Grace, Gratitude, & Peace

This morning as I was reflecting on the many things I have to be thankful for, my thoughts drifted to three amazing teachers I recently had the pleasure to learn from. What I learned from them will be with me forever.

I met these beautiful teachers on a dark, cool Arizona night. There is no way I would have ever been prepared for what I saw or experienced that night, or the days that followed. Alex, Daisy and Velvet had survived months of neglect. The kind of neglect and abuse that if they were human would have had the whole city in an uproar and the people who did it to them in jail immediately. However this evening all of them were safe and secure at Luv Shack Horse Rescue, under the vigilant care and love of Joey Ogburn . These were three of the six that had been rescued that day, and were the three in the most critical condition. Actually, they were beyond critical. The text message that called me to this scene had read, "I'm exhausted and have two skeletons that appear to be horses and a third that is trying to die. Can you come over?"

Each of these amazing horses has a story of their own. And on this evening their individual stories became part of a larger story. A story filled with unconditional love, acceptance, peace, calm, gratitude, and stillness. You see, over the coming days Alex, Velvet, and Daisy would each make the decision to leave and transition beyond this life. And in doing so share a lot of wisdom and love with those of us eager to make what time they had left the best it could be.










You knew that what they had endured the past several months was very unpleasant to say the least. And because each of their physical conditions had deteriorated so badly pain and discomfort was part of their day-to-day life. Yet, unbelievably, they did not harbor any anger, hatred or fear. They were filled with love, gratitude, peace, and calm.

I'd never worked with animals in such condition and was not sure what to expect. Unbelievably I encountered love, gratitude, peace and calm where I thought there might be anger, hatred or fear. Over the years I have experienced the amazing ability of animals to move beyond fear, abuse and neglect, and was amazed they were not holding any of these energies within them. Nor, did they want to go that place of feeling those negative energies. Rather, they wanted to live in the moment. The moments where they were surrounded with the care and unconditional love that fills a soul on all levels - physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

While I had the incredible opportunity to connect and work with them through Reiki on many different levels, some of the most amazing moments to me were the grace, peace and calmness that each experienced and shared with their caretakers. They soaked in every bit of love and attention that was offered. Enjoyed the hugs, brushing, and soothing hands running across their heads, necks and backs. And each gently stood and soaked up our human tears when the emotions were overwhelming. And never once did you feel sorrow or sadness expressed by them, simply because they didn't feel it.

Each decided on her own time when she was ready to go. Alex left quickest, leaving the following morning. Joey said you could see the smile on her face and feel the gratitude in her heart as she closed her eyes for the last time. Velvet's body couldn't keep up with her spirit. She left the next day with grace, diginity, and a quiet stillness that all was well. Daisy hung on the longest and at one point we all thought she would pull through. Three days after her rescue the effects of her neglect were more than her body could bear and she was ready to go. Again there was that familiar feeling of peace, calm and gratitude as she laid down for the last time.

These three beautiful horses taught me lessons I couldn't have learned anywhere else or from anyone else. There was not time or space in their lives for anger, hate or fear. They put that behind them the moment the stepped off the trailer at the rescue. They had no need to keep reliving the past or carry the energy of abuse and neglect with them. Nor did they have a desire to put that energy on to anyone else. Each freely gave as much love to others as was given them. There was not judgment placed on "humans" as a whole due to what they had experienced. They were open to experiencing each person as an individual. And death was simply the next step to take. No fear, regret, or resistance.

I often think of them and continue to learn from them. There is much more that we shared over the days we had together, and I'm grateful to be able to share some of these things with you today.