on the longest night
in the darkest corner of the yard –
a bright golden orb pounced forth!
a sun is born!
.
Hope leaps in my heart as i remember
another Orange Cat who purred me to sleep
and whose warmth comforted many in distress.
.
In winter we can remember summer,
in death we remember life,
and in life we remember those who have gone before…
such is the wheel of life.
a ribbon slid across the yard.
two kittens tried to make it into a bow!
but two dogs ran past so fast,
the felines fled and
the package unwrapped itself –
and in that present
moment,
i was there…….. to see the gift of it all.
suddenly it seems,
but only because, perhaps, i was not paying attention-
the rosemary bush is now an odd cluster of twigs,
i wonder – it is because so many hands sweep its long fronds
as they pass…
it is the herb of remembrance after all……
calling us back again and again –
then
i see a small branch colored caterpillar eating lunch….
reminding me
of change and growth,
and of wings.
a bright yellow butterfly splashed across my path,
and the world was suddenly
sunnier.
these things happen.
oh Joy!
(oh for Preying/praying out loud!)
appearing and disappearing in the branches of the tree –
at first thought – a squirrel playing – but no!
a tiger pounces from limb to limb!
no Cheshire cat is she –
sure footed and free,
teaching me
that going
out
on
a
limb
.
IS FUN!
don’t wait for the invitation,
instigate one of your own!
SEEK…
encourage, entice, entreat,
persuade, propose, provoke,
.
bow to JOY.
i knocked on the door of her room,
“Would you like a visit from a dog?”
“No, i have not lost a dog”
Ah
“Would you like a visit?” i ask as i enter the room —
“Oh yes,
please…”
we enter and the poodle sits in front of her…
“what a pretty dog!…..”
their eyes meet,
“but i am sorry i have no idea whose dog she is, she’s very pretty”
they gaze at each other for a moment….
“She is my dog,” i answer… “She lives with me”
even though the poodle is male….gender is irrelevant….
“well, i hope you find her owners…”
they continue to gaze into each others faces….
sometimes, the truth has no words….
and the rest is lost in translation….
all that remains is Love.
some nights there are no words, only wonder and amazements.
some days are like that too….
when the day is long,
and trouble seems to curl the edges of our wood,
and grief creeps in thru the cracks-
or tragedy seems inevitable,
remember Grace…
for it is longer than the day,
stronger than the shavings made by the plane of life…
and our hearts are not some brittle plank but subtle fresh, and green –
and nothing, no thing, is inevitable….
so cuddle each other in all gentlenesses…..
help heal the world.
Ministry of Animals 