On The Current of Love

It was Christmas day and our small home was filled with family, games, and commotion. People were in and out on our scavenger hunt to find their long-awaited homemade chocolate-covered peanuts. Some were in and out of the back gate and even climbing ladders to check on the roof. The pups, Mazzie and Lillie, were in and out of their beds for time out and safety after stealing little treats from stockings. They were also in and out the back door to our large fenced in yard or just hanging around the kitchen to catch whatever generous treat someone might throw their way. They were often an afterthought as we were all involved in our rapid moving card games and action-packed silly games. 

It came as quite a surprise then when we heard the doorbell ring. 

Who could be visiting at this late hour on Christmas Day? Wasn’t everyone already occupied? My husband went to the door to find a nice young woman in a van wondering if we had been missing a puppy. Well, we hadn’t been. But perhaps we were? She then produced a happy Lillie from the back of her van explaining that this friendly puppy had just wandered into their own family gathering (at least a country block away), walking straight in the door without hesitation. She remarked how lovable and open she was to all she met. They had quite a surprise to receive this joyful and furry visitor. 

As I noted the missed calls on my phone and discovered that the back gate had been left unlocked, I pondered the miracle of it all. 

We had gotten Lillie from a dog shelter to start with and deduced that she had already run away once from her first home. She was a runner and she could move fast. My husband discovered this quickly on the first Christmas we had her as he decided to take her along to pick up the fresh-cut tree. She wedged her way out of the back of the van and took him on a wild chase across the cold, rural and wet countryside.  She only slowed enough to be caught when she hit a ravine that she had to wade into slowly to cross. My husband came home soaking wet, covered in mud, and exhausted. We learned our lesson! Lillie had not been loose since and the 6 foot high fence around our backyard ensured that. 

To say that it was a stroke of luck  that she walked into someone’s house instead of running after a bunny or a squirrel still feels like an understatement. You see, if it had been Mazzie, well, she might have found her way home….eventually. However, her fear of strangers would have definitely kept her from getting help. On the contrary, her fear would more so push most help away. It was a true miracle in disguise that Mazzie had been put in her crate for stealing some chocolate. For she surely would’ve been the first to discover an open gate. All of it felt nothing short of miraculous. I said a thank you to and whatever angels might have been on duty that night!

As I walked down the street the next day with Lillie at my side, I reveled at the ease with which Lillie went toward Love. Home is easy to find when you go toward Love, I thought. She didn’t have to know how to get home. And most likely she didn’t. She is a cluelessly happy and carefree pup. She just needed to go toward Love. She does that well. If it had been Mazzie, her fear would have prevented her from accepting the very help she needed. So true of fear, I thought. 

Once again, Lillie has been a perfect teacher and reminder. 

We don’t have to know the way. We don’t have to have the answers. We just need to go toward Love. 

Love will do the rest. 

Interestingly, I wrote this Meditation the day before Christmas.

It seems so fitting as I put it all together: