Claimed, gathered and sent

This month that was to be our vacation before starting internship has managed to be one of stress and loss. Saying good-bye to those we love is painful and difficult whether they be beloved friends, family, pets, or places. We leave for internship Tues., Aug. 3. Within the last month we have moved, saying good-by to our apartment of the last two years. Many friends have moved on to their calls, CPE, or their internship sites. We are the last to leave campus for internship. It's getting a bit lonely, yet at the same time seniors are returning from their year of internship. A little over two weeks ago, we said good-bye to our beloved Abby, Ray's retired Seeing Eye dog who was 13 years and 9 months old. Her arthritis pain is now a thing of the past and yet we miss her. We were doing pretty well until today. First of all, our cat, Pokey, cannot come with us on internship. Thankfully, we have made some wonderful friends here at seminary. Among those friends is Denise. As soon as she...

Sophia wrote: My son's tiny beloved lizard, Elf, is looking and acting strange this week. His skin/scales are quite dark, and he is lethargic. We are adding vitamin drops to his lettuce and spinach and hoping and praying that he is just getting ready to shed his skin--but it's too soon to tell. Others in the ring have also been worried about beloved pets this week. And, in the saddest news of all, Songbird has had to bid farewell to her precious Molly , the amazing dog who is well known to readers of her blog as a constant sacrament of God's unconditional love. So in memory of Molly, and in honor of all the beloved animal companions who bless our lives: tell us about the five most memorable pets you have known. The first is my beloved black lab, Tasha who I had to say good-bye to a number of years ago. She loved everyone and if she saw anyone playing a with a ball, she wanted to play too. Abby, who is still with us is next. She's Ray's retired Seeing Eye Dog. Abby...

Last Friday, Abby once more had a chance to go to chapel, as a pet. As a community we celebrated St. Francis' day with a b lessing of the animals. Pets included dogs, cats, fish, a gerbil, and a snake. All were quiet for the most part and very well behaved. The homily reminded us how each animal is doing what it is created to do and thereby glorifies God...as in G enesis where God pronounces "it was good." Much of life in seminary revolves around discerning how we can faithfully live out our baptismal calling. For some that means preparation for the ministry of Word and sacrament, for others Word and service. But as Christ's followers, all of us, in or out of seminary, must daily keep our eye on the prize, just as Paul did, just as we heard in this past Sunday's epistle reading. We need to be who God created us to be. By God's grace, may we too, glorify God in our daily lives as easily as our pets do. flickr picture