“
Animals are a window to your soul and a doorway to your spiritual destiny. If you let them into your life and allow them to teach you, you will be better for it.” ~Kim Shotola
When I wrote about my little special needs guru, Bear, it was in memoriam with great sadness. When he left, I took solace in my two remaining companions. As I sit and write this, my little girl Boo has decided her work is done. It feels unbearably painful to say “good-bye” but the inevitable has filled my mind with the “how’s” and “why’s” of it all, in order to bring perspective to my watery state.
I believe it happens by the grace of God that the loves of our lives show up in our world. They arrive with a soul purpose that our own souls don’t often understand until the days come when they leave us behind. My loves have mostly had four legs and a tail, though a few had two legs and wings. Each one brought me an understanding of my deficits with zero judgment but also introduced me to my ability to grow into my capacity to love with no conditions. Looking at Boo, in her frail, failing body at age eighteen, the memories flood my mind. They bring happiness and a deep sense of gratitude as my understanding of her soul’s purpose becomes very clear.
Her joyful presence was always undeniable. She rang a bell to go outside. She chased her tail with fun-loving abandon and often tossed kibble, then fetched it to entertain herself. Sometimes, she would ring the bell and when I got up to let her go outside, she would run to the table and keenly stare until I realized she was training me to give her something she really wanted on that table. Usually, it was watermelon, arugula, or pizza crust which was a rare treat. She also had a passion for blueberries that was unmatched. She loved being on my massage table for energy work, rounding her back slightly to show me she wanted to be picked up and treated. She walked at my heels in her pretty, light pink, flowery fleecy and was my little ten-pound side-kick through life’s travails. She attended my remote teaching classes. She sat and meditated with me. She monitored the younger pup’s behavior, often looking at me with older wisdom as she watched their mischievous antics. She listened and made eye contact as if part human, her energy always steady with a joy that never dimmed.
Over her lifetime, a lumpectomy, two mastectomies, and a fourth cancer scare resulting in another surgery did not dim her light. At age fifteen, a bleeding tumor on her spleen resulting in an emergency splenectomy with a likely hemangiosarcoma cancer diagnosis, did not flatten her spirit. The vet’s office staff called her the “miracle dog” when her biopsies came back benign this time around. Through it all, she bounced back and never missed a chance to live and love brightly. Of course, I was a crying mess as I vigilantly waited for outcomes and administered her care.
But over time, her spirit changed me. I felt myself recover faster from my anxious preoccupations, becoming brave and tapping into my healing abilities. I channeled my energy better, whispering her joyful life story to her during her recoveries, and prayerfully laying hands on her as she healed back to normal. Her soul’s purpose was to bring me to a sense of my own self-efficacy as I traveled her journey of suffering, while showing no apparent permanent scars to her spirit.
I marvel at the grace and beauty of this tiny creature’s ability to carry such a huge soul purpose! In contrast, I, as a human, was often emotionally hijacked by fear, grief, and worry, barely rising to my own potential until her gentle guidance would consistently nudge my soul. It seems the animals that cross our paths are spiritual teachers in disguise. They carry a soul wisdom that is meant to love, comfort, and make space for us to grow into our own soul’s wisdom.
So, here we are. This love of my life in end stage kidney disease has completed her mission. She came in knowing I needed her more than she needed me and she’s confident now that I’m ready and the lessons have been internalized. I wish you all your own Boo that comes into your life to nudge your soul in the most unexpected ways with grace and a joyous spirit no matter what. Thank you, Boo Boo. Until we see you again, Bella and I will carry on but miss you immeasurably.
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