Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
A Dog. The Personification Of Unconditional Love
I thought I'd write a bit about what I was thinking at the time of the passing of our little Dog, Evie. She was a 3 year old little Chihuahua. An innocent loving and cuddly bundle of warmth. I've never lost an animal or a human friend or family member before so what I have to say may seem overly dramatic. Bear with me. I hope some of what I say might be uplifting or thought provoking. When I got the call that Evie was hit and was in really bad shape it felt like someone knocked the wind out of me. I was shocked. Freaked out. Angry with the person who it her. Wasn't fond of my reaction but some things one can't control. An instinctive reaction of shear pain will do strange things. I rushed home to find her in the arms of Maria. She was sobbing. Evie looked lifeless. Her little eyes were open. I thought she was still alive. I don't intend to be graphic about this for nothing more than to help connect the reader to the grim reality of death. I rolled her little towel back to inspect her body. It was horrifying. It hit me hard. I sobbed. I knew that if she was still alive that it wouldn't be long before she would pass. Even if she could see a doctor in time it was likely that even the most skilled Vet wouldn't be able to do much. A neighbor saw Maria on the side of the road with Evie in her lap. She was sobbing. Our neighbor took pity on Maria and offered to help. He wanted to help us take her to the emergency room. We all jumped in a perfect stranger's truck and headed to the Vet. As we headed out I couldn't take my eyes off little Evie. Her eyes were wide open. I didn't realize she had already passed. She looked so innocent. It hurt. I cried. My heart was broken. How could this be happening I thought and of course the most toxic question, "Why?".
We quickly arrived at the Vet. I picked her up in the blanket she was wrapped in, walked in and handed her to the ER nurse with tears falling down my face. I asked if there was anything they could do? I knew it was doubtful. She took Evie and brought her to the back. Moments later the nurse returned to say, "I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do". I was somewhat ready for that because I could tell Evie's life was over. The nurse brought us into a visiting room and went over what we could do. She was very thoughtful. Sensitive. She asked us if we wanted to have a viewing of her before leaving. We did. I prayed over her. Thanking God for giving us such a beautiful loving and fun dog. For giving us Evie. She was a true gift. On the ride home my thoughts drifted to many places. Much of what I felt was utter shock. Sad. Pain. But I had the nagging question dance in my head, “why did it hurt so bad?”, “how could an animal touch me so deeply?”. I really wasn’t prepared for how I would feel. It was a comforting sadness. While that may sound strange, it’s how the funnel of emotion in my heart was directing the moments. They were leading somewhere. Have you heard that proverb about Me, Dog’s, God and Prayer? It goes like this; “Lord help me to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am!” I thought about that notion as we drove. Then is started to hit me. This may sound strange but, I knew that my love for Evie and my pain about her passing was a divine experience. An invisible state of knowing that couldn’t be explained. Why did it hurt so bad? Why was I filled with joy at the fondness of her manner while also reeling in pain? How could I become so attached to an animal? All these questions were from a secret unseen place we all go through but why? What is it about that prayer? Don’t we all feel that way about our dogs or cats or whatever animal we share? We can relate to all of our pets loving us and accepting us. They forget everything. They keep no records of wrongs. Isn’t that unconditional love? Isn’t it true that we say a dog is man’s best friend? What makes them that way and why? The answers I’ll share may seem a bit esoteric. I don’t consider myself a religious person but I’m certainly a believer in God. My belief is based on logic, and being at peace with the nagging question of, “What’s this all about? Life.” No, I don’t FEEL God. I just know he exists. You do to. You may not intellectually be ready to admit that but we all believe in God. We’re just all at different places on the continuum of belief.
I think we all believe in God and fail to recognize what we experience in life as God. Putting it another way, consider my reaction to Evie. Consider my perception of her and you consider your perception of your pet. Isn’t it love that drives you to connect with them? Isn’t it something you question from time to time? How could I love this animal so much? How come I feel such an overwhelming sense of peace when I’m with my pet? What is it that makes them so cute?
They love don’t they. They love tangibly. They snuggle. They lick. They affectionally growl when playing chase or tug of war with their favorite toy. They are whimsical in their behavior. All of this makes us love them even more. But still, the nagging question, for me is why?
Well here’s my theory. You may not agree and that’s okay. For me, it’s a world view that makes sense of these wonderful acts of kindness. A dog, their affections, their unconditional fun loving patterns and our reaction to them are rumors of another world. Say what? Yes. They are rumors of an invisible world we are intended for. Our present world is only a glimpse of something much much better. Something that can’t be explained. It’s only known, and, yes; felt. Think of this way. How do you feel when viewing a sunset at the beach? Or what about the sense of awe and bewilderment we experience when seeing a huge set of mountains? And what of a child being born? What about the seasons. We love them all. They each bring a sense of peace. When we experience those events doesn’t something nag at us? How come I have so much peace when I see the brilliant colors of fall? The sun setting over a long beach? The moon shining bright in the evening sky? They are rumors or better still, glimpses. They are tiny peepholes casting light in a dark room. But how? I think it’s easiest said this way. Each of these glimpses is a tease. They are whispers of something greater. They are voices tugging us out of or fleshly minds connecting us to a metaphor of what the other world is made up of.
Think of this. If you had a very special place that was perfect in every way and wanted to share it with a friend. Imagine with me. The thing you know is that if you explained in nauseating detail where you were from and how beautiful it is you would likely be taken for a crazy person. You might be ridiculed. Laughed at. Why? Because we are ingrained to think the life we can taste touch and experience in our flesh is all there is and the notion of another world is quackery. My life is so boring, routine, dull that it seems impossible that anything out there could be any better let alone “perfect”, full of love. You see? This is precisely the point. Listen, if you had the overwhelming responsibility of telling the tale of a perfect place full of love how would you do it? As I said you couldn’t tell all. Wouldn’t you have to use glimpses. Teases. Reminders. Rumors. It’s kinda like buying your child a birthday present or two. You start with the card, then a small gift, then the whole enchilada. The “big” gift. Now, isn’t that slow reveal a better way? Sure it is. It’s fun to see the reaction. Just when a little one thinks that’s all, the giant “main gift” is given. But isn’t it true that a child anticipates a greater gift as they open each small one? That’s us. We experience rumors of another world, and highly anticipate the next one. From a sunset, to seeing snow covered mountains, to experiencing the love of a pet. So what’s this all have to do with a dog dying and my experience with the whole thing? You see, I believe the heartfelt love we share with our pets is a rumor of another world. It’s a glimpse. Haven’t you heard of people who love their dog more than anything else? Why is that? Well, don’t we know what unconditional love is by knowing what it isn’t? True love keeps no records of wrong. It’s not envious, jealous nor boasts. And isn’t it true that a dog is the personification of that? Sure is. Dog’s love because they are given to us as gifts, tokens, teachers. They teach us love. Lord, let me be the person that my dog thinks I am? How can we all relate to that so much? We can relate to that sentiment because we share a divine problem. We are blinded to the world outside of what we can taste touch and feel. Well if you were God wouldn’t it be fun to provide your creation with subtle or not so subtle reminders of the house you live in and what it’s like? Wouldn’t you want to give gifts to your creation to help their feeble minds be connected to the burning question of why? Wouldn’t you want to instill a longing to be directed to a place where there’s no tears, suffering or pain? God gave us our pets as reminders, even if we fail to recognize them. Reminders that we want, need, and long for love. We want to be loved and to love but with each other we don’t always get it right. Surely God get’s it right all the time but God endows us with choice as to the recognition of his love. So how perfect is a little dog like Evie to tease, remind, encourage me that the love I experience through a relationship with her is something deeper and has a real intended purpose? The unconditional love that is manifested in our pets is God’s way of saying, “you like this? so do I but this is only a glimpse”.....”I wish you knew this is how much I love you.” I can show you great things about this world I’m from but you can’t handle it all so I will give you a longing for something invisible. I’ll make the invisible visible in your pets. Isn’t that amazing?
Well is God the cosmic tease? Maybe, but better, he’s the man behind the curtain directing the play. He knows his audience, what they can handle, and what they can’t. He knows exactly when and how to pique their interests and get them thinking. He doesn’t reveal the plot in the first act. He builds the story over time. With events. Glimpses. The love we experience with our pets is a rumor of another world. A place where unconditional love is the constant state of mind. Of course our cosmic creator never forces himself on his creation. We are free to choose and the freedom to choose will never be taken from us. Well, I choose to recognize the unconditional love I shared with Evie to be a loud rumor of a greater love that God has for me. And it doesn’t stop with pets. It’s all around us. This beautiful place we call earth, our home, is laden with glimpses. Subtle? Sometimes. Sometimes not. I’ll leave you with a few other examples. What about music? How do you feel when you hear a cranking melody? Same thing. A longing. Why? It’s a rumor that we were meant for something deeper, richer, more beautiful. Take art. Same thing. See a beautiful painting and we are awe struck. Why? It’s a reminder of a secret.
God says, “I love you so much, more than I can express with words so I won’t use words. I’ll give you glimpses, rumors, of my love through the creation. You will react. You will long for me because I’ve written your name down. I’ve got you on a list of passengers on journey with me to a better place and the only way I can prepare you is by showing you small things. The rest is up to you. Won’t you believe?”
We quickly arrived at the Vet. I picked her up in the blanket she was wrapped in, walked in and handed her to the ER nurse with tears falling down my face. I asked if there was anything they could do? I knew it was doubtful. She took Evie and brought her to the back. Moments later the nurse returned to say, "I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do". I was somewhat ready for that because I could tell Evie's life was over. The nurse brought us into a visiting room and went over what we could do. She was very thoughtful. Sensitive. She asked us if we wanted to have a viewing of her before leaving. We did. I prayed over her. Thanking God for giving us such a beautiful loving and fun dog. For giving us Evie. She was a true gift. On the ride home my thoughts drifted to many places. Much of what I felt was utter shock. Sad. Pain. But I had the nagging question dance in my head, “why did it hurt so bad?”, “how could an animal touch me so deeply?”. I really wasn’t prepared for how I would feel. It was a comforting sadness. While that may sound strange, it’s how the funnel of emotion in my heart was directing the moments. They were leading somewhere. Have you heard that proverb about Me, Dog’s, God and Prayer? It goes like this; “Lord help me to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am!” I thought about that notion as we drove. Then is started to hit me. This may sound strange but, I knew that my love for Evie and my pain about her passing was a divine experience. An invisible state of knowing that couldn’t be explained. Why did it hurt so bad? Why was I filled with joy at the fondness of her manner while also reeling in pain? How could I become so attached to an animal? All these questions were from a secret unseen place we all go through but why? What is it about that prayer? Don’t we all feel that way about our dogs or cats or whatever animal we share? We can relate to all of our pets loving us and accepting us. They forget everything. They keep no records of wrongs. Isn’t that unconditional love? Isn’t it true that we say a dog is man’s best friend? What makes them that way and why? The answers I’ll share may seem a bit esoteric. I don’t consider myself a religious person but I’m certainly a believer in God. My belief is based on logic, and being at peace with the nagging question of, “What’s this all about? Life.” No, I don’t FEEL God. I just know he exists. You do to. You may not intellectually be ready to admit that but we all believe in God. We’re just all at different places on the continuum of belief.
I think we all believe in God and fail to recognize what we experience in life as God. Putting it another way, consider my reaction to Evie. Consider my perception of her and you consider your perception of your pet. Isn’t it love that drives you to connect with them? Isn’t it something you question from time to time? How could I love this animal so much? How come I feel such an overwhelming sense of peace when I’m with my pet? What is it that makes them so cute?
They love don’t they. They love tangibly. They snuggle. They lick. They affectionally growl when playing chase or tug of war with their favorite toy. They are whimsical in their behavior. All of this makes us love them even more. But still, the nagging question, for me is why?
Well here’s my theory. You may not agree and that’s okay. For me, it’s a world view that makes sense of these wonderful acts of kindness. A dog, their affections, their unconditional fun loving patterns and our reaction to them are rumors of another world. Say what? Yes. They are rumors of an invisible world we are intended for. Our present world is only a glimpse of something much much better. Something that can’t be explained. It’s only known, and, yes; felt. Think of this way. How do you feel when viewing a sunset at the beach? Or what about the sense of awe and bewilderment we experience when seeing a huge set of mountains? And what of a child being born? What about the seasons. We love them all. They each bring a sense of peace. When we experience those events doesn’t something nag at us? How come I have so much peace when I see the brilliant colors of fall? The sun setting over a long beach? The moon shining bright in the evening sky? They are rumors or better still, glimpses. They are tiny peepholes casting light in a dark room. But how? I think it’s easiest said this way. Each of these glimpses is a tease. They are whispers of something greater. They are voices tugging us out of or fleshly minds connecting us to a metaphor of what the other world is made up of.
Think of this. If you had a very special place that was perfect in every way and wanted to share it with a friend. Imagine with me. The thing you know is that if you explained in nauseating detail where you were from and how beautiful it is you would likely be taken for a crazy person. You might be ridiculed. Laughed at. Why? Because we are ingrained to think the life we can taste touch and experience in our flesh is all there is and the notion of another world is quackery. My life is so boring, routine, dull that it seems impossible that anything out there could be any better let alone “perfect”, full of love. You see? This is precisely the point. Listen, if you had the overwhelming responsibility of telling the tale of a perfect place full of love how would you do it? As I said you couldn’t tell all. Wouldn’t you have to use glimpses. Teases. Reminders. Rumors. It’s kinda like buying your child a birthday present or two. You start with the card, then a small gift, then the whole enchilada. The “big” gift. Now, isn’t that slow reveal a better way? Sure it is. It’s fun to see the reaction. Just when a little one thinks that’s all, the giant “main gift” is given. But isn’t it true that a child anticipates a greater gift as they open each small one? That’s us. We experience rumors of another world, and highly anticipate the next one. From a sunset, to seeing snow covered mountains, to experiencing the love of a pet. So what’s this all have to do with a dog dying and my experience with the whole thing? You see, I believe the heartfelt love we share with our pets is a rumor of another world. It’s a glimpse. Haven’t you heard of people who love their dog more than anything else? Why is that? Well, don’t we know what unconditional love is by knowing what it isn’t? True love keeps no records of wrong. It’s not envious, jealous nor boasts. And isn’t it true that a dog is the personification of that? Sure is. Dog’s love because they are given to us as gifts, tokens, teachers. They teach us love. Lord, let me be the person that my dog thinks I am? How can we all relate to that so much? We can relate to that sentiment because we share a divine problem. We are blinded to the world outside of what we can taste touch and feel. Well if you were God wouldn’t it be fun to provide your creation with subtle or not so subtle reminders of the house you live in and what it’s like? Wouldn’t you want to give gifts to your creation to help their feeble minds be connected to the burning question of why? Wouldn’t you want to instill a longing to be directed to a place where there’s no tears, suffering or pain? God gave us our pets as reminders, even if we fail to recognize them. Reminders that we want, need, and long for love. We want to be loved and to love but with each other we don’t always get it right. Surely God get’s it right all the time but God endows us with choice as to the recognition of his love. So how perfect is a little dog like Evie to tease, remind, encourage me that the love I experience through a relationship with her is something deeper and has a real intended purpose? The unconditional love that is manifested in our pets is God’s way of saying, “you like this? so do I but this is only a glimpse”.....”I wish you knew this is how much I love you.” I can show you great things about this world I’m from but you can’t handle it all so I will give you a longing for something invisible. I’ll make the invisible visible in your pets. Isn’t that amazing?
Well is God the cosmic tease? Maybe, but better, he’s the man behind the curtain directing the play. He knows his audience, what they can handle, and what they can’t. He knows exactly when and how to pique their interests and get them thinking. He doesn’t reveal the plot in the first act. He builds the story over time. With events. Glimpses. The love we experience with our pets is a rumor of another world. A place where unconditional love is the constant state of mind. Of course our cosmic creator never forces himself on his creation. We are free to choose and the freedom to choose will never be taken from us. Well, I choose to recognize the unconditional love I shared with Evie to be a loud rumor of a greater love that God has for me. And it doesn’t stop with pets. It’s all around us. This beautiful place we call earth, our home, is laden with glimpses. Subtle? Sometimes. Sometimes not. I’ll leave you with a few other examples. What about music? How do you feel when you hear a cranking melody? Same thing. A longing. Why? It’s a rumor that we were meant for something deeper, richer, more beautiful. Take art. Same thing. See a beautiful painting and we are awe struck. Why? It’s a reminder of a secret.
God says, “I love you so much, more than I can express with words so I won’t use words. I’ll give you glimpses, rumors, of my love through the creation. You will react. You will long for me because I’ve written your name down. I’ve got you on a list of passengers on journey with me to a better place and the only way I can prepare you is by showing you small things. The rest is up to you. Won’t you believe?”
A Dog, The Personification of Unconditional Love.
I thought I'd write a bit about what I was thinking at the time of the passing of our little Dog, Evie. She was a 3 year old little Chihuahua. An innocent loving and cuddly bundle of warmth. I've never lost an animal or a human friend or family member before so what I have to say may seem overly dramatic. Bear with me. I hope some of what I say might be uplifting or thought provoking.
When I got the call that Evie was hit and was in really bad shape it felt like someone knocked the wind out of me. I was shocked. Freaked out. Angry with the person who it her. Wasn't fond of my reaction but some things one can't control. An instinctive reaction of shear pain will do strange things. I rushed home to find her in the arms of Maria. She was sobbing. Evie looked lifeless. Her little eyes were open. I thought she was still alive. I don't intend to be graphic about this for nothing more than to help connect the reader to the grim reality of death.
I rolled her little towel back to inspect her body. It was horrifying. It hit me hard. I sobbed. I knew that if she was still alive that it wouldn't be long before she would pass. Even if she could see a doctor in time it was likely that even the most skilled Vet wouldn't be able to do much.
A neighbor saw Maria on the side of the road with Evie in her lap. She was sobbing. Our neighbor took pity on Maria and offered to help. He wanted to help us take her to the emergency room. We all jumped in a perfect stranger's truck and headed to the Vet. As we headed out I couldn't take my eyes off little Evie. Her eyes were wide open. I didn't realize she had already passed. She looked so innocent. It hurt. I cried. My heart was broken. How could this be happening I thought and of course the most toxic question, "Why?".
We quickly arrived at the Vet. I picked her up in the blanket she was wrapped in, walked in and handed her to the ER nurse with tears falling down my face. I asked if there was anything they could do? I knew it was doubtful. She took Evie and brought her to the back. Moments later the nurse returned to say, "I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do". I was somewhat ready for that because I could tell Evie's life was over.
The nurse brought us into a visiting room and went over what we could do. She was very thoughtful. Sensitive. She asked us if we wanted to have a viewing of her before leaving. We did. I prayed over her. Thanking God for giving us such a beautiful loving and fun dog. For giving us Evie. She was a true gift.
On the ride home my thoughts drifted to many places. Much of what I felt was utter shock. Sad. Pain. But I had the nagging question dance in my head, “why did it hurt so bad?”, “how could an animal touch me so deeply?”. I really wasn’t prepared for how I would feel. It was a comforting sadness. While that may sound strange, it’s how the funnel of emotion in my heart was directing the moments. They were leading somewhere.
Have you heard that proverb about Me, Dog’s, God and Prayer? It goes like this; “Lord help me to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am!”
I thought about that notion as we drove. Then is started to hit me. This may sound strange but, I knew that my love for Evie and my pain about her passing was a divine experience. An invisible state of knowing that couldn’t be explained. Why did it hurt so bad? Why was I filled with joy at the fondness of her manner while also reeling in pain? How could I become so attached to an animal? All these questions were from a secret unseen place we all go through but why? What is it about that prayer? Don’t we all feel that way about our dogs or cats or whatever animal we share? We can relate to all of our pets loving us and accepting us. They forget everything. They keep no records of wrongs.
Isn’t that unconditional love? Isn’t it true that we say a dog is man’s best friend? What makes them that way and why? The answers I’ll share may seem a bit esoteric. I don’t consider myself a religious person but I’m certainly a believer in God. My belief is based on logic, and being at peace with the nagging question of, “What’s this all about? Life.” No, I don’t FEEL God. I just know he exists. You do to. You may not intellectually be ready to admit that but we all believe in God. We’re just all at different places on the continuum of belief.
I think we all believe in God and fail to recognize what we experience in life as God. Putting it another way, consider my reaction to Evie. Consider my perception of her and you consider your perception of your pet. Isn’t it love that drives you to connect with them? Isn’t it something you question from time to time? How could I love this animal so much? How come I feel such an overwhelming sense of peace when I’m with my pet? What is it that makes them so cute?
They love don’t they. They love tangibly. They snuggle. They lick. They affectionally growl when playing chase or tug of war with their favorite toy. They are whimsical in their behavior. All of this makes us love them even more. But still, the nagging question, for me is why?
Well here’s my theory. You may not agree and that’s okay. For me, it’s a world view that makes sense of these wonderful acts of kindness. A dog, their affections, their unconditional fun loving patterns and our reaction to them are rumors of another world. Say what? Yes. They are rumors of an invisible world we are intended for. Our present world is only a glimpse of something much much better. Something that can’t be explained. It’s only known, and, yes; felt.
Think of this way. How do you feel when viewing a sunset at the beach? Or what about the sense of awe and bewilderment we experience when seeing a huge set of mountains? And what of a child being born? What about the seasons. We love them all. They each bring a sense of peace. When we experience those events doesn’t something nag at us? How come I have so much peace when I see the brilliant colors of fall? The sun setting over a long beach? The moon shining bright in the evening sky?
They are rumors or better still, glimpses. They are tiny peepholes casting light in a dark room. But how? I think it’s easiest said this way. Each of these glimpses is a tease. They are whispers of something greater. They are voices tugging us out of or fleshly minds connecting us to a metaphor of what the other world is made up of.
Think of this. If you had a very special place that was perfect in every way and wanted to share it with a friend. Imagine with me. The thing you know is that if you explained in nauseating detail where you were from and how beautiful it is you would likely be taken for a crazy person. You might be ridiculed. Laughed at. Why? Because we are ingrained to think the life we can taste touch and experience in our flesh is all there is and the notion of another world is quackery. My life is so boring, routine, dull that it seems impossible that anything out there could be any better let alone “perfect”, full of love.
You see? This is precisely the point. Listen, if you had the overwhelming responsibility of telling the tale of a perfect place full of love how would you do it? As I said you couldn’t tell all. Wouldn’t you have to use glimpses. Teases. Reminders. Rumors. It’s kinda like buying your child a birthday present or two. You start with the card, then a small gift, then the whole enchilada. The “big” gift. Now, isn’t that slow reveal a better way? Sure it is. It’s fun to see the reaction. Just when a little one thinks that’s all, the giant “main gift” is given. But isn’t it true that a child anticipates a greater gift as they open each small one? That’s us. We experience rumors of another world, and highly anticipate the next one. From a sunset, to seeing snow covered mountains, to experiencing the love of a pet.
So what’s this all have to do with a dog dying and my experience with the whole thing? You see, I believe the heartfelt love we share with our pets is a rumor of another world. It’s a glimpse. Haven’t you heard of people who love their dog more than anything else? Why is that? Well, don’t we know what unconditional love is by knowing what it isn’t? True love keeps no records of wrong. It’s not envious, jealous nor boasts. And isn’t it true that a dog is the personification of that? Sure is. Dog’s love because they are given to us as gifts, tokens, teachers. They teach us love. Lord, let me be the person that my dog thinks I am? How can we all relate to that so much?
We can relate to that sentiment because we share a divine problem. We are blinded to the world outside of what we can taste touch and feel. Well if you were God wouldn’t it be fun to provide your creation with subtle or not so subtle reminders of the house you live in and what it’s like? Wouldn’t you want to give gifts to your creation to help their feeble minds be connected to the burning question of why? Wouldn’t you want to instill a longing to be directed to a place where there’s no tears, suffering or pain?
God gave us our pets as reminders, even if we fail to recognize them. Reminders that we want, need, and long for love. We want to be loved and to love but with each other we don’t always get it right. Surely God get’s it right all the time but God endows us with choice as to the recognition of his love. So how perfect is a little dog like Evie to tease, remind, encourage me that the love I experience through a relationship with her is something deeper and has a real intended purpose?
The unconditional love that is manifested in our pets is God’s way of saying, “you like this? so do I but this is only a glimpse”.....”I wish you knew this is how much I love you.” I can show you great things about this world I’m from but you can’t handle it all so I will give you a longing for something invisible. I’ll make the invisible visible in your pets. Isn’t that amazing?
Well is God the cosmic tease? Maybe, but better, he’s the man behind the curtain directing the play. He knows his audience, what they can handle, and what they can’t. He knows exactly when and how to pique their interests and get them thinking. He doesn’t reveal the plot in the first act. He builds the story over time. With events. Glimpses.
The love we experience with our pets is a rumor of another world. A place where unconditional love is the constant state of mind. Of course our cosmic creator never forces himself on his creation. We are free to choose and the freedom to choose will never be taken from us.
Well, I choose to recognize the unconditional love I shared with Evie to be a loud rumor of a greater love that God has for me. And it doesn’t stop with pets. It’s all around us. This beautiful place we call earth, our home, is laden with glimpses. Subtle? Sometimes. Sometimes not. I’ll leave you with a few other examples.
What about music? How do you feel when you hear a cranking melody? Same thing. A longing. Why? It’s a rumor that we were meant for something deeper, richer, more beautiful. Take art. Same thing. See a beautiful painting and we are awe struck. Why? It’s a reminder of a secret.
God says, “I love you so much, more than I can express with words so I won’t use words. I’ll give you glimpses, rumors, of my love through the creation. You will react. You will long for me because I’ve written your name down. I’ve got you on a list of passengers on journey with me to a better place and the only way I can prepare you is by showing you small things. The rest is up to you. Won’t you believe?”
A Dog. The Personification of Unconditional Love.
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I thought I'd write a bit about what I was thinking at the time of the passing of our little Dog, Evie. She was a 3 year old little Chihuahua. An innocent loving and cuddly bundle of warmth. I've never lost an animal or a human friend or family member before so what I have to say may seem overly dramatic. Bear with me. I hope some of what I say might be uplifting or thought provoking.
When I got the call that Evie was hit and was in really bad shape it felt like someone knocked the wind out of me. I was shocked. Freaked out. Angry with the person who it her. Wasn't fond of my reaction but some things one can't control. An instinctive reaction of shear pain will do strange things. I rushed home to find her in the arms of Maria. She was sobbing. Evie looked lifeless. Her little eyes were open. I thought she was still alive. I don't intend to be graphic about this for nothing more than to help connect the reader to the grim reality of death.
I rolled her little towel back to inspect her body. It was horrifying. It hit me hard. I sobbed. I knew that if she was still alive that it wouldn't be long before she would pass. Even if she could see a doctor in time it was likely that even the most skilled Vet wouldn't be able to do much.
A neighbor saw Maria on the side of the road with Evie in her lap. She was sobbing. Our neighbor took pity on Maria and offered to help. He wanted to help us take her to the emergency room. We all jumped in a perfect stranger's truck and headed to the Vet. As we headed out I couldn't take my eyes off little Evie. Her eyes were wide open. I didn't realize she had already passed. She looked so innocent. It hurt. I cried. My heart was broken. How could this be happening I thought and of course the most toxic question, "Why?".
We quickly arrived at the Vet. I picked her up in the blanket she was wrapped in, walked in and handed her to the ER nurse with tears falling down my face. I asked if there was anything they could do? I knew it was doubtful. She took Evie and brought her to the back. Moments later the nurse returned to say, "I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do". I was somewhat ready for that because I could tell Evie's life was over.
The nurse brought us into a visiting room and went over what we could do. She was very thoughtful. Sensitive. She asked us if we wanted to have a viewing of her before leaving. We did. I prayed over her. Thanking God for giving us such a beautiful loving and fun dog. For giving us Evie. She was a true gift.
On the ride home my thoughts drifted to many places. Much of what I felt was utter shock. Sad. Pain. But I had the nagging question dance in my head, “why did it hurt so bad?”, “how could an animal touch me so deeply?”. I really wasn’t prepared for how I would feel. It was a comforting sadness. While that may sound strange, it’s how the funnel of emotion in my heart was directing the moments. They were leading somewhere.
Have you heard that proverb about Me, Dog’s, God and Prayer? It goes like this; “Lord help me to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am!”
I thought about that notion as we drove. Then is started to hit me. This may sound strange but, I knew that my love for Evie and my pain about her passing was a divine experience. An invisible state of knowing that couldn’t be explained. Why did it hurt so bad? Why was I filled with joy at the fondness of her manner while also reeling in pain? How could I become so attached to an animal? All these questions were from a secret unseen place we all go through but why? What is it about that prayer? Don’t we all feel that way about our dogs or cats or whatever animal we share? We can relate to all of our pets loving us and accepting us. They forget everything. They keep no records of wrongs.
Isn’t that unconditional love? Isn’t it true that we say a dog is man’s best friend? What makes them that way and why? The answers I’ll share may seem a bit esoteric. I don’t consider myself a religious person but I’m certainly a believer in God. My belief is based on logic, and being at peace with the nagging question of, “What’s this all about? Life.” No, I don’t FEEL God. I just know he exists. You do to. You may not intellectually be ready to admit that but we all believe in God. We’re just all at different places on the continuum of belief.
I think we all believe in God and fail to recognize what we experience in life as God. Putting it another way, consider my reaction to Evie. Consider my perception of her and you consider your perception of your pet. Isn’t it love that drives you to connect with them? Isn’t it something you question from time to time? How could I love this animal so much? How come I feel such an overwhelming sense of peace when I’m with my pet? What is it that makes them so cute?
They love don’t they. They love tangibly. They snuggle. They lick. They affectionally growl when playing chase or tug of war with their favorite toy. They are whimsical in their behavior. All of this makes us love them even more. But still, the nagging question, for me is why?
Well here’s my theory. You may not agree and that’s okay. For me, it’s a world view that makes sense of these wonderful acts of kindness. A dog, their affections, their unconditional fun loving patterns and our reaction to them are rumors of another world. Say what? Yes. They are rumors of an invisible world we are intended for. Our present world is only a glimpse of something much much better. Something that can’t be explained. It’s only known, and, yes; felt.
Think of this way. How do you feel when viewing a sunset at the beach? Or what about the sense of awe and bewilderment we experience when seeing a huge set of mountains? And what of a child being born? What about the seasons. We love them all. They each bring a sense of peace. When we experience those events doesn’t something nag at us? How come I have so much peace when I see the brilliant colors of fall? The sun setting over a long beach? The moon shining bright in the evening sky?
They are rumors or better still, glimpses. They are tiny peepholes casting light in a dark room. But how? I think it’s easiest said this way. Each of these glimpses is a tease. They are whispers of something greater. They are voices tugging us out of or fleshly minds connecting us to a metaphor of what the other world is made up of.
Think of this. If you had a very special place that was perfect in every way and wanted to share it with a friend. Imagine with me. The thing you know is that if you explained in nauseating detail where you were from and how beautiful it is you would likely be taken for a crazy person. You might be ridiculed. Laughed at. Why? Because we are ingrained to think the life we can taste touch and experience in our flesh is all there is and the notion of another world is quackery. My life is so boring, routine, dull that it seems impossible that anything out there could be any better let alone “perfect”, full of love.
You see? This is precisely the point. Listen, if you had the overwhelming responsibility of telling the tale of a perfect place full of love how would you do it? As I said you couldn’t tell all. Wouldn’t you have to use glimpses. Teases. Reminders. Rumors. It’s kinda like buying your child a birthday present or two. You start with the card, then a small gift, then the whole enchilada. The “big” gift. Now, isn’t that slow reveal a better way? Sure it is. It’s fun to see the reaction. Just when a little one thinks that’s all, the giant “main gift” is given. But isn’t it true that a child anticipates a greater gift as they open each small one? That’s us. We experience rumors of another world, and highly anticipate the next one. From a sunset, to seeing snow covered mountains, to experiencing the love of a pet.
So what’s this all have to do with a dog dying and my experience with the whole thing? You see, I believe the heartfelt love we share with our pets is a rumor of another world. It’s a glimpse. Haven’t you heard of people who love their dog more than anything else? Why is that? Well, don’t we know what unconditional love is by knowing what it isn’t? True love keeps no records of wrong. It’s not envious, jealous nor boasts. And isn’t it true that a dog is the personification of that? Sure is. Dog’s love because they are given to us as gifts, tokens, teachers. They teach us love. Lord, let me be the person that my dog thinks I am? How can we all relate to that so much?
We can relate to that sentiment because we share a divine problem. We are blinded to the world outside of what we can taste touch and feel. Well if you were God wouldn’t it be fun to provide your creation with subtle or not so subtle reminders of the house you live in and what it’s like? Wouldn’t you want to give gifts to your creation to help their feeble minds be connected to the burning question of why? Wouldn’t you want to instill a longing to be directed to a place where there’s no tears, suffering or pain?
God gave us our pets as reminders, even if we fail to recognize them. Reminders that we want, need, and long for love. We want to be loved and to love but with each other we don’t always get it right. Surely God get’s it right all the time but God endows us with choice as to the recognition of his love. So how perfect is a little dog like Evie to tease, remind, encourage me that the love I experience through a relationship with her is something deeper and has a real intended purpose?
The unconditional love that is manifested in our pets is God’s way of saying, “you like this? so do I but this is only a glimpse”.....”I wish you knew this is how much I love you.” I can show you great things about this world I’m from but you can’t handle it all so I will give you a longing for something invisible. I’ll make the invisible visible in your pets. Isn’t that amazing?
Well is God the cosmic tease? Maybe, but better, he’s the man behind the curtain directing the play. He knows his audience, what they can handle, and what they can’t. He knows exactly when and how to pique their interests and get them thinking. He doesn’t reveal the plot in the first act. He builds the story over time. With events. Glimpses.
The love we experience with our pets is a rumor of another world. A place where unconditional love is the constant state of mind. Of course our cosmic creator never forces himself on his creation. We are free to choose and the freedom to choose will never be taken from us.
Well, I choose to recognize the unconditional love I shared with Evie to be a loud rumor of a greater love that God has for me. And it doesn’t stop with pets. It’s all around us. This beautiful place we call earth, our home, is laden with glimpses. Subtle? Sometimes. Sometimes not. I’ll leave you with a few other examples.
What about music? How do you feel when you hear a cranking melody? Same thing. A longing. Why? It’s a rumor that we were meant for something deeper, richer, more beautiful. Take art. Same thing. See a beautiful painting and we are awe struck. Why? It’s a reminder of a secret.
God says, “I love you so much, more than I can express with words so I won’t use words. I’ll give you glimpses, rumors, of my love through the creation. You will react. You will long for me because I’ve written your name down. I’ve got you on a list of passengers on journey with me to a better place and the only way I can prepare you is by showing you small things. The rest is up to you. Won’t you believe?”
A Dog. The Personification of Unconditional Love.
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I thought I'd write a bit about what I was thinking at the time of the passing of our little Dog, Evie. She was a 3 year old little Chihuahua. An innocent loving and cuddly bundle of warmth. I've never lost an animal or a human friend or family member before so what I have to say may seem overly dramatic. Bear with me. I hope some of what I say might be uplifting or thought provoking.
When I got the call that Evie was hit and was in really bad shape it felt like someone knocked the wind out of me. I was shocked. Freaked out. Angry with the person who it her. Wasn't fond of my reaction but some things one can't control. An instinctive reaction of shear pain will do strange things. I rushed home to find her in the arms of Maria. She was sobbing. Evie looked lifeless. Her little eyes were open. I thought she was still alive. I don't intend to be graphic about this for nothing more than to help connect the reader to the grim reality of death.
I rolled her little towel back to inspect her body. It was horrifying. It hit me hard. I sobbed. I knew that if she was still alive that it wouldn't be long before she would pass. Even if she could see a doctor in time it was likely that even the most skilled Vet wouldn't be able to do much.
A neighbor saw Maria on the side of the road with Evie in her lap. She was sobbing. Our neighbor took pity on Maria and offered to help. He wanted to help us take her to the emergency room. We all jumped in a perfect stranger's truck and headed to the Vet. As we headed out I couldn't take my eyes off little Evie. Her eyes were wide open. I didn't realize she had already passed. She looked so innocent. It hurt. I cried. My heart was broken. How could this be happening I thought and of course the most toxic question, "Why?".
We quickly arrived at the Vet. I picked her up in the blanket she was wrapped in, walked in and handed her to the ER nurse with tears falling down my face. I asked if there was anything they could do? I knew it was doubtful. She took Evie and brought her to the back. Moments later the nurse returned to say, "I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do". I was somewhat ready for that because I could tell Evie's life was over.
The nurse brought us into a visiting room and went over what we could do. She was very thoughtful. Sensitive. She asked us if we wanted to have a viewing of her before leaving. We did. I prayed over her. Thanking God for giving us such a beautiful loving and fun dog. For giving us Evie. She was a true gift.
On the ride home my thoughts drifted to many places. Much of what I felt was utter shock. Sad. Pain. But I had the nagging question dance in my head, “why did it hurt so bad?”, “how could an animal touch me so deeply?”. I really wasn’t prepared for how I would feel. It was a comforting sadness. While that may sound strange, it’s how the funnel of emotion in my heart was directing the moments. They were leading somewhere.
Have you heard that proverb about Me, Dog’s, God and Prayer? It goes like this; “Lord help me to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am!”
I thought about that notion as we drove. Then is started to hit me. This may sound strange but, I knew that my love for Evie and my pain about her passing was a divine experience. An invisible state of knowing that couldn’t be explained. Why did it hurt so bad? Why was I filled with joy at the fondness of her manner while also reeling in pain? How could I become so attached to an animal? All these questions were from a secret unseen place we all go through but why? What is it about that prayer? Don’t we all feel that way about our dogs or cats or whatever animal we share? We can relate to all of our pets loving us and accepting us. They forget everything. They keep no records of wrongs.
Isn’t that unconditional love? Isn’t it true that we say a dog is man’s best friend? What makes them that way and why? The answers I’ll share may seem a bit esoteric. I don’t consider myself a religious person but I’m certainly a believer in God. My belief is based on logic, and being at peace with the nagging question of, “What’s this all about? Life.” No, I don’t FEEL God. I just know he exists. You do to. You may not intellectually be ready to admit that but we all believe in God. We’re just all at different places on the continuum of belief.
I think we all believe in God and fail to recognize what we experience in life as God. Putting it another way, consider my reaction to Evie. Consider my perception of her and you consider your perception of your pet. Isn’t it love that drives you to connect with them? Isn’t it something you question from time to time? How could I love this animal so much? How come I feel such an overwhelming sense of peace when I’m with my pet? What is it that makes them so cute?
They love don’t they. They love tangibly. They snuggle. They lick. They affectionally growl when playing chase or tug of war with their favorite toy. They are whimsical in their behavior. All of this makes us love them even more. But still, the nagging question, for me is why?
Well here’s my theory. You may not agree and that’s okay. For me, it’s a world view that makes sense of these wonderful acts of kindness. A dog, their affections, their unconditional fun loving patterns and our reaction to them are rumors of another world. Say what? Yes. They are rumors of an invisible world we are intended for. Our present world is only a glimpse of something much much better. Something that can’t be explained. It’s only known, and, yes; felt.
Think of this way. How do you feel when viewing a sunset at the beach? Or what about the sense of awe and bewilderment we experience when seeing a huge set of mountains? And what of a child being born? What about the seasons. We love them all. They each bring a sense of peace. When we experience those events doesn’t something nag at us? How come I have so much peace when I see the brilliant colors of fall? The sun setting over a long beach? The moon shining bright in the evening sky?
They are rumors or better still, glimpses. They are tiny peepholes casting light in a dark room. But how? I think it’s easiest said this way. Each of these glimpses is a tease. They are whispers of something greater. They are voices tugging us out of or fleshly minds connecting us to a metaphor of what the other world is made up of.
Think of this. If you had a very special place that was perfect in every way and wanted to share it with a friend. Imagine with me. The thing you know is that if you explained in nauseating detail where you were from and how beautiful it is you would likely be taken for a crazy person. You might be ridiculed. Laughed at. Why? Because we are ingrained to think the life we can taste touch and experience in our flesh is all there is and the notion of another world is quackery. My life is so boring, routine, dull that it seems impossible that anything out there could be any better let alone “perfect”, full of love.
You see? This is precisely the point. Listen, if you had the overwhelming responsibility of telling the tale of a perfect place full of love how would you do it? As I said you couldn’t tell all. Wouldn’t you have to use glimpses. Teases. Reminders. Rumors. It’s kinda like buying your child a birthday present or two. You start with the card, then a small gift, then the whole enchilada. The “big” gift. Now, isn’t that slow reveal a better way? Sure it is. It’s fun to see the reaction. Just when a little one thinks that’s all, the giant “main gift” is given. But isn’t it true that a child anticipates a greater gift as they open each small one? That’s us. We experience rumors of another world, and highly anticipate the next one. From a sunset, to seeing snow covered mountains, to experiencing the love of a pet.
So what’s this all have to do with a dog dying and my experience with the whole thing? You see, I believe the heartfelt love we share with our pets is a rumor of another world. It’s a glimpse. Haven’t you heard of people who love their dog more than anything else? Why is that? Well, don’t we know what unconditional love is by knowing what it isn’t? True love keeps no records of wrong. It’s not envious, jealous nor boasts. And isn’t it true that a dog is the personification of that? Sure is. Dog’s love because they are given to us as gifts, tokens, teachers. They teach us love. Lord, let me be the person that my dog thinks I am? How can we all relate to that so much?
We can relate to that sentiment because we share a divine problem. We are blinded to the world outside of what we can taste touch and feel. Well if you were God wouldn’t it be fun to provide your creation with subtle or not so subtle reminders of the house you live in and what it’s like? Wouldn’t you want to give gifts to your creation to help their feeble minds be connected to the burning question of why? Wouldn’t you want to instill a longing to be directed to a place where there’s no tears, suffering or pain?
God gave us our pets as reminders, even if we fail to recognize them. Reminders that we want, need, and long for love. We want to be loved and to love but with each other we don’t always get it right. Surely God get’s it right all the time but God endows us with choice as to the recognition of his love. So how perfect is a little dog like Evie to tease, remind, encourage me that the love I experience through a relationship with her is something deeper and has a real intended purpose?
The unconditional love that is manifested in our pets is God’s way of saying, “you like this? so do I but this is only a glimpse”.....”I wish you knew this is how much I love you.” I can show you great things about this world I’m from but you can’t handle it all so I will give you a longing for something invisible. I’ll make the invisible visible in your pets. Isn’t that amazing?
Well is God the cosmic tease? Maybe, but better, he’s the man behind the curtain directing the play. He knows his audience, what they can handle, and what they can’t. He knows exactly when and how to pique their interests and get them thinking. He doesn’t reveal the plot in the first act. He builds the story over time. With events. Glimpses.
The love we experience with our pets is a rumor of another world. A place where unconditional love is the constant state of mind. Of course our cosmic creator never forces himself on his creation. We are free to choose and the freedom to choose will never be taken from us.
Well, I choose to recognize the unconditional love I shared with Evie to be a loud rumor of a greater love that God has for me. And it doesn’t stop with pets. It’s all around us. This beautiful place we call earth, our home, is laden with glimpses. Subtle? Sometimes. Sometimes not. I’ll leave you with a few other examples.
What about music? How do you feel when you hear a cranking melody? Same thing. A longing. Why? It’s a rumor that we were meant for something deeper, richer, more beautiful. Take art. Same thing. See a beautiful painting and we are awe struck. Why? It’s a reminder of a secret.
God says, “I love you so much, more than I can express with words so I won’t use words. I’ll give you glimpses, rumors, of my love through the creation. You will react. You will long for me because I’ve written your name down. I’ve got you on a list of passengers on journey with me to a better place and the only way I can prepare you is by showing you small things. The rest is up to you. Won’t you believe?”
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
My Father's Garden on Vimeo
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Amazing! Many referenceable shots for some highly detailed models.
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