Walkies

Good morning.

I’ll be off to walk the dog in a while, with my usual nod to the familiar faces of other local dog owners, and maybe a ‘Morning!’. At the same time, my dog will greet their dogs. Funny that – how we generally say hello to our own kind.

And it’s not just dogs greeting dogs, and dog owners greeting owners. I’ve seen cyclists will greet cyclists, I’m sure the couriers will greet other couriers, just as the birds will call to other birds, and lorry drivers will do that odd indicator light thing to other lorry drivers.

Are we forever destined to stick to our own tribes? Joggers to joggers, builders to builders, shopkeepers to shopkeepers... Am I imagining it? I just know for sure, that when I have a dog, dog owners greet me, and when I don’t, they don’t. And I do the same.

Yet I recall Jesus told us to love our neighbours, and when he was asked ‘Who is my neighbour?’, he told of the Good Samaritan, to demonstrate that we should show love to those who are unlike us. To look for the different people, showing care and compassion to them.

Not easy, but maybe I’ll start on this morning’s dog walk, and ask a delivery driver how he’s doing. Baby steps.

So I pray to God, who made us all equal in his eyes, please help us remember that. Bless those unlike me. Help me look out for those, where at first glance we don’t seem to have much in common, and help us find our commonalities, showing love and understanding, as we walk through life today, with or without dogs.

Amen