The Gift Of Peace

In the calm of an evening, following a day of gardening, the words;" You need a dog to help you share this joy and to love you when you are setting in your yard”, came to my now cancer free sister. These were strong words to a woman who, in her adult life, was not a pet lover. Now, she would appreciate their beauty from a distance. And, even comment on how well behaved her neighbor’s trespassing pets had become since she put down that “Pet A Way”. But for every essence of her being to be emitting “You - Need - a - Dog” was an astonishing revelation.

The power of knowing who she is-right now-today is what made her obedient to that still voice. You know. That quite still voice that affects you like a burglar alarm going off. The same one that will wake you from a deep sleep with the answer to a question . A question that you did not know you had ask. And yet, the guidance is there. Her respect of her intuition and understand of her elevated spiritual growth allowed her to be totally open to the idea. Later that evening, when her daughter arrived home from work, she made her announcement. “It is time for us to get a dog”. Her daughter is a professional pet trainer. Trying not to faint, she asked her mother to repeat it.

The ground rules were laid out. It would have to be an outside dog, maybe a Rottweiler. Her daughter would be responsible for its training. Everything was perfect. They purchased a new home last year. They have a large fenced in back yard with plenty of room for it to run and play. My sister is retired. So, apart from her gardening, she has plenty of time to spend with her new pet.

A few days later, her daughter came home with good news. “Mom, I may have found us a dog”. It is an older dog. "Not what I was expecting", she thought. The dog is a Shih Tzu, still thinking, "That is not an outside dog". Her daughter went on. "It sometimes stays at our dog day care. His owner is dying. She has cancer. It has spread through out her body. You can come tomorrow and visit with him. If you like him, Mom, I will talk to her". Upon hearing the dog’s history, she understood why the still voice had spoken to her in her garden that evening. Yes, talk to her! I know he will be fine.

Having overcome the clutches of cancer herself, my sister fully understands the owner’s persistent pursuit to find her best friend, Chewie, a good loving home. There is something mystical about the power of real love. A love that transfers from one person's pleas during prayer through our higher awareness into another person sitting in a swing enjoying their back yard. That is the power of God.

His bed, toys, food and papers have been delivered to his new home. He is scheduled to arrive this evening. At the end of our phone conversation, she told me, “I have to get off the phone. My new son is due to arrive at any minute”. I thought, "her new best friend is arriving".

Obviously, the owner's dog brought her many days of joyful peaceful moments. She chose to share the love that she has experienced by giving him to another deserving family. What a wise choice this lady has made.

At the perfect time in her life, my sister chose to accept the love of a dog whom she did not know existed nor had she ever met him. My sister only knew that the still voice in her head said that she needed him. She needed him to share her joy and to love her.

The courageous lady can find comfort in knowing that her dog is with two people who will shelter him in their beautiful home. They will reciprocate all the love that he gives. And, they will be forever grateful because she chose to share her gift of peace, a little Shih Tzu named Chewie.