Animals and Pet Care
Where Is Lady?
August 21,1998. I have visitors from
Germany – my sister, her husband and our nephew. We have spent a
wonderful day on Lake Nipissing, soaking up the sun on the deck of the
Chief Commanda, as well as the beautiful scenery all around us.
Returning home at around 7 p.m., we are greeted with devastating news.
Lady has been missing since 11:30 in the morning!!!
My husband has spent most of the day looking for her everywhere he could
think of, but so far without any luck.
Let me set the scene for you. We lived deep in the country. The house,
located at the end of a very long driveway, was surrounded mainly by
bush. To the left was the horse barn. Passing it, leading away from the
back of the house towards the big field, was a slightly overgrown
pathway. To the right of the house there was just bush and more bush.
The barn, the area around the house, and any place where she might be
had been searched many times; but where to start in the bush?
I panicked. Lady had not moved more than a few feet from the house for
the last few months. She was starting to get frail. I did not think she
was able to negotiate the rough terrain. SO WHERE WAS SHE?
I phoned Francie, who connected with Lady. Had I known then what I came
to know as her teachings continued, I might have asked her the right
questions. Instead, in my panic, I only saw an old, frail and sick
little dog who was lost somewhere, and the urgent need to find her. So
my questions concentrated on her location. I felt that if I asked her
for a description of the terrain around her, I might be able to guess
where she was. So, judging by how she answered my questions, I felt she
might have wandered down the path towards the big field, and everyone
started to head in that direction, calling and looking for her.
I was a bit behind the others when I heard Lady’s very distinct bark,
coming from the bush area to the right of the house. I did my best to
connect with her, despite my panic, asking her to keep barking until we
could locate her. Alas, once she was sure we had heard her and knew the
general direction, she stopped.
Since visitors from Germany are not too adept in searching the bush, and
I in turn did not feel the need to end up looking for them also, I asked
them to walk along the road, just in case she might wander onto it,
while my husband and I formed a team, some distance apart from each
other, combing the bush in as straight a line as we could muster,
examining the area between us. Time was beginning to be of the essence –
dusk was setting in and in the bush it was getting pretty dark. Soon we
would no longer be able to see anything. I implored Lady to give us some
guidance, to bark so that we could find out where she was. All I kept
hearing back in my mind was “Soon”. Despite my panic and the worry about
what would happen if we should not find her, I kept the connection with
her, asking her to help us. And again and again I heard “Soon”.
We had combed the bush for a distance of at least 300 yards when we
decided that, given the terrain, there just was no way Lady would have
been able to go in that far. So we turned around, following the same
procedure and pattern. Time was running out – soon we would no longer be
able to see anything.
I looked over towards my husband, scanning the thick brush between us.
Nothing! I was just about to continue on when out of the corner of my
eye I saw light. And here was Lady, standing about 2 feet away from me,
in a circle of light. It was incredible. Here I was, surrounded by
nearly impenetrable bush, almost totally in the dark, and just beside
me, on a patch of green grass, in a shaft of Light, stood Lady. I was so
overjoyed to have found her, so relieved, that I never even questioned
where that light had come from, much less recognized its significance.
Once we had all calmed down and somewhat recuperated from the panic,
Francie asked Lady what had happened.
I was waiting for her to find me.
(Q) You mean you were waiting for “them”?
Yes, but I knew it would be Lilo.
(Q) What was the lesson?
To slow down and listen. She practiced in a difficult situation – that
makes it easier in a normal situation. It taught her to relax. To
practice to be an empty body – allow it to flow in – some of it is being
blocked out.”
(Q) What if they hadn’t found you? “I would have found them. There was
no danger.”
So it had all been a training exercise. Right there and then I promised
myself to become that clear vessel at all times, if for no other reason
than to avoid another one of Lady’s exercises!
Lilo
Garich
