A dog party

I have mentioned before the influence of the book, “Go, Dog, Go” on my daughter’s imagination. The climax of this story is the dramatic arrival of a bunch of different colored dogs, all driving cars, at a giant tree. At the top of the tree, the dogs discover a magnificent party: “A dog party,” the book proclaims!

Mercy has a very random collection of little animals, each belonging to a different set of toys or to some game. They were never intended to belong together, but Mercy’s favorite activity each day is to set these figures up, in varying configurations, on top of her bookshelf, the TV stand, my desk or the futon arm. Once assembled, she steps back with great admiration and shouts to me: “My dog party!”

Last night we went to our first gathering of our new small group. Our church used to basically BE a small group, so it is a noticeable change for us to begin gathering in smaller fellowship groups around our neighborhood. As I sat in our neighbor’s backyard, with taquitos frying on an outside range and kids of varying ages running around with all manner of balls and bikes, I couldn’t help but think about Mercy’s motley gatherings in our living room. We were a truly random bunch, and I marveled at the fact that God, in his grace to us, had made it possible for us to make the journey to this place in each other’s lives.