Dear friends,
As a child I had a fear of dogs.
Later on we had a dog of our own,
A small Pomeranian named Tubby.
Tubby's happy nature helped me to overcome my earlier feeling of discomfort when I was in the presence of a dog.
For practical reasons Fran and I do not have a dog now,
But I can tell you that my life is made happier by the fact that I am friendly with a number of dogs who appear to love me as much as I love them.
Which is a long winded way of introducing this meditation,
Giving thanks for our four legged friends.
Let's begin by finding yourself a quiet comfortable place to sit or to lie down.
If you've decided to listen to this meditation I imagine you might have a dog beside you or even on your lap and that's fine as well.
You might like to begin by closing your eyes and bringing yourself to a state of relaxation.
Maybe giving thanks for a dog or dogs that are currently part of your life or looking back in grateful appreciation for the fact that you had a time where you shared your life with a creature who didn't answer back,
Never shared secrets,
Was always delighted to see you coming to the door and probably knew you and your habits better than you know yourself.
A one minute pause for grateful appreciation.
So now to tell you about three dogs in my life.
Luna is a Labrador and she lives in the house next door.
Her coat is cream coloured and she's getting on in years which is a little troubling.
Luna knows the sound of my approaching car and she waits enthusiastically looking out for me through the gate at the side of her house.
Why is she looking for me?
I keep a supply of dog chewies in the boot of my car and whenever I see Luna I open the boot and I deliver the treat.
She dances with excitement,
Manages a little bark of happiness without letting the treat fall out of her mouth.
Looking at Luna is just happiness itself.
Across the road from Luna lived another dog,
Sunny Boy.
Sad to say he died recently.
He barked like mad at anyone's approach.
No way could you deliver a treat to Luna without first offering something similar to Sunny Boy across the road.
Unlike Luna who gently took the treat with an almost visible thank you,
Sunny Boy grabbed what was on offer,
Waited briefly for a pat on the head before settling down to munch away.
Dog number three is Izzy.
She belongs to my sister-in-law and her son.
Izzy is a little creature who would make your day.
She barks with excitement on hearing our car approach her house.
Then she enthusiastically accompanies us into the house,
Hops up onto the couch,
Rises onto her hind legs and I rise my arms to match.
I ask her to dance which is the name of this performance.
She raises her front paws,
I raise my arms and away we go.
Dance Izzy,
Dance,
Dance.
It's such fun.
After a while she settles down,
The tail wagging furiously.
The tail is banging like a drum against the back of the couch,
So funny to see.
Izzy also has to have a treat.
The signal for this is me asking her,
Will we go get a bomb?
She never declines,
Jumping up in reply to the question and we head out to the car.
I open the boot and I noisily shake the bag containing the chewies.
She gets more excited by the second.
I take out a chewie and together we head back into the house.
She jumps and she barks like mad.
Up she hops onto the couch.
I tease her with a treat and finally I throw it over to her.
She catches it between her paws and she chews away.
Izzy also puts on a and tell her I'll be back soon.
The parting is so sad.
The tail which earlier had been banging like a drum against the back of the couch,
The tail is now hanging limp behind her.
She almost touches the floor looking sad and forlorn as if to say please don't go.
Some reflections there on the dogs in my life.
Let's have a one minute pause for reflection now.
Welcome back.
Now it's time for some loving thoughts directed to the little creatures who are part of our lives.
So gently bring into your awareness the presence of your beloved companion and you can whisper silently or aloud these words.
You are loved.
You have brought me so much joy.
You are safe with me always.
Thank you for being part of my life.
We might repeat those expressions.
You are loved.
You have brought me so much joy.
You are safe with me always.
And thank you for being part of my life.
There are few beings on earth who teach us how to live more simply,
More presently and more honestly than our companion animals.
Among them dogs,
The subject of this meditation.
Without saying a single word,
Dogs teach us so many lessons for life.
Anyone who has loved a dog will know the eyes,
How you look at them,
How they look back at you in a way that is just beyond words.
You can chat to your dog in the knowledge that whatever you say will not be passed on.
And dogs are present.
Unlike ourselves,
They have the gift of living always in the present moment.
It often occurs to me that when we have an ache or a pain,
Our discomfort is multiplied by the fact that we anticipate the future and we fear that the trouble or the pain will never end.
We'll have a tomorrow we'll have it the day after.
Now I don't know what goes on in a dog's mind,
But I imagine that a dog struggling with an injured leg will be hobbling along as best he or she can without being troubled by a concern that they'll have the same pain tomorrow and the day after.
They live in the present and so should we.
And we have to give thanks too for the faithfulness of our little four-legged friends.
Think of the excitement when we return,
The happiness when they see the door open,
How they play with full attention and extraordinary energy,
After which they can lie down and rest,
Really rest,
In a way which we could usefully copy,
Which we find very difficult.
Notice too how they lie down in the warmest spot,
Catching the warmth of the sun through the window or else snuggling up in a comfortable spot near a fire or near a radiator.
They know their comforts.
And notice how they pay attention when they go for a walk.
Just mention of the word walk or the production of a lead produces excitement as if they haven't been outside for weeks.
And then we go out on the walk and see how the dog is guided by its sense of smell,
Noticing everything.
They really see where their nose is.
We have the gifts of sight and smell and memory and we can stroll along without noticing the wonders of the world around us.
But the dog is in the present moment,
Taking in everything in its surroundings.
We think of dogs providing companionship and help for people with disabilities and special needs of one kind or another.
Dogs who can guide and help us.
And we must also give thanks for the people who train dogs to be able to perform these tasks.
Let's have another one-minute pause for reflection.
Just 60 seconds to reflect with thankfulness on the dogs in our lives.
Welcome back again.
The time will come and too soon when our faithful companion is growing old and has to leave us.
We wouldn't be feeling a sense of loneliness and grief if we hadn't loved this creature who's been a faithful friend to us for much of its life.
But on the loss of our companion we can give thanks for the happy days,
The walks,
The runs,
The diving of the dog into water and the dreaded emergence forcing us to retreat ahead of the inevitable splashing.
One day your dog's body will return to the earth.
But the love,
The tail wagging,
The attempts to lick your face,
The unspoken loyalty,
These and all these habits will warm your memory.
You'll remember your faithful friend,
The place where he or she used to play fetch.
You'll remember them in the spot where they used to lie down to rest after a busy day.
There's naturally a sense of loss but nothing is ever truly lost when it has been deeply loved and when it's remembered.
So some closing thoughts.
May we carry the quiet wisdom of our animal companions into our days,
Recalling their steady loyalty,
Their joy in play and their trust in us.
May the thought of these companions remind us that love can be expressed without words.
May the memory of our dogs remind us to live in the present as they do,
To notice all around us with joy as they do.
And finally may you be well.
May you be comforted in any times of loss,
Including the loss of your four-legged companion.
And may you find moments of peace and happiness every day.
Namaste.
