When my puppy died, I was inconsolable. Then a woman from church told me about an emaciated pit bull she called “Pumpkin,” who needed a home. I agreed to foster her for a little while, but was reluctant to adopt. Pumpkin was sick and I knew that I couldn’t handle losing another dog. But I figured I could feed and walk her. Slowly but surely, I fell in love. A month later I knew that she was my dog and I was her human. I adopted her and a few weeks later she was given a clean bill of health.
Pumpkin has been a gift in so many ways; She is a comfort to me when I am alone. She is a little jokester who always makes me laugh. But, the greatest gift that she has given me is her creatureliness. Her little sighs, whimpers, yawns–all the things that remind me that the two of us are animals created for each other by a loving God.
Today we remember James, the apostle. This message is adapted from “Happy tails to you and me” written by Mary Button in the August 2012 issue of Café magazine.