02.16.2026 | Ordinary Monday

​A Dog and Her Garden
 
Isaiah 55:12: “You shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace.”
 
The sun is shining brightly this mid-February morning as this old gardener and the little Doodle girl set off on our daily ritual around the neighborhood. The last of the snow has melted. Weekend rains washed away the salt and grime. It feels like a fresh start, a beautiful day in the neighborhood to borrow a phrase from Mr. Rogers.
 
Today is also our little Doodle girl’s second birthday. We still carry the ache of losing our first Doodle just before her fourth birthday to a congenital condition we did not even know existed until it was too late. We tried to resist getting another puppy for nearly a year, but the garden, the house, our whole world felt empty without the patter of four tiny paws.
 
There is something necessary and even spiritual about dogs in a garden. This little Doodle has claimed the space as her own. The garden and the dog are intertwined now, each tending to the other in their own way. I have come to believe that the loyalty and protective instincts of a dog can serve as a kind of guardian for the spirit.
 
The garden is my sanctuary, my place of connection and reflection. With the Doodle girl by my side, it becomes an even more beautiful refuge, a place where the spirit can rest, relax, and be refreshed.
 
In a world wrapped in anxiety and chaos, I often need reminders to find peace and joy in the simple things. The Doodle girl offers those reminders daily. She finds delight in the smallest gifts: a treato, a walkabout, a cuddle on the couch with Momma. These are her lessons in contentment and simplicity. She teaches us to appreciate what we have and to notice the small moments of beauty that surround us every day if we only pause long enough to see them.
 
Go out in joy and be led forth in peace. This is the quiet blessing she brings to our days, a furry echo of Isaiah’s promise, carried on four tiny paws through the garden we share.