SAD MORNING :o(

God gives us animals for companionship and joy. We have never been without a pet of some kind in the house. This morning when Carol went in to greet our little Parakeet, Boo-Boo, she found him lying in the bottom of the cage expired. Boo isn't in this picture but the guy in the middle could be his twin. He was just a beautiful, brilliant yellow with a little bit of green on his back and belly. Boo never seemed to warm up to me like other parakeets that we have had but always seemed to enjoy harassing me by dive-bombing my head as he raced around the room airing out his feathers. He would, however frequently land on the sofa arm next to Carol and run up and down her arm and peck at the keys on her laptop or electronic Yahtzee game. Sometimes he would chirp at the top of his voice and just annoy the living daylights out of you and other times, he would sing along with the music on the stereo. He liked classical music; especially John Philip Sousa marches and to show that there is no accounting for taste, he also liked Barry Manilow. Since we are leaving on vacation in nine days, there won't be a new pet in the household soon but I'm sure that we will give in to the desire to nurture and enjoy another one of God's creatures before 2009 is too far gone. "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them." (Matthew 6:26) When we take an animal into our homes and domesticate them, we stand in God's stead and accept the responsibility to love and care for them. I hope that your pets are well this morning and that if you have a dog or cat who goes outdoors, you are especially attentive to their well-being on these frigid mornings. It is 10 degrees below zero here this morning.