The The Blessing of Animals: Poems, prayers, reflections and stories

Gazelles and geckos, bees and bears, whelks and elks, cats who skip and dogs who read stories to children, stags and stag beetles, neon tetras and harlequin rasboras, mice and rats and other critters – The Blessing of Animals teems with God’s amazing creation. You can hear the voice of God on every page:   ‘Woof!’ ‘Miaow!’   Along with many beautiful prayers and poems to dip into, this book also includes:   ~ Reflections on feline and canine theology ~ An all-age communion service for the Feast of Saint Francis ~ A litany for the blessing of animals ~ A service for the blessing of animals ~ Thoughts on losing an animal friend ~ A lamentation and prayer to the whole of creation   For every Border collie and sheepdog, for every golden retriever and Great Dane, we give you thanks.   For every squawk and tweet, for every flitter and flutter, we give you thanks.   For every tortoiseshell, marmalade and Russian Blue, for every loquacious Siamese, we give you thanks.   (From a litany by Thom M. Shuman)

Table of Contents:
Contents Poems   Christmas 2020, Bonnie Thurston     10   Feathered friends, Bonnie Thurston     11   Winter’s breakfast guests, Bonnie Thurston     12   Words like birds, Bonnie Thurston     13   Sutton’s warbler, unconfirmed sighting, Bonnie Thurston     14   Rats, Brian Ford     15   Dancing in the desert, Janet Lees     16   Everybody knows that cats like to rumba, Neil Paynter     16   Blackstone’s journey, Katherine Rennie     19   Blackstone’s love, Katherine Rennie     20   Emptiness, Katherine Rennie     20   Eyes, Tom Gordon     21   Patience, Tom Gordon     23   Feline theology, Brian Ford     24   Theology lessons, Tom Gordon     25   Unconditional, Tom Gordon     27   Gibbs is my spiritual director, Thom M. Shuman     28   Sniffing, Tom Gordon     29   Robins, Brian Ford     30   I dream of Ginger (To those who dream about their pets), Rodney Aist     30   Dusty’s eyes, Thom M. Shuman     32   Mourning, Tom Gordon     33   Preferences, Tom Gordon     34   Even the sparrow, Brian Ford     35   Extinct, Janet Lees     36   I know a cat (A skipping poem), Neil Paynter     36   The last return of the prodigal, Brian Ford     41   Toby, Glendon Macaulay     42 Prayers   The God of all creatures, Thom M. Shuman     48    Bless to me my dog, Joy Mead     48   Bless my cat, Rosie Miles     49   The blessings of birds, Janet Lees     49   Awareness, Tom Gordon     50   Why are you doing this?, Rebeka Maples     51   Thank you, Tom Gordon     52   Bless us, O Lord, Rebeka Maples     53   A stag beetle on the Greenwich Meridian Trail, Janet Lees     54   Keep moving, Janet Lees     55   For ordinary wonderful things, Richard Sharples     55 Reflections and stories St Hubert and the stag, Annie Heppenstall     58   An incarnate God, Annika Spalde     60   Ask the animals, Ghillean Prance     61   God bless you, Dusty, Thom M. Shuman     63   Scooby, Tom Gordon     65   Cocoa the Wonder Dog I, Thom M. Shuman     67   God’s world, Ghillean Prance     68   Cocoa the Wonder Dog II, Thom M. Shuman     69   Hope, Alastair McIntosh     71   All-embracing compassion, Annika Spalde     74 Liturgy A litany of blessing, Thom M. Shuman     76   Celebrating love for all God’s creation: An all-age communion service for the Feast of Saint Francis (including a blessing of animals), Nancy Cocks     80   Creatures worship together: A service for the blessing of animals, Rebeka Maples     90   A lamentation and prayer of contrition to the whole of creation, Richard A. Nisbett     98   Sources and acknowledgements     104 About the contributors     106

About the Author :
Neil Paynter is an editor, writer and late-night piano player.