Sweetpea’s little herd—Annie, Freya, Spencer, Birdie, and Posey, are all doing great and have such a sweet, beautiful bond. They all know that Sweetpea is the boss and that she is old and not as strong as they are, so they’re very respectful and gentle with her. These babies gave Sweetpea a new purpose and new energy. I must say that this little herd is a joy to be around.
Annie and Freya were here first and are the big sisters of the herd. They are both very quiet, sweet girls. They will give me a kiss for a treat and often without a treat.
Spencer is a big 6-month-old Nubian boy who’s growing like a weed. His legs are so long that he gets them tangled up and can trip in really slapstick ways. He’s a sweet lover boy who leans on me and rubs me with his head when I am working in the barn.
Birdie and Posey, are little squirts. At 6-months-old they are still only two feet tall. They are strong, opinionated girls who have no idea they are little. Birdie yells “hey!” when she sees me and is the first to jump in the wheelbarrow. Posey likes to sit in my lap and chew her cud. They are funny girls who make me laugh often and give me lots of cuddles.
Oso, the Shetland Pony who came to be Dakota’s friend, has grown in leaps and bounds. He came here afraid and shy and nervous around people. Finally, he’s gained confidence in himself and is one handsome, sassy boy, now totally integrated with the other horses and they are a strong little herd. Oso has started trusting people and wanting to be with them. I will never forget the day when I was cleaning the water bucket and felt a horse chin rest on my back and shoulder. When I turned around to see that it was Oso, he pushed his head into my chest and let me stroke him and kiss him and hug his neck for the first time. Finally, he could trust.
Every animal that lives here touches my heart daily and takes me into a space of love and connection that is undeniable. I am so blessed to live with these beautiful friends.
Other animals have touched me deeply this summer too. Great Blue Herons always bring me a sense of hope, well-being, and connection. They live and nest on the river and I see and hear them often. Several times though, I have had amazing encounters with them. Many years ago, I was traveling down a country road when I saw a Great Blue standing on the shoulder. I thought he might be injured so I slowed my car and rolled down the window. He stared at me for a moment then let me know that he was okay. I started moving again, slowly at first, and the Great Blue walked with my car. When I sped up, he kept pace with the car and right before I got to a stop sign, he took off, flew past my windshield and was gone.
A couple of weeks ago almost the exact thing happened. I got to the end of my gravel road and standing right there, was a Great Blue. Once again, I rolled down my window to see if he was okay then turned onto the road and he started walking with my car. When I sped up, he ran with my car. And when I got to the bridge over the Rocky River he flew up, over my car and toward the river. Wow! The second time that had happened and my heart was racing.
Just in case I didn’t get the message, the next day I was in the pasture when a Great Blue flew over my head and landed on top of a telephone pole in the adjacent pasture and stood there. After several minutes, I got my binoculars and focused on him. I could see his features clearly and he was looking right at me. My heart was singing and I was lifted from the place where I’d been feeling hot and tired and sick of the day to a place of joy and hope. The Great Blue flapped his wings and flew down to the river.
What do these moments mean? What is the message? I used to think the message had to be some esoteric knowledge that would give me the secrets of the universe. I really did. And sometimes the message does come with great wisdom to guide your life. But always, the most important part of the message to me means “I am here, I am present, and I am connected to all beings”. It is a message of encouragement, inclusiveness, and a reminder that I am a part of the great family of life and of love. I relish those moments.
Moments like a goat leaning into me, a horse nuzzling my shoulder, a Great Blue Heron running with my car, a crow drinking from the water bucket as I’m filling it, turkeys dancing, deer sleeping right outside my doorstep, Canada Geese flying back and forth over the barn roof, running into someone I haven’t seen in a long time but have been thinking about, a person I’ve never met holding the door open at the post office and smiling, or a double rainbow— all are miracles and gifts of recognition, of connection.
In thinking about writing something for this newsletter I was going over in my mind what I’d written about in previous issues and realized that all of it is really one theme—we are all connected; we are all one; we need each other, and love is the answer. And really, the point of me writing that over and over is not so much that we don’t know it, but that it’s easy to get caught up in this crazy world and forget.
I have had many great, dramatic moments of connection, and small quiet moments of connection, where the oneness is so strong and so real that nothing else exists. Then gradually, or sometimes suddenly, the world that I usually think is the real one comes back and demands my attention and I can think I’m disconnected. But in stringing moments of awareness together I can see so clearly that I’m always connected, never disconnected, even when I’m distracted by the “world.” Even then, I am still alive in that space of oneness, it’s only my focus that is elsewhere.
It’s easy to get lost in the physical world we live in, especially when there is a lot of chaos, a lot of noise, a lot of distraction. We are physical beings after all, living in a physical world with a reality that can be manipulated by mass consciousness, conditioning, and the feelings of separateness. Fortunately, there are moments that bring us back to that place of knowing—the place of recognition, of peace, of the deepest love and gratitude, and fill us to overflowing. These precious moments, so special and dear, separately or strung together like a necklace of pearls, remind me that I always have been and ever will be a part of it all.