You can hide them, hunt them, or decorate them.
You can dye them, devil them, or fill them with chocolate.
But Easter isn’t really about eggs.
It is all about the basket.
It is hard to find a basket that will not topple over.
The world is a windy place, and pretty baskets waver on a blustery day. This is true even if you are a golden egg.
But when you are a little scrambled to begin with, baskets tumble as you approach. There is no nest for the messy, no room at the inn for a cat like Deku.
Our little hash-brown stray could not walk a straight line or figure out a litter box. His legs and neurons disagreed on which direction to turn. He was too wobbly to jump, navigate, or stand on all four paws at the same time.
A caring shelter took him in and loved him dearly, but fragile Deku needed a bigger basket. It was hard to watch him push his head against the wall, wounding himself, as though he were attempting to break something open.
But sure enough, the stubborn beak of faith cracked a hole in the side of “hopeless.”
Lumbering along, our good egg had nothing to hide. Snuggling, swaggering, and as sunny as a yolk, Deku declared every day his favorite holiday.
He let people hold him longer than a stuffed bunny, begging for belly rubs. He couldn’t knead his paws like an ordinary cat, but he improvised his own little hot cross buns, all zany and zealous.
Deku wobbled to the beat of a neon parade, but his hope did not waver.
And in the fullness of time, the gift found his basket.
Deku became a Tabby’s Place cat.
Tabby’s Place is not the porcelain basket on Martha Stewart’s banquette. We are not the Lenox heirloom that your fussy aunt won’t let you touch.
We have mismatched ribbons, googly eyes in strange places, and pee pads instead of fancy napkins. If you are looking for a basket with no cracked eggs, go to the home decor store.
But if you are looking for a basket that won’t fall over, even if you are a wobbly wondercat with needs, nerves, and questionable hygiene, welcome home.
If you are looking for a nest where the cracked will never get their hearts broken, hop on in.
We believe in a big basket here at Tabby’s Place, big enough for all the gifts love sends our way. Deku was wanted before he even made his debut, with staff members jostling for the honor of fostering him.
That joy went to Jae, second to none among foster parents. In Jae’s care, our messy, mushy, miraculous little cat explored, rejoiced, and confirmed that there is no outer limit on love, so you never have to worry about falling out.
This basket is too bountiful for anyone to carry alone.
Staff and volunteer hands wrap around the handle, entwined with donors, lovers, and doctors like the specialist who will not rest until he cracks the code of Deku’s condition. (All we know at this point is that our most remarkable boy’s MRI is unremarkable. There is no anatomical explanation for his condition, yet.)
And this basket is big enough to carry the “strong,” too.
We are all a little scrambled. Most of us don’t need someone to hold our food dish right under our noses, or clean up our fourth accident of the day. We can walk a straight line. We dye and decorate ourselves presentable.
Then, Deku interrupts brunch to remind us: we can put all of our eggs in this basket.
Love is not going to drop a single one of us, no matter how we wobble.
This is the Tabby’s Place way.
It’s all about the basket.
Happy Easter, dear ones.