... the pastoral concerns part of the deacons' meeting includes the report of the deaths of two dogs.  It sounds ultra flippant, but it's not, these dogs were both pets in families for whom life is currently quite tough, and this was just one more blow to deal with.  Fortunately it seems the diaconal cats are both in good health, though a ten year old goldfish is evidently looking a bit iffy.  At least it made us all laugh and released some of the tension that inevitably arises as we work through the various pastoral concerns.

We didn't quite pray for 'Goldie' but I did just wonder if Alice was lurking somewhere in the background...