Last night Jerry and I were returning home around 10:30 from supper and music with friends. It had been a long day - in the morning, the geldings had been turned out and Rafiki kept galloping up and into the pen Jer was mucking. I led him back down past the tack room and changed the electric fence tape to keep him (and Majic) at the lower part of the turn out. Rafiki took off around the yuccas and galloped full tilt at the fence that had not been across there 2 minutes earlier. I yelled "Whoa, Rafiki, FENCE!" and he dropped his head, saw it and JUMPED it (thank goodness), catching the tape with just the toe of a hind hoof which made it disconnect from the insulator... Whew!
Then, Jer and I were taking out the stall divider in the horse trailer so Sunshine would not get caught under it when Sunshine rolled under the fence on his turn out and ended up loose (but still within our perimeter fence) and galloping! I caught Rafiki and held him - he was very excited about the teeny weeny horse zooming all over the place. Jer got Sunshine's halter and tried to catch him as he ran from pen to pen, in front of Susie then Majic (who chased him), into the front yard and back to the pens. I finally got Rafiki put away, then Majic, we caught SShine and checked him for injuries. He was fine and proud of himself.
So we prepared for the trip to town taking Sunshine to the animal blessing (which went splendidly!) and when we returned, did all our chores in record time and left for the pub where we met our friends (I forgot to change boots - manure is a very organic kind of aromatherapy, right?).
As we drove home in the pitch dark on the long straight stretch of Holman Rd., I saw a truck with flashers on the left side of the road and just caught a glimpse of a woman squatting on the right side with a little flashlight. I turned the car around, drove back and asked her through the window if she was okay. "Yes" she said and I saw a tiny dog on the shoulder in front of her. She had seen the dog on the side of the road and stopped - the dog was breathing but bleeding from the mouth. She had called animal control and they were coming...
I brought the car around to her side of the road, put on my flashers as Jer ran to her side and starting doing Reiki treatment on the white dog. I joined them, put my hands on the dog and we kept telling the tiny being that he/she was loved. Over and over, the three of us told the dog how beloved it was. This young woman had stopped, by herself and sat with this dog she did not know in the cold dark on a relatively dangerous place in the road. I hugged her.
I got a sweater from my car and covered the dog. He/she raised up several times and looked right into our eyes. We kept telling her how much she was loved. The animal control truck arrived and a sheriff. The AC fellow was kind and grabbed a towel, we gently rolled the doggie onto the towel, I supported the head and brought the sweater... we put the dog into a safe compartment of the truck and the guy said he would call the Veterinarian to meet him at the shelter.
The 3 of stood, a bit stunned for a moment. I hugged the girl, told her how wonderful she was and we all drove off our separate ways. Today, Jer has left messages hoping to find out about the little dog. My heart tells me that, even if he/she died last night - she KNEW she was loved.
Jer and I met an angel last night. I could not even describe that young woman, it was so dark... but I "saw" the spirit of a real angel and will never forget her.
be a lamp unto yourself
