The Fisherman and the Cat
Quite possibly one of the sweetest things that I have ever witnessed 💛
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Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away.
-maya angelou
This moment - on our very last morning in Sicily - is quite possibly one of the sweetest things that I have ever witnessed. For those of you who also follow us on Instagram, you may have seen some of these pics and I apologize for the redundancy 🙏 however, I wanted to share it with all of our newsletter readers as it highlights the best of humanity in this world …and continues to make my heart smile. The photo above now sits on my desk at home as a reminder. 💛
On our last morning in Sicily, we were up before dawn getting ready to head back to the Palermo airport. We had spent our final night in the lively seaside town of Castellammare del Golfo, about 30 minutes from the airport. Outside our room, the twinkle of the streetlights was slowly giving way to the early morning light. My bags were packed and tucked near the door. I stood on our little balcony overlooking the harbor. watching an occasional lone soul walk along the promenade.
At the end of the promenade adjacent to the harbor, there is a small castello (visible in the photo above) and just beyond, a Piazzale that stretches towards the Gulf of Castellmare with views of the bay and the hills stretching south from Palermo. I realized that the sun would just be coming up over the hills. So with a bit of time to kill, I headed out for a walk while Jay finished getting ready.
As I rounded the corner, the sun was just peaking over the mountains. As I walked to the edge of the pavement, I noticed a lone fisherman sitting on the rocks off to my left (just visible between the rails in the photo below). I snapped a few sunrise photos and wandered over to the rail near the fisherman, watching him take a cast. A few cats sat on nearby rocks, keenly eyeing up the fisherman.
I stood quietly watching, hoping to not disturb. Soon I watched another man scrabble over the metal fence and sit alongside the fisherman, chatting in heavy Sicilian dialect, as the morning light grew brighter. It was then that the fisherman tugged on his line and whistled. A little black cat, one amongst the handful of cats watching the fisherman, ran over. He said something to the little cat as she watched him reel in his catch. I was surprised to see that the catch was nothing more than a tiny fish but he appeared to keep up his chatter to the little cat as he carefully unhooked his catch.
I smiled at the gentleness with which this big burly Sicilian fisherman appeared to be nodding and talking to the cat. He tossed his line back in the water. It was then that I realized that the cat was headed in my direction - with the fish in her mouth.
A bit shocked, I watched as she jumped from rock to rock, intent on reaching the stone promenade. As she neared the rail only a few feet from where I stood, she began to make a squeaking sound. I thought perhaps that I was in her way and moved to the side in case I was the problem. It was then that the little heads began to appear from beneath the rocks literally inches from my feet. One by one four little kittens emerged, hungry for breakfast. I suddenly realized that Mama was bringing the fish to feed her little ones.
But then, I watched as the little cat walked back out towards the fisherman. The kittens disappeared under the rocks, dragging their breakfast along with them. The cat took her spot with the other cats near the fisherman, sitting quietly on a rock a few feet away. And again, as he reeled in his next catch, he once again called her over. Back to the rail she came, fish in mouth, giving a little squeak as a sign that she was back with more. This continued until finally, she had had enough to feed all her little ones. It was only then that she rested on the warm cement at the edge as the kittens, fed and frisky, tumbled playfully over her and the nearby rocks.
I think my heart swelled ten times in those moments; a witness to an all too rare glimpse into the goodness of humanity. I turned towards the fisherman giving him an unseen silent nod and headed back to the hotel. With my heart full and a smile to match, it was time to go.
May your day always be filled with such kindness,
Be back next week with a recipe from Joey…of course, from our Sicily trip!
Alla prossima,
🥰 baci baci
Michele ❤️
But before we go - introducing ‘A Tavola’, our menu and recipe downloads!
For our premium subscribers 🙏, we are introducing our new quarterly menu and recipe downloads which we are calling ‘A Tavola’ (at the table). Each e-download will feature a collection of recipes that inspire us - be it a celebration of the freshest produce of the season, of a specific region in Italy, or of family and friends; simple, and approachable menus and recipes that bring us together at the table.
In mid-October, we are kicking off our series with one that is so very near and dear to our hearts - Sunday Supper, a menu featuring our Mom’s legendary ragu; always chock full of the softest meatballs and tender braciole; a meal we shared together as a family every Sunday after 11 AM Mass. (But we were never allowed to touch the sauce before mass…off limits!)
We round out our Sunday menu with an aperitivo (because why not?), an antipasto and a fave dessert - recipes that we make at home often. Our hope is that these recipes will inspire you to gather friends and family ‘a tavola’. 💛
Stay tuned for more information in a few weeks! xx
This story should be shared anytime we need hope. Grazie!
Nice story, well written