Good Morning, Digital Neighbors!

As we move deeper into this beautiful autumn week, I wanted to spend a little time reflecting on pets. A few weeks ago I wrote about wildlife and the invitation to wonder at God’s creation that we share with so many marvelous creatures. Pets are different: they’ve crossed the threshold and become part of the family. They are not human persons—nor will they ever be—and even the worst human being possesses an infinitely higher intrinsic dignity than the most beloved pet. Yet many people today struggle to admit that simple truth.

Dennis Prager once said that if you’re in a boat and have to choose between saving your drowning dog or a drowning stranger, and you choose the dog, you have done something morally wrong. I agree with him. As heartbreaking as that choice would be, I confess that my heart would still pull me toward the dog who loves me unconditionally rather than the stranger whose name I don’t even know. Moral clarity is not always comfortable. We live in an age of reckless moral confusion and distorted relationships. (That was something of an aside, but an important one—to keep pets in their proper, beloved, but still subordinate place.)

And yet… isn’t it strangely true that many pets behave better than a lot of the humans we encounter online these days? Funny, that. Now, on to a quote, a prayer, and a few more musings about our four-legged friends.

Homecoming

“Whether I’ve been halfway around the world or just out to the mailbox, Jenny’s greeting upon my return is equally enthusiastic. I hear her preparing for my arrival as I walk across the garage. First comes the gentle thud as she leaps off the couch in the family room above me, then the rapid clicking of toenails racing across the kitchen tiles, and finally the joyous thawp-thawp-thawp of her sturdy tail against the mudroom walls. By the time I open the back door, Jenny’s tail is wagging so furiously that her whole body is wiggling. She leans into me—nearly taking me out at the knees—as if she simply can’t get close enough. She looks up with those golden eyes shining with pure joy. It’s always a perfect homecoming.” — Christine Otto Hirshland

I have been so richly blessed. Both Jackson and Holly loved me with their whole hearts, and more often than not they were waiting right at the door the moment I came home. I am still blessed to have Holly-cat with me at 14 years old, and I still miss Jackson. Rylee-girl is different, of course, but she is wonderful and delightful in her own perfect way. She is such a joyful girl. The latest addition is Ivy-kit and you will probably hear more about them later in the week. Have a wonderful Monday, everyone!