ADAM SAID: “LORD, WHEN I WAS IN the garden, you walked with me every day. Now I see you no longer. I am lonesome here and it is difficult for me to remember how much you love me.” And God said, “I will create a companion for you who will be with you forever and who will be a reflection of my love for you, so that you will know that I love you, even when you cannot see me.

Regardless of how selfish, childish and unlovable you may be, this companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourself.”

So God created an animal to be Adam’s companion; it was a good animal and God was pleased.The new animal was pleased to be with Adam and wagged its tail wherever they went. And Adam said, “Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and all the good names are taken. I cannot think of a name for this new animal.”

God replied, “Because I created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, its name will be a reflection of my own name and you will call it ‘Dog.’” And Dog lived with Adam and was a constant companion to him and loved him. Adam was comforted, God was pleased and Dog was content and wagged its tail.

Eventually it came to pass that Adam’s guardian angel came to God and said, “Lord, Adam has become filled with pride. He struts and preens like a peacock and believes he is worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught him that he is loved, but no one has taught him humility.”

And the Lord said, “I will create for him a companion who will be with him forever and who will see him as he is. This companion will remind him of his limitations, so he will know that he is not always worthy of adoration.”

And so, God created Cat to be a companion to Adam. But Cat would not obey Adam, and when Adam gazed into Cat’s eyes, he was reminded that he was not the Supreme Being.

In this way Adam learned humility, God was pleased, Dog wagged its tail, and Cat…? cat didn’t care one way or the other.