It’s November, the month of giving thanks! For many, such a favorite holiday! A time when you can meet over dinner with family and friends, and perhaps spare an hour or two to help out and share with those who will be dining at a soup kitchen, including those who are homeless or have to scramble to find local shelter for themselves and their families. They will be so thankful if you do.
Yes, it’s truly a time to be thankful for all the blessings we do have, and perhaps to share with others, including our furry four-legged friends.
I know there are so many of you feeling the loss of a loved one who has crossed over this past year, and who won’t be sitting with you at the dining room table this coming Thanksgiving. But as I have stated before, our loved ones in Spirit want us to have a joyous meal, and if you pay attention over dinner (or any time really), you will perhaps feel their presence.
Some DPs just love having a place set for them on Thanksgiving and other holidays, even if they are not able to attend in physical form. If you are the host, I would suggest that you consider whether setting that extra place is the right thing to do.
This may be an especially difficult time to be thankful for all those victims of the recent hurricanes and wildfires. I happened to be in Northern California, not far from the recent wildfires, and observed so many people who went overboard to help those in need. Sometimes an emergency situation can bring out the best of what we are as human beings.
As we know, our four legged friends also have to be saved from the disasters caused by wildfires and hurricanes. A woman who attended one of my events related how her sister, an avid horse rescuer, had to deal with her own horses being in crisis. Her barn had burned down to the ground and close to 50 horses lost their homes and scattered across the area. When her neighbors heard about this, they hooked up their trailers, and drove out to find the horses. Some folks drove a hundred miles during their rescue missions and were able to find and shelter many horses at a local county fairgrounds where there were many safe stalls.
Of course, caring for a horse is not like boarding a doggie or kitty in a kennel! These are beautiful, large, and very smart beings that often have to be put in trailers, and during wildfires driven through smoke for hundreds of miles to find safety.
The woman that I met at my event, a horse person like her sister, was wearing on her wrist a part of the mane of her beloved horse who had died in the Spring. She was the first one to get on board to help organize the huge task of transporting the endangered horses. She, like so many of those who perform courageous acts, was doing so because she had personally experienced the loss of a beloved four-legged friend. It’s all about taking those dark moments and bringing some light to those who need it. As Paul McCartney sings, “Take a sad song and make it better.”
I have been around horse folks for most of my life, and can testify that their devotion is undying. They wake up early, go out in the cold or whatever drastic weather to feed their beloved friends, clean their stalls, brush their manes, whisper in their ears, and bask in the awe of their friends’ beauty. It had for me been awhile since I’d personally done things like that, but the stories I heard re-invigorated me to visit the local horse rescue places nearby to where I was staying. It’s part of “being one with the herd!”
As we know, there were many elderly people victimized by the hurricanes and wildfires who decided to remain in their homes and not evacuate because they couldn’t take their pets with them to shelters. Family is family, whether you have skin or fur or feathers! I personally want to say blessings to all those who helped those elderly folks.
If you go to a place where the elderly are, and walk in with a kitty or doggie, you often can observe the faces of the senior citizens light up after seeing those wagging tails, and hearing those happy purrs. This is why nowadays, many hospitals have “therapy dogs,” and dog-visit programs. We can be thankful for this development. It’s little things like that which are the BIG things that bring love and hope to our souls.
Love is, was, and always will be a profoundly driving force, especially during times of difficulty and uncertainty. Whatever negativity may strike, Love can help you get through it.
Of course, when a loved one moves on into Spirit, our hearts feel a deep sense of loss. Many things can be replaced, but losing a loved one in the physical world cannot. However, we must always remember, that our DPs are still very much with us, watching over us and letting us know that they are around, as my work has proven time and time again, and as so many of you can testify as a result of your own DP contact experiences. They don’t forget us, and part of their job on the Other Side is to let us know that they are still around, and that their Love for us continues, as does our Love for them. Let’s be thankful for that.
It is my wish for all of you to have a cherished, warm and loving Thanksgiving.
Hope to see you in my travels, I will return once more to Roanoke for “Hope for the Holidays,” as well as a special “Hope for the Holidays” event with Thomas John in Sturbridge, MA.
