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dreamprayact

~ Reflections of a preacher, poet, and contemplative activist

dreamprayact

Monthly Archives: December 2013

A Dog’s Last Will & Testament

22 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Dogs

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

canine companion, Christmas, healing, loss, Pomeranian, poodle mix, rescue dogs

bailey 3A year ago, just a few days before Christmas, my wife Dallis and I walked into a dog rescue organization “just to look.” We walked through the kennels, and in one we saw four small dogs. Three of them were jumping and barking as you might expect. The fourth one sat there quietly in the chaos and looked at us with eyes that said, “Well, are you going to let me out, or what?” We asked to see him. Then we walked him on a leash, and he didn’t seem to have a clue about that. But he was trusting and he liked to be held. So we took him home on a “trial basis” — no papers signed, no promises, no nothing! Within half-an-hour our hearts were hooked.

It had been almost a year since we lost our Pomeranian named Sadie, who died suddenly of congestive heart failure at the age of just eight years old. Our hearts were still a little tender. But Bailey entered our lives just before Christmas, much to our surprise, and helped in the healing process.

I ran across the piece below written by an unknown author that helps me to remember that the grief of loss is soothed by finding another pet to love.

bailey 2
Bailey was initially found wandering the streets of our city. He was in bad shape. He was held at the county shelter right up to the day before his time on earth was scheduled to expire. But the strange and wonderful serendipity of him entering our lives is that we initially thought we were “rescuing” him, and it turns out that he “rescued” us. He came into our lives right at the right time, and he makes us laugh at least once a day!

Here’s the piece titled, “A Dog’s Last Will and Testament,” author unknown. I imagine Sadie, who wasn’t all that crazy about other dogs, approving nonetheless of us finding another canine companion to share our home. Some of her toys and beds remain, and Bailey now enjoys them.

Before humans die, they write their Last Will & Testament, and give their home and all they have to those they leave behind.

If, with my paws, I could do the same, this is what I’d ask…

To a poor and lonely stray I’d give:
My happy home,
My bowl,
My cozy bed,
My soft pillows and all my toys,
The lap which I loved so much,
The hand that stroked my fur and the sweet voice which spoke my name.
I’d will to the sad, scared shelter dog the place I had in my human’s heart, of which there seemed no bounds.

So when I die please do not say, “I will never have a pet again, for the loss and pain is more than I can stand.” Instead, go find an unloved dog; one whose life has held no joy or hope and give MY place to him. This is the only thing I can give … the love I left behind.

bailey 5

If this World were my Classroom

19 Thursday Dec 2013

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Uncategorized

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I don’t normally “Reblog” someone else’s writing. I am making an exception because I want to share the unique perspective of Sharon, someone I only know through the blogging community, and yet I feel a connection with her and her family because of the transparency of her writing and photography. Her blog consistently offers a window upon the world that is full of wonder and questioning, gratitude and awe, and these are the very qualities that I try to cultivate in my own life. So please enjoy this blog post from my friend Sharon! Blessings, Mark

A Leaf in Springtime

SONY DSC

If this World were my classroom
I would greet each day as a lesson
I would treat each person as a teacher
And accept each moment as an opportunity to learn.

If this World were my classroom
I would sit very, very still
And pay close attention
So as not to miss a single thing.

I would peer excitedly
Into the pages of every new dawn
Like a newly opened
Gift. SONY DSC

With reinvigorated anticipation
I would learn
That radiant acquiescence
Is the secret to contentment.

If this World were my classroom
I would try not to run ahead in impatience
Neither be held back by my own unbelief
For I would see with new eyes.

If this World were my classroom
I would learn to recognise
The false masters
Of Vain Imaginings and Idle Fancies. SONY DSC

When I gaze at the scattering stars above
The wonder that grips my soul
Would…

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Prayer for the World’s Children

14 Saturday Dec 2013

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Prayers, Worship Liturgy

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Tags

3rd Sunday of Advent, Advent, Bethlehem, children, Christmas story, grace and truth, humanity, incarnation, Jesus, Mary, Mary's Song, peace, prayers for victims of violence, sacred worth, the poor

God who lifts up the lowly and humbles the lofty,
God who bends down to be with us in our humanity,
we pray in the name of the Child of Bethlehem
for all of the children of this vast and beautiful world.

We pray for immigrant children, street children,
neglected and abused children, at-risk children,
and children in good, stable, loving homes.

We pray for safe environments where children can be children,
with the freedom to explore their common identity
without the shadows of fear and danger hanging over them.

We pray for the safety and security of people living in places
where deep divisions exist and turmoil has taken hold.

We admit to feelings of despair and anxious thoughts
as we consider the violence on our own city streets.

We confess to a sense of helplessness and uncertainty
as we question how things will ever change for the better.

In the midst of our prayers and concerns this holy season
we come to listen anew to the wondrous story
of how you become known to us in fragile flesh,
how you enter into the very places we most fear and bring peace,
how your goodness overcomes evil and your life overcomes death.

Jesus, born in a stable under the boot of imperial rule,
lives a life in the fullness of divine grace and truth
that challenges the oppressive violence of his time.

Jesus, born to a young girl living below the poverty line,
lives a life of radical trust, deep compassion and abundant mercy.

In this holy season may we also begin to trust you more fully.

May we also resist the violent ways of the world and seek paths of peace.

May we also challenge the systems that marginalize the poor and vulnerable.

May we do more than offer charity and hand-outs.

Rather let us stretch our limited consciousness
and begin to believe in the sacred worth of each person we meet.

Let us, like Mary, seek the favor of God.

May our souls also magnify the Lord and rejoice in God our Savior.

May we do our best to walk in the way of Jesus,
who is our life and our hope, now and always.

Words (c) 2013 Mark Lloyd Richardson

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