blessed are the hairy.

On Saturday, we took Wrigley to a Blessing of the Animals service held outdoors at Church of the Redeemer, an Episcopal congregation near our home. We'd done the same thing last year, and it was intensely emotional, given the boy's horrible illness during the first part of 2006. This year, I looked at the occasion as a time to just be thankful for the joy he brings us, and for the way he prompts smiles and chuckles from strangers we pass when we're out and about. The minister/priest/pastor (whatever) cracked up as he placed his hands on Wrigley and gave him the blessing. As he talked about the interconnection among all God's creatures, I reached down to pull a dog hair off my black skirt.