Jessie!

Pets are a part of our lives--we love them, care for them, enjoy their company, play with and occasionally scold. They are family! If you have ever had a pet that died, you know the heartache of losing a dear, dear friend. Jessie died this month and there is a gaping hole in our lives (and our hearts) with her absence. No routine to keep us grounded in the daily ebb and flow of the basics of life--food, water, outdoor runs to find the "spot" that is just right.

Interestingly, other pets in the household are affected as well. They go looking for her and when she is not found they look at you like, "okay, so just what did you do with our friend." And our hearts break all over again!

While it may seem crazy, I've had a vision in these past weeks which has reminded me that pets are God's creation too. In my understanding, pets are another way that God reaches down in to our world and touches our lives, reminding us of the need to think about the other more than we think about ourselves, to be our companions. To accept others just as they are is a challenge for humans, but not for dogs. They accept us regardless of how grumpy or happy we are. They even work to make a really bad day do an about face. Anyway, my vision.

The area is bright and sunny. Jessie is sitting with her face up looking at a dark haired person who is bent over almost nose to nose. Jessie is licking the man's face, though the face is not visible. Now... Jessie was never one to lick a person's face, or even hand for that matter. Which is what makes this act seem so unusual, so special... so worshipful. It's as if she is saying, "I did good, didn't I? didn't I? I did good, right?" all the while continuing to lick. The man is smiling and laughing and saying, "Yes you did, Jessie-girl, yes you did." Then the scene changes and all that is visible is the man and Jessie headed into the woods. The only part of Jessie that can be seen is her back half with that big puffy black tail at full wag as she follows what is now seen as only the back of the man's legs entering the lush, green woods. There is no looking back, only joy... joy in the present... and in The Presence. And the words resound, "Well done, good and faithful servant... enter into the joy of your Master."

Our pets teach us how to faithfully serve. Are we listening? Are we learning?

May our prayer be that we, too, can approach the throne of God with the confidence that "I did good, didn't I?" so we too can enter into the joy of our Master.