"Don't forget, we're bringing Luna to school tomorrow for the Blessing of the Animals."
"Mom, we don't need to bring Luna. I'm going to bring my stuffed animal that looks just like Luna. I can bring a picture. Miss X. said that would be okay too."
"Sweetie, she's having a pretty big operation in a few weeks. Our puppy needs to get the Holy Water sprinkled right on her fur. She needs a little extra special attention."
"But Mom, Miss X. said the blessings can travel."
We arrived at school on the Day of Saint Francis. The parking lot was filled with dogs big and small, a few cats, rabbits, a turtle and four goats. After the second bell rang, all nine classes lined up in a circle in the yard, with students accompanying their parents...and pets. The kindergarten class huddled around their room pets, two cute rats.
Five held on to Luna's leash with a grin plastered across his face, his resistance to bringing her long-since forgotten. He dispensed dog treats to his friends when they asked if they could pet her. "Here," he said, "Hold this in front of her nose and tell her to 'shake.'" His friends complied and so did Luna when she saw the food.
Under clear bright skies, the school pastor came out with his bucket of holy water. He recited a prayer and asked all of us to talk to our pets and give them our own blessings. He walked around the wide circle of pets and kids, sprinkling holy water on all the animals and their owners.
I knelt down next to Luna and whispered in her ear, "You stay healthy, okay puppy? Stop with all this surgery business." A bit of water landed on her shiny black fur and I smiled in relief. While not always a consistent practicing Catholic, blessings are a tradition I back with my entire heart.
I grabbed Luna's muzzle and looked in her brown, non-cherry eyes with some more words of protection.
"Stay healthy, pretty girl. And if you poop on my lawn or jump on my kitchen counters again, you're going to need more than holy water to help you out."



