animal human bond

Rest in Peace Sweet Kylie. Now Among the Stars.

Kylie

A change was in the wind. And as life goes, we never know what exactly that change may be. I’m reflecting this morning on the animal card I pulled last week which was Fox, and her message to adapt to the changes that are a constant in life.

Little did I know my message in that Reading I shared with you was also going to be significant for me and John, and our dear sweet Kylie.

The temperature unusually warm, and the winds blustery, as Kylie and I entered the veterinarian clinic yesterday morning with concerns that she’d not finished eating her dinner on Thanksgiving, and turned away from her food a few hours earlier. Just as the weather unusual in Wisconsin for November, so was this not eating for Kylie.

After an exam by the vet, she thought perhaps Kylie’s arthritis was to the point that we needed to put her on a strong anti-inflammatory. Perhaps the pain was causing her not wanting to eat. First, blood work needed to be done in order to prescribe the meds.

I sat on the floor in the exam room with Kylie as we waited for the results. While I’d been sensing something lately, I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, and also wishing it wasn’t what I thought perhaps it may be. I’d witnessed Kylie, while still eating her food daily, was eating in a slower pattern, and sometimes panting, though I thought perhaps it had to do with the warmer weather we’d been having. Her ability to jump into bed was also becoming a bit more challenging where she loved to snuggle with John every night.

At the age of twelve years old and one month, I knew our time was more limited than ever before with Kylie. While I’d managed her arthritis with advanced supplements and recently laser therapy, John and I had begun to have the tough discussion of how to handle her aging process in a dignified and graceful way. Heroic measures, meaning we would not let her suffer, would be taken should she be diagnosed with a terminal disease, or testing, probing and medications that would affect her quality of life. 

After she’d not finished her food Thursday evening I was concerned. I sat beside her on the rug in the kitchen, petting her soft head. Silently I talked with her. I said, “Kylie, if you are feeling the need to move on, I’ll be okay. I want what is best for you.”

Before going to bed Thanksgiving evening, I surrendered to Spirit and said that I wanted what was in Kylie’s highest good, and that this wasn’t about me, but what was best for her.

As I stroked her fur sitting on that exam floor waiting for the blood work results, I, of course, hoped for the best. But when the vet came back in the room, shaking her head side-to-side, my heart began to beat faster.

Sliding down the wall, the vet knelt beside me, and shared with me that Kylie’s liver levels were over four times what is considered normal.

While in a way befuddled by the staggering high numbers, I also knew Spirit had guided us to this moment. This decision, though gut wrenching, also became one of peace, left with no doubt that helping her cross over to be among the stars was the right thing to do.

After I called John to come meet me at the clinic, I hugged Kylie so tight around her neck and spilled countless tears onto her soft fur. And then I became aware, remembering my last moments with Frankie. I wanted the same for Kylie, too. And so I talked to her.

I thanked her for being the steadfast rock she was for our family. She was only six months old when Frankie became paralyzed. And she would live her life helping me care for three disabled dachshunds. Never complaining and always going with the flow…even when it was met with many bumps in the road. She stayed steady and grounding.

In my mind I pictured her on a stage, like an olympic athlete ready to presented with a gold medal. And talking to her out loud, still hugging her around her neck, I presented to her the Best. Dog. Ever. Award. Because that she was.

The sweetest, kindest soul of a dog I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. How blessed and honored I am to have called her my friend.

Just before five o’clock last night, already dark, I walked to the bedroom to pull down the blinds on the patio doors. And between the branches of the large tree off our deck, the crescent moon caught my eye with clouds encircling it, swirling in a eerie, but mystical and comforting way. 

The thought that Kylie was now among the stars entered my mind. I smiled and my heart felt comforted as I said silently, “I’ll love you always my dear girl. Always.”

Though there was a large void present last evening, and we will feel it for some time to come, John and I reflected on our many memories of Kylie. We laughed and we cried.

Before heading to bed, I turned to The Wisdom of the Oracle card deck I’m currently studying from in Oracle School. While I felt hesitant in one way to pull a card, the other part of me trusted it would be what I needed most.

Kylie was born on the 24th of October in 2005 and passed on the 24th of November of 2017. Taking two plus four equals six which is my favorite number, after shuffling the deck, I counted down six cards from the top.

Time for a Nap #24

While losing those we love is one of the toughest things we endure as human beings, along with making a decision we feel is most dignified and graceful even though gut-wrenching,  Spirit showed me in that moment that life with all it’s many sorrows, also offers us magic beyond what we can even sometimes imagine. And we must trust and keep our faith that everything is perfect.

This card was confirmation of how the day unfolded and that the timing was exactly as it was meant to be that Kylie was called home to live among the stars…

The fox asleep in the crescent of the moon, and the moon, which I’d just been called to three hours before, thinking of Kylie. A change was indeed in the wind and fox reminded me what Kylie also taught me so well, that I must flow and adapt to changes in life and not get stuck or trapped in sadness. 

And the message of this card not only for Kylie, who now naps in peace for eternity, but that it is time for me to also take a nap and a break. Caring for a senior dog, and three disabled dogs at different times for the past eleven years, while filled with much joy, has had me feeling very tired myself of late.

And while, I’d give anything to hug Kylie just. one. more. time… my faith has strengthened over the years to know that I can connect with her at anytime I want just by being present with that thought. And so she will always be with me.

And to all those who loved her…I say a grateful thank you for sharing your adoration and love of her with me. It is of great comfort to know how much she was loved.

Sweet dreams, my sweet girl. Sweet dreams….

XOXOXOXOXO

Popping In with A Vulnerable Confession Plus a Special Offer

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’ve stepped away from posting to my blog for awhile as I embark on a 7-week  personal mastery program.  But also said I may pop in now and then…and so here I am!

Have you ever been blessed with insight from an animal that it changed your life for the better?

Popping In with A Vulnerable Confession and Special Offer
This month in celebration of the one year anniversary of my second memoir, Wisdom Found in the Pause – Joie’s GiftI want to continue to share the wisdom that a wee little black and tan dachshund named Joie, brought to my life.

Today through Sunday, October 15th you can purchase the e-book version for $2.99

It’s that wisdom gained that I know without a doubt that Joie wants me to continue to share and be in service in helping other’s walk their path with more clarity, peace, and understanding.

I’ve not been the same since Joie came into my life and then transitioned into spirit ten months later…

  • I’ve evolved and expanded to a deeper understanding of what purpose is.
  • I’ve discovered that there are blessings to be found when in transition.
  • I’ve realized we are never alone and spiritual signposts are there for us to discover if we open to receive them.
  • I’ve realized that the most valuable gift we can give ourselves is the time to slow down, listen to our inner thoughts, welcome the sweet stillness of being, and then move forward in a new enlightened and empowering way.

So what is my vulnerable confession?

I didn’t do much promoting of this book when I published it in 2016.

Why?

Because I was scared. I was scared of what other’s might think. And just when I thought I’d gotten past this issue as I wrote about it in my first memoir, “Through Frankie’s Eyes.”

But alas, I am human with real fears just like anyone else and I am a work in progress.

I was afraid to say that I believe in working with oracle cards to gain deeper understanding not only of myself, but of my connection with Spirit. It was during a two month sabbatical that I felt called to journal daily from from the guidance of oracle cards to help me find my way again as I write about in Wisdom Found in the Pause.

But I was afraid that other’s may reject me and think it strange – or worse yet, that they (oracle cards) are evil – and the belief that there is only one way in which we can connect with our Creator.

In reality, my belief in the mystical view of life has brought me even closer to Spirit and truly, given me an even deeper understanding of who I am as an individual and that I am a spark of the Divine – as we all are.

Not only have my dogs shown me this to be true in many ways, but animals in the wild too, along with signs in nature, and using oracle cards as a tool while journaling insight I received from them (and continue to) which brought me back home to what I already believed deep down inside.

But I’m now stronger in my resolve to stand in my truth and that I believe Spirit talks to us in many ways.  It is Spirit that is always here for us and that we are a part of Spirit, not separate like we’ve been conditioned to believe.

And so purpose becomes about being in alignment with your truth, connected to Spirit. To continue to evolve, it’s about finding a way what works for you to stay connected with Spirit that guides us and helps us to step more fully into our personal power.

This….

this I believe is the true purpose for which we came to this earth to experience and why we are here at this time…

to move fully into compassion and kindness and to live our lives according to what we define as meaningful, despite what society may deem so.

And so with my confession on the table, I am in deep gratitude to the dogs in my life that have worked tirelessly on my behalf to help me move more fully into my own power.

It is in part because of the lessons learned from them I am being called to offer a new service soon to help empower and guide others as an Intuitive Guide and Reader of Oracle Cards. I hope you will stay tuned for that announcement!

For now I thank you for reading my confession and being a part of my community…

and I say once again from my heart…

thank you for walking this journey with me. I appreciate each and every one of you. XO

WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID ABOUT “WISDOM FOUND IN THE PAUSE:”

“My life has been turned upside down the last few months and I have been struggling with which direction to go in. I went through a whole set of emotions, anger, guilt, fear, and dread as I spent my summer worried about where my life was headed. After reading “Wisdom Found In The Pause” I felt such a sense of relief that it was okay that I felt all these emotions. This book will not only resonate with animal lovers, but with anyone seeking a more fulfilling life.” ~Lori Kattre Helke

“We’re busy, and in our busyness we sometimes lose our way and begin to find significance in what we do rather than who we are. Then, a pivotal event occurs that affects our chosen work and draws our attention to the fact that we’re out of balance. We try to push on, but find we’re traveling in a circle and return to the place that shook us and the lessons we missed. This is a book for anyone who understands the profound joy our animal companions bring to our lives. It’s also for those who find themselves in a tailspin of seeking significance by doing, reminding us that pausing amidst the cacophony is what allows us to hear the whisper of truth so we can stand strong and move ahead.” ~Linda Hoye

This memoir reads like a meditative guide to life. The challenges faced and the lessons learned from Joie made a lasting impression on me. I feel enriched and inspired for having read it. A heartwarming memoir with a powerful message about the lessons our pets can teach us. ~Kathleen Pooler

Wisdom Found in the Pause – Joie’s Gift e-book version available here on Amazon at special $2.99 price through Sunday, October 15th.

 

A Celebration of Spirit Dog in Spirit

A Celebration of Spirit Dog in Spirit
FRANKIE

I love the statement, ‘finding a soft spot to land.’

I’ve used it a few times in my writing. It’s those difficult times you come through that you never thought you could, but you look back and see that you have. And it’s this peace in your heart that ever-so-gently is like a soft flutter that glides down from the divine,  coating your heart with pure, sweet love – like a fluffy pillow that your soul now rests in a new knowing.

Today Frankie is seventeen years old. Though she left her physical body at almost thirteen. I really have no idea that when she was alive why I wanted her to live to be seventeen. That shall remain a mystery and that’s okay. Because in spirit she is eternal and age becomes insignificant.

But I pause with extra fondness today at the mysterious significance of seventeen, and in deep gratitude for having had her in my life. It changed my life forever. And while she feels farther away than when she passed over five years ago, I now have this knowing that she is here when I need her, and all I have to do is be in stillness to connect with her. This amazing gift she helped me to see that even in spirit our loved ones are here for us if we ask.

Without a doubt I believe Frankie being in my life was to help me to grow and evolve. For many years after her passing I was afraid to do that. I held on tightly to what was, and what I believed was my sole purpose of being here. But to not have taken steps to continue to move forward would have meant her teachings would have been lost and in vane.

I know she wants me to continue to thrive and expand. This has meant letting go of some things this summer that were bittersweet, but that I felt in my heart needed to be put to rest. Not easy as I had some fear of judgement of what others may think or say. But I reflect on one of Frankie’s many lessons, which was to stand tall and be proud of who I am. And so I am…and this will be my life long tribute to her in that I continue to accept myself for who I am.

And I know that in the vast cosmos of spirit she wags her tail and barks,  “Way to go and keep following your heart!” 

Frankie…my forever heart and spirit dog…I’ll celebrate you always.

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