It’s that time of year again, time to bless it all. By all, I mean extending our blessings to creation, in particular the environment and animals. Many Christian communities hold special services where they bless the animals this time of the year. We credit this tradition to St. Francis of Assisi.

In the Christian tradition the feast day of St. Francis is October 4. Francis, a Catholic friar, and mystic founded the Franciscan order and was canonized a saint in 1228, just two years after his death. He believed that the created order was good and beautiful and saw God reflected in nature all around him. He also believed that we human beings mess things up a lot. I wonder what he would think today if he could see the state of our environment. I’m probably better off not knowing.

There are many stories that surround Francis and his love of animals. The lore seemed to grow after his death. One story circulated was that he was once traveling with some companions when along the way they saw a tree full of birds on the opposite side of the road. Francis paused their journey and told his fellow pilgrims that he needed to go over to the birds. “Wait for me while I go to preach to my sisters, the birds.” I’ve been known to take my dog with me to my office when working on a sermon. He’s a generous listener and a mild critic.

I missed the blessing at my local church last Sunday, but I was impressed that we did it inside the sanctuary. The animals, our pets, were included in worship. Someone posted videos, and I watched those dogs and cats prance their way to the front for their special blessing. I watched our church goers try to control them and offer distance between their beloved and the one in front or behind. In some cases, it was quite comical. Which is another special outcome of this day – reminding us of just how much is out of our control.

Dozens of students showed up to our blessing at Oxford College, where I’ve been doing this since I arrived in 2009 as the chaplain. These days I partner with our director of the Center for Healthful Living, as we see the blessing and the benefits our pets offer to our overall well-being. The students showed up with pictures of their pets from home and our faculty and staff brought fifteen dogs and one cat this year. The blessing is a small part of the occasion as the rest of the hour is passed with students loving on those fur babies. You can see the stress float away into the ether.

Blessings offer an occasion for us to remember that we are God’s beloved. This blessing is important each year, because it reminds us that we humans aren’t the center of the universe. The air we breathe and share with our pets is as important if not more than our own breath. It reminds us of our calling to share and not dominate.

Getting to bless all the things is one part of this ministry gig I’ve always loved. When other parts challenge me or stress me out, and they most certainly do, getting to offer blessings brings me back to the center. It restores balance, at least to me.

I suspect the holy is at work in that restoration. Reminding me that it’s not all about me. It’s about my neighbor and their pet, a reminder that we’re all truly connected. I’ve needed that reminder a lot lately, and at the blessing of the animals that understanding came shining through.

So, let’s bless all the things and not just once a year. You, too, can offer a blessing. It may just be the first step toward restoring you to wholeness. Restoring you to right relationships. May you be blessed so that you might also be a blessing.

The Rev. Dr. Lyn Pace is the college chaplain at Oxford College of Emory University and lives in Oxford, GA with his spouse and ten-year-old. He’s working on a book about finding faith and meaning in the music of Jimmy Buffett.