October 4 – the Feast of St.Francis. Here we are in Texas — Gloriae Dei Cantores on the road. I think more than half of us have left a furry friend at home to make this trek, and St. Francis Day came and went without our being able to take our beloved pets to the Blessing of the Animals at the Church of the Transfiguration at home. It’s always an adventure, bundling up the cats in warm blankets to carry them (and remain unscratched), checking to be sure all the leashes are secure, piling rabbits, turtles, hamsters, and various furry (or not so furry) creatures into their respective carry-cases and making the journey to the Common, hopefully to arrive with all the animals you started out with! Then, to a cacophony of barks, meows, snorts, hisses, and whines, the clergy invoke the name of Francis, lover of all God’s creatures, and proclaim God’s blessing on the menagerie! It’s always fun, and a little crazy, and I’m sad not to be there this year. So my spirits are lifted when a beep announces the arrival of an email, and it is a video clip from a friend at home, watching the event from way up the bell tower, and there, in the lower right hand corner, I spot my boy, patiently standing with tail wagging, and I whisper my own prayer for him and thanks to God for bringing him into my life!
