Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Grace: #AdventWord Day 10


This is a bit what grace has looked like for us over the last 11 years. Our now aged and tired #beagle, whom we rescued when he was two-and-a-half years old, has transformed from an anxious and skiddish pup to a gentle, kind, and gracious companion. When finances are tight, Jax models trust in daily provision. When the stresses of every day push us to the edge, he walks the neighborhood with us as we blow off steam. Jax was an early running partner when a lone mile was my max- and his, too. Jax’ fur absorbs our tears and his snout rests on our lap when we need that assurance we are not alone. In the midst of our deepest longings for children, Jax provided presence when we knew mostly emptiness. On the other side, our kids now count him as one of their (much older) siblings, extending grace to us as he no long gets prime attention. Animals can be, without question, agents of divine grace. St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and ecology, especially considered dogs part of his faith community. “You call it a sin that I love the dog above all else,” I recently saw Francis attributed with asking. “The dog stayed with me in the storm, the man not even in the wind.” On this eleventh day of Advent, I am giving thanks for the grace of my dog who has been with us in and out of life’s storms. I am also grateful for the opportunity we have had to live into grace as we have provided a safe home and family for him for more than a decade. 
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This reminded me of an old post, that time I adopted a squirrel :)