It had started out to be a fairly calm evening.  I was relaxing in my living room with Mazzie happily perched upon my legs.  I had just gotten off the phone with my son and my parting comment was a simple reflection that Lillie seemed to have her haunches up about something.  It never occurred to me that the next 30 minutes would soon be turned upside down.  In peering over at Lillie I quickly recognized that she had something small, round, and black that she evidently brought in from the outside, secretly hidden within her mouth.  Further scrutiny revealed the sad remains of a mouse which she began to fiercely defend once Mazzie and I noticed its presence.   I got up quickly as I realized a fight could likely ensue if Mazzie would go in that direction.  Hastily, I suggested heading out for Lillie’s favorite activity, a walk.  I got up to get the leashes and thankfully had one on Mazzie just before the war ensued.

Unfortunately, just one leash on Mazzie did little to prevent the two from engaging in a full-on battle.  I tried desperately to harness Mazzie into my office and shut the door only to have her lunging out with each attempt, teeth bared and locking onto any piece of Lillie she could find.  Two attempts at separation only yielded my own leg wound from Lillie who thought she was getting at Mazzie and a sore ear which I later discovered was a result of my trying to get the door shut while futility fighting both dogs off from one another’s grasp.

My final and desperate effort to keep them from doing lasting damage to one another found me kneeling on the ground in my office, holding tightly to both dogs’ collars and bracing them apart with all my might.  I had no idea what would result from this, other than a momentary break, as I peered down at the bright red blood spouting from someplace on Mazzie and checkering the cream-colored carpet.  I was out of options and powerless to end this battle.  Clearly, it would not end well without some higher intervention.  My last attempt came out in breaths of sheer surrender, “Help me, God.  Help me, God.  Help me, God.”

I’m not sure if it was only a minute or five, however, soon after my surrendering words began, Lillie surprisingly let down her guard, stepped backward, walked around the backside of me, and exited the room.   As she peered back as if to question her decision, I quickly closed the door behind her, with Mazzie safe inside.  I knelt over my desk as I let my shaking muscles recover and breathed silent words of gratitude.

Perhaps a dog trainer could tell me exactly what the secret remedy was that caused Lillie to stop the fight.  From a counseling perspective, I can see that I was able to bring pause enough for the triggered fight response of the limbic system to simply release.  Yet, as I look back, it took my complete surrender to do so.  If I had kept on with engaging efforts to fix things, I would’ve kept the fight response activated.  What we all needed were some long deep breaths and to surrender long enough to let a higher power take over.   As I reflected upon it all the next day, I was reminded of the necessity of surrendering to allow the higher power of Love Itself to work through us and for us.

For me, that surrendering means letting go of the fixing,  the analyzing, the worrying…basically any thought that comes from the ego-mind.   I was reminded of a message (conversation) from Love Itself that came to me only days before.  I’m wondering if there is something you also need to surrender to the power of Love Itself?  Perhaps this message will lend some help.