Hurt people hurt people ... and animals, too, it seems. One hour ago I was driving through my community and had to slow for a beagle crossing in front of my car and several others. We never see unleashed, unaccompanied dogs around here. Concerned for his safety, I pulled into an adjacent parking lot and approached him. He was quite friendly, so I held onto his collar while dialing the phone numbers on his tag. When nobody answered, I started leading him by the collar back towards my car, thinking I could use one of my dogs' leashes and start knocking on doors to find the owner. A man saw me and said, "There's a guy over there looking for that dog." I turned to my right and saw a large, older man approaching. I smiled and led the dog to him. Without saying a word, the owner scooped up his sweet pet, pulled back his arm as he growled, "Damn dog!" and smacked him hard.
Shocked, I said, "Please don't hit him. Just give him love." The man raised his arm again and I moved towards him, saying, "Don't hit him! You both just need love!" which only seemed to infuriate the man more, as he then swept his arm out at me, instead, thankfully only brushing me lightly, but sparing the dog.
I knew then that what Sanaya has been sharing through me over the past few years (www.SanayaSays.com) has truly made a difference, because I felt only compassion ... for the dog, for the man's wife who had come up behind him but was silently hanging back looking appalled, and for the man as well. As he stomped away I couldn't help but say, "I surround you all with love." (It sounds so naïve as I write it, but I could only hope that at some level the energy that went with the words would get through his thick armor). He shouted back, "You can just go to Hell."
He stormed past his wife, who gave me an apologetic look that spoke volumes. I put my hands in prayer position and bowed slowly, locking eyes with hers with a message I could tell she understood. She shouted my way, "You should live in our house," in a tone of voice that said, "That's the real Hell."
My friends, I live a very sheltered life. I know this. I am surrounded by a loving husband, a loving family, loving friends, and two of the most loving dogs in the world. I can see pain any time I want to simply by turning on the TV or reading the paper, but I choose peace. Every once in a while, however, the Universe makes sure we get a reminder that there is much work to be done and that our world is filled with hurting people who are completely blinded to who they really are. My words and actions may have fallen on deaf ears, but I know for certain that you don't fight anger and pain by dishing it back at the one who is wounded. You bring in what's missing.
May Love find Its way, by Grace, into that man's heart and soften it. May his wife realize that she DOES have a choice and find a path to peace. And may that little dog, who is one of God's greatest messengers, know that I love him.
