The Lavender Cat

From the Jan/Feb 2002 issue of The Essential Herbal
The Story of The Lavender Cat
by Tina Sams
My daughter experienced a very anxious time when she entered second grade in our local public school. She would come home - after what perhaps seemed like an endless day - and say that nobody liked her, that she was dumb, and didn't want to go back. She was very insecure. All of my comforting and reassurances during the evening hours didn't help as she stepped onto the bus and began another anxious day. At that time, Beanie Babies were very popular and, with this in mind, I decided to make her very own little baby, in the form of a little cat, stuffed with dried lavender flowers.
I knew the aromatherapeutic benefits of lavender would help ease her anxiety, but not wanting to add to her stress, I thought better of making her cat appear too "babyish". The cat was made out of black satin, although any tightly woven cloth would work, and a pretty flannel would be very comforting. The finished cat was a mere three inches high and two inches wide with string whiskers and a bow tie.
She was thrilled when presented with the little kitty, and slept with it that night. The next morning it went right into her backpack and it wasn't mentioned again for a while.
Several weeks later I was asked to assist in a classroom project. Arriving at her room, I noticed that my child had her head stuck IN HER DESK with the top pulled down over her. Wondering what she was up to, I made my way to her desk and was met with the sweet aroma of lavender.
My daughter finished her school year with success, boundless energy and a smile. The kitty came home, flattened and well used. The lavender flowers had turned to powder, but had done their job well.
When third grade loomed ahead, the sad little kitten landed in my lap with a request for a refill. It was simply a matter of opening a small seam, stuffing in the lavender, and sewing it back up. Off to school it went for another year. Then another.
Now as she nears the first year of high school, I'm wishing things were as simple to fix.