Nay_ho_tze's Medicine Musings

 in memoriam ...

in my 40s i found myself appeasing my children who wanted a dog, our first ...
they decided on a female; 
we brought home a brother and a sister - my fault.   

As i sat on the floor playing with the litter,  a white and grey pup - 
the runt, i'm told - 
quietly climbed up into my lap and settled down.
After a while he rested his chin upon my flat-chested bosom
and as those liquid brown eyes made direct contact with my own, 
i clearly heard him say, “you know i’m yours…”

And that’s how we brought home two puppies, photo on left – 
i mean, surely, we couldn’t leave the runt,
and since we’d put a request out into the Universe  for a female,
it seemed only honourable to take his sister home as well  

This runt puppy whom we named Gabriel (Bri, for short)
was the most laid back being i had ever met 

He had myriad endearing idiosyncrasies,
like preferring fresh vegetables and fruit to meat, 
by consistently choosing halved grapes over chicken chunks 
which inspired much family discussion
from Buddhists,  (who gave the Lhasa Apso breed to the world)
to our own brand of vegetarianism ...

His sister, Gabriella (Gabi, for short)
while being very protective of him, was also his antithesis; 
where he was withdrawn and watchful, her demeanour was such that
you could almost hear her saying, “c’mon, it’ll be fun!”
she was his sternest teacher yet his most loving companion –

She kept her soft side mostly underwraps except at the end of every walk,
when consistently she would take his leash in her teeth
and lead him the last bit of the way into the house,
as if she needed to make sure he wouldn’t get lost.

 Well, her exuberance cost her her life – a huge truck – a horrible accident 
 and that night as i went from each family member, trying to console,
only going through the motions because i felt totally disconnected,
i was in that shaman spot that i don't usually recognize until in hindsight -
suddenly from nowhere i heard Gabi say, 
“this was a true accident, it wasn’t supposed to happen like this –
i am coming back to you - watch for me”

in my state of shock disbelieving more than believing,
i nevertheless related what i'd been shown, the message to the family,
if only in hoping that delivery would offer consolation, however transient ... 

the message was soon forgotten as we got on with healing --
until after few months passed.
when someone went online one day, and in the way of internet pixies,
a Craigslist puppy image inexplicably popped up on their screen,
which began a whole new journey...
(the breeder said that he'd posted the ad "only 15 minutes before” we responded to it)

This Craigslist pup, the last of a papered Lhasa Apso litter,
had fallen seriously ill at birth and treatment cost her her hair.
making her a hard sell as a bald Lhasa Apso until
when at 4.5 months old, the famous Lhasa coat was growing back,
and the Universe posted the Craig's list picture...

something nudged us to make an appointment and the out-of-state trip -
and of course it was a given that Bri would come with us - 
after all his was final say …

As we approached the porch of the breeder's home,
manaical puppy yelps filled the air
through which a voice from inside spoke to us --
“Just a moment, please -   you’d think i’m killing her -
all i'm doing is clipping her nails – (pause)
i need to warn you, she doesn’t like strangers – 
i didn’t tell you that over the phone - i was afraid you wouldn’t come." 

we looked from one to another, all thinking the same thing - oh great!
the disembodied voice again: "okay, you can come in now.”
Ferocious barking amped as we entered the room...
Bri walked in under his own steam, and unaffected sat by my feet
loosely leashed, only vaguely curious by the ruckus 

The source of the noise: a fierce white creature 
with random spurts of hair growth
from her eyebrows and her ear tips 
the only long patches of hair anywhere on her body -
she looked like something between a grounded bird of prey 
and an over-grown albino squirrel – barking

Unpredictability energized, she fought and won freedom from her owner -
...to tear us to pieces or what? i got ready to swipe Bri up into my arms. 
But the little white naked, fury thing didn't charge Bri, or any of us.
Instead, she went around and sniffed long and hard,
tail wagging furiously at each one of the 5 of us

and when at last she came to Bri,
she simply and stunningly took his leash in her teeth
and headed toward the door!!
to which Bri's reaction was well, Bri ...
he followed her lead indifferently as if to ask, "Where've you been?"

Now i confess to being a bona fide reincarnationist, 
having experienced past life memories from an early age -
yet even still i am always flabbergasted at such undeniable evidence:  
this new pup was indeed, to all of us and as promised, her predecessor incarnate …
i was so glad everyone else had seen her take his leash in her teeth,
for it would've been an unbelievable story without witnesses.
 

We named her Lillian Gabriella (Lili for short) -
Lillian because as a pup she was a purest white 
which turn the lightest of honey as she got older ...
we figure she returned to us so fast that she forgot to pick a colour …
her papers show that she was born only 2 weeks after the accident …
Gabriella explains itself...

Her illness beginning this life was Spirit's way of allowing us time
for the necessary mourning of her predecessor --
moreover Lili seemed to have memory of her predecessor's crossing -
for as we brought her home and she sat in my lap, 
i noticed immediately that she visibly cringed and ducked
when large trucks approached then passed by ...

 thunder and fireworks made her tremble as well from a condition known 
as 'white shaker dog syndrome,' a clinical canine condition - 
mainstream medicine can't give a cause for the behaviour,
and only treats the 'symptoms' with drugs -

IME reincarnation is the cause of this condition,
and once the sufferer understands the cause according to his/her own karma,
the 'condition' heals itself ...

... but i digress

Additionally, and as commonly happens from lifetime to lifetime,
the fatal injury of Gabi, Lili's predecessor, apparently manifested 
as extreme sensitivity in Lili's hind legs - 
in the right circumstances, like brushing her hair
and hitting a tangle on her back legs, 
she would bite, not to break skin but to seriously warn ... 
or from time to time when she was tired or playing too hard,
a hind leg would unexpectedly buckle 

as for how her Craigslist puppy picture inexplicably showed up,  
i do not know, but instead smile and say:
it is exactly as the Hopi instruct, that “we are the ones we’re waiting for.”
or equally poignant:  we are our children’s children’s children …

Think on these things the next time you hear someone speak about
"leaving Mother Earth to our children" because
this is what's really being said: "We leave Mother Earth to ourselves."

... Reincarnation puts a whole new spin on everything,
doesn't it?

--NHT

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