It was December 2018, a dark time in my life. I was homeless, alone, and feeling especially depressed around the holidays. Watching others celebrate with their families made my loneliness even harder to bear. Survival was my priority, but I felt weighed down by sadness and isolation.
A few days before Christmas, I was gathering bags of recyclables to cash in. As I bent down to retrieve a few cans that had rolled under a canoe near my camp, I noticed a tiny orange tabby kitten, no more than four or five weeks old, staring at me. Startled, I paused, but the kitten just looked back without any fear. I tried to coax the little one out, but he wouldn’t budge. With no success, I continued with my day, cashing in my recyclables and moving on.
