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
