Fun-Loving Dogs at our Mass in the Philippines!

Haven’t been to Mass recently. No excuses. Just haven’t gone. Advised my wife yesterday that we would be attending Mass on Sunday, and thus gave her a 24 hour notice. Didn’t matter. Since we moved to the Philippines last year, may asawa is back on “Filipino Time.” You guys married to Filipinas know what I’m talking about.

My wife still wasn’t ready to leave for church Sunday morning 11 minutes before the 10:00 start time, and as we were leaving the front gate of “The Compound” she was putting on her shoes and pronounced her feet were “too fat”  Her shoes wouldn’t fit! She had to go back and change her shoes!  “Too fat!” I thought. She has lost almost 20 pounds in the last year. So as I am fuming and thinking of words I shouldn’t be thinking of right before Mass, we finally manage to leave with our little niece and nephew in tow.

With heavy rains last night our unpaved subdivision road was muddier than usual and full of the usual cow crap. You get used to it. We must have some big cows here because they sure do leave some big poop piles. Catch a tricycle ride to Saint Michael the Arch Angel’s Catholic Church and find a good seat. The time is 10 am, but since the regular priest is back after having being hospitalized due to a stomach ailment, I knew the service would start late. I rushed my wife for nothing, but did not want to sit in the side pews that had no cushions on the kneeling pads or pews. Yeah, I’ve grown soft living in the Philippines.

Amused myself by watching a trio of dogs on the steps leading to the pulpit. Two of the dogs were standing and sniffing the one dog’s nose but thankfully were not sniffing anything else. They must have sensed they were in a house of worship. A new pregnant dog was roaming the pews to the right.  Guess the dog I had seen at the previous masses had her pups and left the church or was excommunicated because she was not married. I don’t know. We weren’t that close. Well, father is walking up the steps to the altar in his usual t-shirt and getting ready to put on his robe. The same song begins the service. Time to go through the motions again. The only dog that remains on the step is the one that had it’s nose nuzzled. I guess the other two canines are checking out the wandering pregnant pooch I saw earlier. Life goes on.