Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Gila, al fresca




My little dog, Gila, apparently enjoys dining 'al fresca' – outside. Tonight, my lovable 18 month old bundle of mischief toted a carrot from the house all the way to the back corner of our 3 acre property, laid down in the sand and, under the ¾ moon and the twinkling stars, to the hoots of a nearby owl, calmly enjoyed her carrot while our 2 cats (Guido and Gracie) and Jett (our terrier mix) and I looked on. When she had eaten at least half of it, she got up, grabbed the remnants of her carrot and trotted back to the house, at one point pausing to sniff the air as if enjoying the aroma from the field of black-eyed Susie wildflowers.

Once inside, a noisy commotion erupted from the bedroom. Gila repeatedly leaped onto the bed on one side, ran across it, jumped down to the floor on the other side and continued this acrobatic circle while barking in a wild frenzy of excitement. Why? How should I know? I don't speak Havanese bark!

Jett, bless his pea-pickin' little heart, taught Gila how to bark.  Gila and Jett are best buddies. Jett looks like a cross between a Scottish Terrier and Pumbaa the warthog in the “Lion King” movie. Something in the way he walks. Anyway, they are quite a pair, wrestling in the living room over their favorite toys, running the local squirrels ragged, and competing for their favorite treat, salmon jerky. Can you tell I love my fur-babies?

So what has this got to do with spirituality or prayer?

I just find myself thinking about our Heavenly Father. I imagine Him looking down from His throne and watching us frantically bustling around or wrestling with some concept or .... just maybe ... pausing to reflect on the beauty of His creation with a grateful heart. How great and wonderful He is and how very compassionate to all His creation!

And so, this week's prayer is one of thanksgiving.

I give You thanks, my Father and King, for simple joys: the scent of wildflowers, the glow of moonlight, the symphony of crickets and the hoot of the owl. Thank You, my Father, for my little fur-babies who rival circus clowns in their antics and make me smile when I get too serious for my own good. Thank You for my mishpokha, the family of the heart, who have bound themselves in love to You and thus to me. Thank You for the health, happiness and prosperity You have given me to enjoy. Thank you for the freedom to worship You in spirit and in truth. Thank You for removing the scales from my eyes so that I could see You more clearly. Thank You for Messiah who paid a debt I could never possibly pay. How I pray I will one day hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Keep me from all things that would derail that aspiration!  Thank You for the encouraging words of scripture that tell me (when it seems all the rest of the world says otherwise) that I "can do all things through Messiah who strengthens me." Thank You, Father – just, thank You for who You are. How great is Your glory, Your strength and Your power! and yet, You are mindful of me. I praise You with all that I am, with all that I hope to be. HalleluYah! Amein!

Shalom b'shem Sar Shalom - Peace in the name of the Prince of Peace,
yocheved