Every morning, no matter the weather or how busy I am, I go out and find Simon, and wherever he is, however far up in the pasture, he finds me. I greet him and he greets me, with his joyous bray, and we join in the call to life, one of the most important parts of my day. I take Simon’s bray as a celebration of life, a reminder to see the light and beauty of the world and to capture it, to be open to the joy of life as well as the sorrows, to be a light unto the world not by preaching or arguing, but by living a good and loving life, fully and meaningfully.

I do not know what is in the mind of a donkey or a dog, but this is our covenant, Simon and I, our contract and I intend to keep my end of the bargain, and so, I believe, does he. Come and see: