Hi, everyone! It’s Angel again. I hope Tat, like my treats, your blessings are abundant! He doesn’t get to do it all the time during the winter, he says it’s because of the cold and how early it gets dark, but I LOVE when my dad takes me for a walk. When I see him putting his shoes on or when I hear him say those 4 letters, I wag my tail & bark for joy! 

And, like so many of the other dogs out there as well, when we go for a walk, I do much more than just walk. As we go down the sidewalks I enjoy stopping and smelling every SINGLE fire hydrant, telephone pole, leaf, out there. Tell me I’m not alone in doing that? My dad, I think sometimes, would rather just walk & come back home, but I’ve got to stop & sniff everything, who knows, there might be something important that I might miss if I don’t. Anyway, I think that I’m teaching my dad an important spiritual lesson & he wanted me to share it with you.

It can be so easy to just go throughout our day, focusing on getting everything that we need to get done, done. We’ve got commitments to take care of, appointments to be at, tasks to accomplish & sometimes it’s easy to focus on those. But, there’s some benefit in stopping & sniffing every now and then. Now, let me be clear, please don’t stop & sniff the fire hydrants or telephone poles like I do, that’s a doggie thing. But, is there a way that you can encounter the other people in your life a bit more? Could you sit and enjoy the beauty of what’s around you, rather than just focusing on getting the next thing done? Do we need to listen to others, or even to God more intently? We need to get things done, but we’re also called to slow down & enjoy the beauty around us that’s all too easily overlooked.

Sometimes I think it’s easy to approach life like my dad often does my walks, but what if we stopped & sniffed more often? I’ve found some great joys in the sniffs that I’ve been able to get in & I think I’ve taught my dad to slow down a bit more as well (but honestly, he’s got a lot of learning in that area left to do).