wonder if this was the incident which contributed to my failing kidneys later in life, as I didn´t eat for 2 weeks, and could only lick at puddles or snow that I found for water.
So my faith is this: Prayer works. Sacrifice works. Love one another.
Squeak