The Blessing of Chickens

There are some spiritual communities which offer a service called "The Blessing of the Animals."  People are invited to bring their pets for a blessing from the priest, or pastor.  Perhaps, it is something which came out of the Saint Francis tradition since he was one who seemed to have a unique relationship with the birds, and donkeys, and even wolves.  Animals are an important part of our lives and the blessing of them as a part of our faith tradition is not a bad thing.  It is a good thing to live with an attiude of blessing everything and everyone that touches our lives.    

Of course, it is also true that animals bless us.  There is no religious ritual they perform over us, but their presence is so often a blessing not really understood by people who want nothing to do with animals.  There is no dog around the farm these days, but there are chickens.  Chickens bless me every day.  When I go out to let them out of their pen, they clamor around the door and when it is open they follow me all over the yard until I can manage to get them interested in scratchinng and digging.  And when I go back just before dark to shut up the gate for their protection from noctural predators, they run toward me and stay underfoot so close I can hardly walk as I make my way back to the chicken pen.    They make me laugh as I watch them run, or waddle.  God made them with a funny walk.  And, as I stumble around trying not to step on one, I find myself talking to them as if they were children underfoot.  

Of course, there is also the benefit of finding freshly laid eggs in the chicken house for which I am grateful and so I always tell them.  Yes, these five hens do bless me.  They bring me pleasure and are as much a part of our life here on the farm as anything else that is around us.  God knew what He was doing when He made them.  They bless us with food for our stomach, laughter for our spirit, and a sense of belonging to them and them to us.