A Tale For Cat Lovers Of All Ages: "A Sense Of Purpose" by Russell H. Plante

In December of 2019 I had the honor of reading/reviewing "Journey Home A Cat's Tale: by Russell H. Plante. I had written:

If you are looking for a thought-provoking, touching, deeply sensitive and philosophical read that will draw you in and not release you until the very last page, I urge you to add this deeply touching book to your ever-growing cat library. It is simply beautiful. I had a few tears at the end (happy tears), I also had a few chills. I smiled, I cried, but most of all I was happy that I jumped on the opportunity to read this most beautiful story. It is my wish that you will do the same!

What I wrote above are my exact sentiments about A Sense Of Purpose, by Author Russell H. Plante. It is intended to be the sequel to Journey Home A Cat's Tale.

A Sense of Purpose

"A sense of purpose means having something in your life that, without you, might never be achieved or accomplished. We all have a sense of purpose, but we may not always understand its significance to our own lives or how it can affect others."

Allow me to repeat what is posted above on the back cover: "Inspired by actual events, this is a philosophical story for all ages about life's journey from the perspective of a cat---a journey that teaches us the things we do in life, no matter how small, can affect others in so many ways and that every living being has a sense of purpose..."

While the trailer is a tad ominous and dark, the book as a whole, is NOT. It is inspiring. It is comforting. 

This time the focus is on Chester, an important character in Journey Home: A Cat's Tale. "he was that down to earth, honest and helpful character that we all wish existed in our lives, always there to help, to be a friend, to be a positive influence. who was orphaned on the streets of Manhattan." Chester, in the first book  was known for teaching cats  "how to observe the things around them, how to fight if I needed to, how to understand themselves better by putting themselves in the place of others and treating them as they would want to be treated, and how to be a good and decent cat."

Chester was definitely a "good and decent cat." 

When I am reading books that I will be reviewing, I often dog-ear pages (yes, I know that is an awful thing to do, but I do it!) that contain excerpts that I might wish to refer back to when I am writing my review. When I finished "A Sense of Purpose" and looked to see what I had folded, the number of pages that I had folded were nearly THE ENTIRE BOOK. That is just an example of how compelling, thought-provoking and moving this book is.

I would like to share some of those excerpts with you, beginning with the dedication:

"For my wife---her kindness and compassion toward the plight of a homeless cat named Chester will always overwhelm me."

That quote, in and of itself gives you some insight into the kind of man/person that Russell Plante is. I got to know him more in the months following the passing of Cody and Dakota. When he reached out to me about his latest book, while he hoped that I would review it at some point, the main reason he wanted to send it to me was to try and bring me some comfort. At that time I was nowhere near ready to read or review ANY book, but Russell's gentle assurance that this book would touch me on so many levels, was spot on. I am thankful and grateful that Russell ignored my protests about not wanting to review any books. Russell, like Chester, DEFINITELY IS "a good and decent cat!!"

ANOTHER EXCERPT:

"Time passed quickly, and with it, I learned that sometimes you don't appreciate the special moments in life. It's just that you don't always recognize they ARE special moments until they're gone."

  A Sense Of Purpose, along with many other life/character lessons,  inspires us to think about how all that has happened in our lives, the people and animals that we have met along the way, all of them  have shaped us into who we are today. It is a heartfelt, moving and inspiring read. I found myself trying to read faster and faster as the events that unfolded piqued my interest and curiosity, and made me want to hurry and read what was going to happen next. While a few tears were shed, it was a thoroughly enjoyable and deeply sensitive and loving read, one that I had trouble putting down. As Russell had hoped would happen when he had emailed me to tell me about "A Sense Of Purpose", rather than bring me more pain,  it brought me more comfort than I could have ever have imagined.

A final thought from A Sense of Purpose:

"You never say a final goodbye to those who touch your life and make a positive difference in some way. Sometimes they remain as fond memories from the past. Other times you might be fortunate if they're able to return and once again share your life in the present....Never forget, in one single moment, without warning, events can happen to any one of us and change our lives........"

I urge you to purchase BOTH of the books, Journey Home: A Cat's Tale AND the sequel, A Sense of Purpose by Russell H. Plante. They are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and   please stop by  Russell's website   where you can purchase the books as well. You may also connect with him on Facebook.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Russell Plante is an Engineering Physicist with a diverse engineering and academic background in Engineering Physics, Electrical Engineering, and Business Administration.  He has held positions as a systems engineer with Automation Industries, Inc., a project engineer in Kalwall Corp's Solar Division, and Department of Defense Branch Head in Control Engineering, Welding Engineering, and Quality Control Engineering Analysis.  While at the DOD, he was appointed by the University of Maine to advise and assist the Physics Department in providing an industrial perspective for quality education.  A skilled technical writer, he is a previously published author and has received awards for Solar Building Engineering Design from the State of Maine Office of Energy Resources and from the U.S. Department of Energy for Energy Innovation Technologies.