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Pet-sitting prayer
While my daughters were in elementary school, they were given the opportunity to “pet-sit” our next-door neighbors’ parakeet, turtle, and dogs. The kids were thrilled about this responsibility because they loved animals and really wanted to help the neighbors.
One afternoon while the animals were staying with us, I arrived home from work and was surprised to discover the bird flying around indoors, out of her cage. My daughter had told me earlier in the day that the bird could fly, but I didn’t realize she was “stretching her wings” right then! Before I knew it, the bird flapped past me and flew right out the front door. All I could do was watch in dismay as she became a tiny dot in the sky, soon flying through the treetops.
At first I wondered how I would tell the neighbors. Here they had entrusted us with their pets, and we had just lost a bird that had always lived in a cage and been provided with shelter and food. I knew my daughters would be saddened by the loss of the bird, worried about her safety and health, and perhaps guilt-ridden at not being able to return this pet.
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