God of Small Things - Day 18

What is a little thing, is (just) a little thing.
But to be faithful in a little thing
is a great thing.

(St. Augustine, De Doctrina Christiana, lV, 35).

Throughout this time of Covid-19, lockdowns and isolating, our pets have become even more integral in supporting our emotional and spiritual health. Just think about how joyful our animals can be! A dog will greet you at the door with a wagging tail and a bark that says, “Hey, I’m so glad you’re home.” When I had horses, they followed me around the barnyard, neighing gently as if to suggest I’m not paying them enough attention. In the Springtime, when released daily into the big field with all the fresh grass, they would gallop happily around that field, bucking and kicking with delight in anticipation of the bounty that laid just under their hooves.

Perhaps our pets are God’s ambassadors for joyful expectation and anticipation? They seem to show us, in their own special ways, how to delight, celebrate and give thanks for God’s great creation. Dogs bark and wag their tails in friendship and delight, and horses kick and bound around in fields of plenty. May we too find joyful anticipation in the small things of God’s creation.

"Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!'"                                                              Revelation 5:13

Stephanie Wood