We all have bellybuttons

My daughter has recently taken to noticing different body parts.

She's become rather adept at pointing them out, and even is able to name them in toddlerspeak, which oddly enough I'm able to understand. She can say the syllable "Ba" and depending on the inflection, I know that she means Bottle, Bag, Bear, Baby, or Button. She loves to press the buttons for the automatic doors at restaurants and malls... and imagine her thrill to discover that she has a button in the midst of her belly.

Not only that, she's noticed that not only does she have a button in the midst of her belly, but so does Mommy and so does Daddy.

In fact, everybody has a bellybutton.

Talk about a profound theological revelation from a 21 month old. It is perhaps the one physical attribute that every human being on the planet has. No matter who you are or where you come from or what your Spirituality, you were born with a bellybutton. Even Jesus had a bellybutton! Maybe it's a reminder for us to concentrate on those things that unite us, rather than our natural tendency to separate ourselves from one another. Maybe we need to remember that those people have bellybuttons too!

I'm curious to see what Megan comes up with next...

Personal Loss: Roo

Last night I lost a long time companion and close friend. My elderly rabbit, Roo, who had recently celebrated a 10th birthday died quite suddenly. He had been showing the signs of aging for some time now, becoming so arthritic he couldn't keep himself clean. Last night, I noticed that something wasn't right, and decided to bring him upstairs and help him by cleaning him up a bit. We hadn't gotten that far along when he suddenly convulsed and died in my arms.

The grief that we feel for our pets can be every bit as real as we feel for friends and family. Roo survived a car accident with me during the Ice Storm that hit eastern Ontario in 1998. I've always found that "lucky" rabbits feet work much better when they're attached to a living bunny. Goodbye Roo, we'll miss you.

Here's a picture of Roo from 2-3 years ago. His companion Zippy, who we still have, is in the background. As you can see, she's nearly twice his size.