"Blessing of the Animals," by Sparkle

What a wonderful holiday night I had last night!!! Auntie Mary and Uncle Hubert joined me and mama at the Central Presbyterian Church on Park Avenue for their annual blessing of the animals! I did not know that they also bless teddybears, photos of animals, ashes, all kinds of things! The place was packed - but we was lucky to get there early enough to get good seats. First of all, here I am:

There were TONS of doggies there, some all dressed up for the holidays, and some just curled up in their owner's laps...This little guy was sitting in front of us:

First, there was a call to worship, which was very nice...then everyone sang "All Things Bright and Beautiful." THere was also a reading from the Hebrew Bible, followed by a word about "Puppies Behind Bars," where puppies are trained by inmates to be of service. THere were Blessings and THESE doggies got Awards! They was mostly Labs and Goldens, and they were REALLY neat! Auntie Mary took video of this, which I don't have just yet...
The row behind me was very interesting - all white doggies!

Oops...I forgot to turn that one - maybe Auntie Mary can help?
Anyway, it was a lot of fun, and I must say New Yorkers LOVE their animals...how well I know!'Here's a couple of them getting to know each other...

Then they did more poetry and stuff, and introduced the Attending Clergy, and all the animals were blessed. It was LOVELY!
It was also getting warm in there, so Uncle Hubert went and found us a little French restaurant to get a bite, and we had a corner table and watched all the patrons - even actress Doris Roberts came in! Uncle Hubert had a steak and was sweet enough to give me a few bites, but I mostly was a very quiet little girl and lay my keppie on the table corner.
Then mama carried me home...it was a joyous evening! We is especially blessed to have friends like AUntie Mary and Uncle Hubert - they is so good to us! I'll write again after the holiday, so I wish you all a very happy time and safe travels!
xoxoxoxoxox love, Sparkle