I may have just jinxed myself.

We blessed the dog.

Yes, the dog that runs when the gate is open, is an annoying barker, digs, and sheds…what’s beyond trifecta?

She’ll probably live until she’s 20 now.

And I will have nobody to blame except myself.  And that beloved saint, St. Francis of Assisi.

You don’t have to be Catholic to know St. Francis.  He’s the one in the brown tunic who has birds by his side and talked to wolves.  I’m not kidding, he talked to wolves and they listened.

Any Catholic child knows that St. Francis is the patron of animals, among many other things.  So today, we made beautiful pictures, had an Italian meal and blessed the dog and frogs.

Snax, Sunshine and I went to mass this morning, and the priest said that St. Francis frightened him.  My ears perked up, I mean, really?  How can this Saint of all the Saints frighten you.  It was his radical love for Christ.

Yes, St. Francis was pretty radical.  In a world where people only seem concerned about themselves or those they love, it’s a hard concept to accept.  St. Francis, a man from a wealthy family, loved in a way that I wished I did.  He didn’t scoff and tell  anyone to pull themselves up by their bootstraps.  He gave.  He loved.   And often he did without himself for pure love of Christ and his brothers and sisters.

It makes me sick to think how selfish I really am.  I don’t have to give away everything and become a beggar myself to show my love for Christ, my vocation in life is much different than his.  But no less important.

I’m a mom.  It’s my job to show my children that every single person counts.

It’s not my job to judge anyone by what I think they should be doing to make their life better.  It’s my job to help them in any way possible, even if it’s just saying a quick prayer and giving them the dignity of my eye contact when I see them on the corner.  That’s what a real person does instead of avoiding them.  It’s my job to help and to show my kids that there are things they can do to help others and that they should.  That the very religion into which they were baptized into demands that of them.

So for today, St. Francis, bless me, bless my family and bless those less fortunate.  Help me to discern exactly where I can help.  Help me never to be so selfish that my petty concerns over money seem serious in the grand scheme of things.  I know they aren’t.  It is my duty to give and not when it’s easy, but when it’s hard.  I fully admit my donations overall have decreased, but has all my spending?  It’s hard to face reality, but I will do it.

St. Francis of Assisi, bless my family always, and kind of bless Lola.