My Love, My Heart-
I just have to share a few words with you about our beloved Lena-
She came into the world with one primary purpose; to teach you about the value of unconditional love. In that respect, her life was well given and well spent. You have told me about the things you gained and learned from her. We, as self-proclaimed "owners" of our planet, are all too often guilty of thinking that we are the primary purpose of all existence; you and I both know that this is not the case at all. The four-legs in our world have much to teach us, and we are, at best, difficult pupils. In ancient times, people spoke of when we could converse freely with our 'relatives'; the four-legged, the winged people, the standing people(trees) and the stone people. As we humans became more 'civilized', we have nearly lost the ability to communicate with our relations. Of all other beings, the dogs have made the greatest attempt to keep that communication flowing.
Lena is (NOT was) a superlative spirit; she gave (and gives still today) to you solace when you had (or do not think that you have)no other resource; she exhibited (and exhibits) courage and resourcefulness when you could not (or cannot) do so on your own behalf; she offered and gave (and continues to do so) to you an absolute, resolute expression of love when you were just beginning to understand the concept of love itself.
Lena has not died; in the words of the poet, she has merely "cast off this mortal coil". Animals do not view death as we have been taught to believe. Physical death is not an end, but a transformation. The mere stoppage of a physical vessel cannot in any way impact the incredible force of the personality that once inhabited that vessel; the spirit, the individual, that immeasurable quantity that makes all of us(people, animals, plants, trees, stars, rocks, the Earth herself) "who we are" still remains, and remains as a viable force in the universe. "Mitak-e-oyasin", the Lakota phrase meaning "We are all related" or "All my relations", speaks a special truth; You and I are no more closely related to one another than I am to a stone, or than you are to an isolated pocket of snow on a distant mountain-top. By the same token, we have, and are obligated to hold, a "brother-sister" relationship with those four-legs(and all of our other relations, you and I included) who come into our lives and reward us with the opportunity to share their wisdom and good sense.
Our beloved sister has not died; in a moment when you most miss her, just sit quietly and reach out to the real part of our existence; our connection to the wheel of life, where we can actually hear the stars singing in their trek around the universe, and the trees growing quietly while all around them changes, and the stones sitting more quietly still as eons pass; there you will find Lena's voice, just as clearly heard, as strong and as vibrant as when she was a pup!
I miss her, I miss her, I miss her!!!
But, in acknowledging that, I also acknowledge that I have not looked hard enough inside my soul for the clear evidence of her continued existence-if I truly quiet myself and listen, I can see her, hear her, feel and smell her; she still lives!, just not on this limited plane of existence. She has not died, but has been transformed; her voice and her message of unconditional love still resonates and can still be felt, if we just take the time to listen...
I am fortunate to have known her, and through her, to know you! Without Lena, we might not ever have come together, and would have likely parted ways before now; without our Missy Wissy, you and I might not now exist as a couple. As only she could, she helped to join you and I together; I learned from her about your potential to love and your need for trusting behavior, and I think that you learned from her something about learning to love and to trust.
I am a better person for having known our Lena, and do not disparage her transition to what is undoubtedly a much more satisfying existence; I truly hope to share my universe with her again...
I love my Lena, and I love you!!!
I just have to share a few words with you about our beloved Lena-
She came into the world with one primary purpose; to teach you about the value of unconditional love. In that respect, her life was well given and well spent. You have told me about the things you gained and learned from her. We, as self-proclaimed "owners" of our planet, are all too often guilty of thinking that we are the primary purpose of all existence; you and I both know that this is not the case at all. The four-legs in our world have much to teach us, and we are, at best, difficult pupils. In ancient times, people spoke of when we could converse freely with our 'relatives'; the four-legged, the winged people, the standing people(trees) and the stone people. As we humans became more 'civilized', we have nearly lost the ability to communicate with our relations. Of all other beings, the dogs have made the greatest attempt to keep that communication flowing.
Lena is (NOT was) a superlative spirit; she gave (and gives still today) to you solace when you had (or do not think that you have)no other resource; she exhibited (and exhibits) courage and resourcefulness when you could not (or cannot) do so on your own behalf; she offered and gave (and continues to do so) to you an absolute, resolute expression of love when you were just beginning to understand the concept of love itself.
Lena has not died; in the words of the poet, she has merely "cast off this mortal coil". Animals do not view death as we have been taught to believe. Physical death is not an end, but a transformation. The mere stoppage of a physical vessel cannot in any way impact the incredible force of the personality that once inhabited that vessel; the spirit, the individual, that immeasurable quantity that makes all of us(people, animals, plants, trees, stars, rocks, the Earth herself) "who we are" still remains, and remains as a viable force in the universe. "Mitak-e-oyasin", the Lakota phrase meaning "We are all related" or "All my relations", speaks a special truth; You and I are no more closely related to one another than I am to a stone, or than you are to an isolated pocket of snow on a distant mountain-top. By the same token, we have, and are obligated to hold, a "brother-sister" relationship with those four-legs(and all of our other relations, you and I included) who come into our lives and reward us with the opportunity to share their wisdom and good sense.
Our beloved sister has not died; in a moment when you most miss her, just sit quietly and reach out to the real part of our existence; our connection to the wheel of life, where we can actually hear the stars singing in their trek around the universe, and the trees growing quietly while all around them changes, and the stones sitting more quietly still as eons pass; there you will find Lena's voice, just as clearly heard, as strong and as vibrant as when she was a pup!
I miss her, I miss her, I miss her!!!
But, in acknowledging that, I also acknowledge that I have not looked hard enough inside my soul for the clear evidence of her continued existence-if I truly quiet myself and listen, I can see her, hear her, feel and smell her; she still lives!, just not on this limited plane of existence. She has not died, but has been transformed; her voice and her message of unconditional love still resonates and can still be felt, if we just take the time to listen...
I am fortunate to have known her, and through her, to know you! Without Lena, we might not ever have come together, and would have likely parted ways before now; without our Missy Wissy, you and I might not now exist as a couple. As only she could, she helped to join you and I together; I learned from her about your potential to love and your need for trusting behavior, and I think that you learned from her something about learning to love and to trust.
I am a better person for having known our Lena, and do not disparage her transition to what is undoubtedly a much more satisfying existence; I truly hope to share my universe with her again...
I love my Lena, and I love you!!!