In our intentional village that is Live Oak, the one part of our lives we often don’t get the opportunity to share is that we share with our pet companions. This Sunday, we do exactly that with our Animal Blessing service. It will be in our church backyard, right off the Fellowship Hall. Bring your pets (on a leash or in a cage) and a lawn chair if you have one, and we’ll enjoy sharing worship with our non-human friends who mean so much.

Isn’t it interesting how creatures who communicate with us through everything but actual words have the power to shape who we become? Some of my clearest childhood memories are putting a doll’s bonnet on my cat Sam, and teaching my dog Fred how to jump through a hoop. (Hmm, maybe the best lessons I received about patience came through what my pets exhibited with me!)

And, they leave a vacuum in our hearts when they are gone. For those who have lost a pet recently, there will be a ritual of remembrance after the service in our pet memorial garden.