Critters 'R Us

Gonna have fun this Saturday! We're doing a Blessing of the Animals and I'm so looking forward to it! I just love getting to do something new and creative for us. Of course, we aren't doing it at the 'traditional' time of year, but I didn't think we should wait that long.

It started when I noticed that my dog Penny was acting weirder than her usual run-of-the-mill weird. (My own run-of-the-mill weird isn't back to usual, so that's not completely unexpected.) When you get right down to it, she's in a strange place, since we're not living in our home, and her buddy the cat is still at my mom's in Houston, and everything else is topsy-turvy. We don't have a mail slot at our house, but she watches the one where we're staying very carefully day after day (even Sundays!). Over the last 2-3 weeks, she's begun biting the mail as it comes through the slot. It's encouraging to know that, if anyone ever decides to attack me through the mail slot, I'll be safe. *chuckle*

Then, I started hearing others talking about their pets (friends, companions, best buds - more than just an animal around the house), how many were dealing with various illnesses, how they had endured the evacuation along with their families or been left at home because no one expected things to get as bad as they did or were kenneled and cared for but conditions were not good, and how others were mourning the loss of pets after the storm. I got to thinking about the two firemen's dogs who stayed at the church after the storm, so they could be close to their family, safe and cared for.

It dawned on me that the animals who hold a special spot in our lives and their families might benefit from a special service recognizing what we have all been through together and what is still going on during our recovery. So, we're having a Blessing of the Animals on Saturday. People will be bringing their pets, or pictures if the travel would be too much for them or if their human companion wants to celebrate a beloved friend who's died. Haven't quite decided what all we'll do yet - but it'll be fairly short.

I did have to promise that I wouldn't bring the animals into the sanctuary (don't tell anyone, but Penny's been through on more than one occasion, but then she was the only dog present!). I haven't quite figured out what I'll do if someone brings a 'slither critter' on Saturday (that old Genesis thing about enmity may just kick in when you least? most? expect it!). Whatever the outcome, I'm planning on having a wonderful time!