July 12, 2018
About two years ago, my husband and I adopted a dog from Lost Dog and Cat Rescue. Her name is Tucson - named after the Arizona city where part of my husband's family is from. We thought her colors looked a little like the desert. I have always loved dogs, but my family hadn't had one since I was about three years old. My husband grew up on a farm in Nebraska, and as a general rule they had at minimum two dogs at any given time...he knew what he was getting into. But Tucson came into my life and changed it in some really unexpected ways. I am not a morning person, but now I get up earlier to make sure Tucson (alias: "Toosey-Goosey," alias: "The Goose") gets walked and fed. I am not an exercising person, but now I walk a couple miles a day with her. I run home on my lunch breaks to let her out. I endlessly throw tennis balls because she will never not want to play fetch. My life has taken on a whole new pattern, and it's all Tucson's fault. We are in a season of the church year called "Ordinary Time." Whenever we're not in a special season like Advent or Lent or Easter, we are in Ordinary Time. It's what Godly Play refers to as "the green and growing season." It's whenever you see green hangings and vestments in the sanctuary. Ordinary Time is where we live most of our lives. It's the day in and day out patterns, the rhythms of work and life and family time. And patterns of time are important. As Annie Dillard once said, "how we spend our days is how we spend our lives." Tucson has changed how I spend my days, particularly how they begin and how they end. And even though it is remarkably ordinary, there's also something about it that's remarkably sacred. When I examine each day and look for where God was present, I'm surprised by how often the answer includes Tucson. But then again, of course God is present wherever there is love. The love between a dog and their person. It's just as ordinary as that.
See you Sunday,
Kelly