Day 090r: Rose by any other name … (July 13, 2019)
The third dog on hand at the Peaceable Kingdom was named Rose, and she was the newest member of its gentle flock. Rebekah had told me that Rose had been abused by her previous “owners” (What a ridiculous term; as if any human has the standing to “own” a dog – or any other animal, for that matter!) and that she was exceptionally unfond of men in particular. As such, I kept my respectful distance from her, first while I was cleaning the courtyard and then later while I was playing around with Grace & Judy. That isn’t to say that I ignored her, of course, and I would regularly call out her name softly and speak with her kindly while she sat on the periphery and quietly watched us all. I’m not sure what it was that eventually inspired her to come over to me, and yet amble over she did, and it was a great & touching honor to be able to gently rub her head while she nuzzled up to my side …
“Love is not blind at all. It actually sees more, not less. And yet because it always sees more, it is always willing to love, even when seeing much less.” ~ via Julins Gordon
“Our sole responsibility – no, our primary privilege – is to reach out to others; to uplift one another and lighten one another’s burdens. If we are not doing this for those nearby – especially those different or deemed ‘less deserving’, then we are not truly living. It is an honor to be able to give all fellow beings transformative encounters, and we have all been called to ever do accordingly.” ~ inspired by Ogwo David Emenike
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