As you may have picked up from previous posts, one of my favorite things to witness is someone truly in their element doing what they love!  On Tuesday, I had the joy of watching my sister-in-law and best friend, Ashley, via Skype help deliver one of Roux’s puppies before running out the door to teach an RCIA class at church.  Roux is my niece-pup, and she is now the proud momma of 9 little puppies. 

Roux’s Krewe of Saints:  

6 girls: Reggie, Payton, Devery, Bell, Hartley, and Porter and 3 boys, Drew, Pierre and Shockey

As I drove to teach my class, I was in awe of so many things.  First, that I actually got to watch a dog deliver a puppy due to technology.  Second, I have never seen an animal give birth before, and I must say I was reminded of how similar our instincts are to that of animals.  Roux and her puppies knew just what to do; just like both me and my kids knew what to do the second they were born.

Most importantly to me, I was just so happy for Ashley, and I was so excited that I got to see her being in her element.  She loves animals, and she always has! I tell her often that she is the female version of St. Francis.  Her dogs are like children to her (as are any animals that happen to step foot into her yard- birds, stray cats, stray dogs, etc).  While Ashley’s current profession is nursing, one of her deep down desires is to help take care of animals.  She is wonderful at it!
 
Watching Ashley on Tuesday, brought these questions to mind for me to ask all of us:

Who do we know that inspires us?
What people bring out the best in us because we get the honor to watch them do what they are meant to do?

Becky Eldredge

Becky is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and writer. She is the author of the Busy Lives and Restless Souls (March 2017, Loyola Press) and The Inner Chapel (April 2020, Loyola Press). She helps others create space to connect faith and everyday life through facilitating retreats and days of reflection, through writing, and through spiritual direction. With nearly twenty years of ministry experience within the Catholic Church, Becky seeks to help others discover God at work in the every day moments of people’s lives by utilizing St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises and the many gifts that our Catholic faith and Ignatian Spirituality provide.