God, whatever we conceive her to be, is often most visible and fully experienced in our four-legged friends. They offer a clear mirror for the innocence, purity, wisdom and barely containable joy of divine nature. And they know how to train humans well. They are demanding teachers, lightning-like jolters of the heart.

I want to express my love and gratitude tonight as one of my teachers, my Mother’s little Shiatsu DarLing, prepares for her journey home tomorrow. All through Mom’s 80’s DarLing has slept with Mom in her bed, sat with her in her chair, and eaten from her plate. Mom turned a blind eye to her every misbehavior, something we her daughters, who were vigilantly trained in manners, marveled at constantly. They have shared one heart these years.

At such times, though sadness and grief are full, gratitude overwhelms the emotions. I miss my friend Coco every single day, and every time I do am flooded with the sweetness of his spirit that never leaves me. Nature has created the different time lines between animals and humans surely for good reason. They teach us in their coming, in their embrace of life, and in their going. Thank heaven for them. Good journey to our beloved DarLing.