Another visit from the other side

I had hoped my next blog entry would be an update on Lula's joyous and safe return to her family. Unfortunately, it has not happened yet. Please keep Lula and her family in your thoughts and sent out a wish or a prayer that they are reunited soon!

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of getting another 'sign' that Lucky is still with me. The subdudes were back in town, doing a show north of Marin in a little place called Rancho Nicasio. Lucky and I had been there before to see the subdudes and we had a wonderful time. I was looking forward to going back there again.

I called my brother to see if he wanted to go with me and he was game. I was really excited about seeing my favorite band again, but it was mixed with a little sadness that the last time I saw them in concert was the day after Lucky passed away, last October, and it made me really miss her.

The day of the concert, Lucky was on my mind a lot. I couldn't stop wishing she was going to the show with me, and I so clearly remembered the mental/emotional space I was in the last time I saw the subdudes, that it made my heart ache a little bit. I felt a little low energy as I drove up to San Francisco to pick up my brother. I tried to distract myself by listened to the subdudes music, really loud in the car and it seemed to work, as I was in a pretty good mood by the time I got to my brother's place.

We decided my brother would drive my car from the city up to the venue, so once we loaded up the car, I handed him the keys and jumped in the passenger seat. We were driving away from his place when I looked down at my cell phone in the center console and there, resting on top of my cell phone was a single Lucky hair.

I know the hair wasn't there before, because I had used my phone to call my brother a few minutes earlier when I was exciting the freeway. Besides that, my car is virtually free of all dog hair, as a result of the amount of times it has been in the shop since my car accident last April. (The guys at the dealer are kind enough to wash my car and vacuum it each time it is in for service, and with the number of times it has been back in the shop, I'm pretty sure my car has been vacuumed more times in the last 5 months than it was in the previous 5 years).

It made me smile in that deep, all the way from your toes to the top of your head, sort of way and I pointed it out to my brother. I said, "Look! Lucky is letting us know she's here and going to the subdudes show with us." My brother and I don't share the same spiritual beliefs, so he smiled at me in one of those "Isn't that cute, how my sister imagines things to make herself feel better" sort of ways. I didn't mind though. I knew Lucky was letting me know that she WAS there and it made me even more excited to go to the show (even if my brother thought I was a little crazy.)

We had a fabulous time at the show. It was so good to see the guys again, and we lucked out with some fabulous weather, which was perfect for an afternoon outdoor venue. The band played so many of my favorite songs, I didn't stop dancing or smiling the whole time they were playing. My heart felt full every time I thought about Lucky giving me a sign of her presence.

I haven't seen a Lucky hair in the car since that day, which confirms for me that she really was making her presence known, on that particular day, when she was so heavy on my mind and I was missing her so much.

I hope all of you who have an animal on the other side, are seeing signs that they are still around you as well.

Help Reunite Lula with her family

A week ago today, something terrible happened to a lovely couple in Castro Valley. Their home was broken into and not only did the thieves steal computers, cameras and jewelry, they also stole their precious Lula. They are worried sick about her and have been doing everything humanly possible to find her.

They have put fliers up everywhere, posted an ad on Craig's list, visited every local vet office and shelter. They were able to get a story about Lula on Channel 2, and get some radio time on the radio station "The Bone." They have tirelessly combed the streets, followed up on every lead . . . and still Lula has not been found.

Lula is a precious little girl, not quite two years old, only 5 1/2 pounds and a bishon/papillon mix. According to her mom, she is a little girl with a big personality. She's independent and feisty and yet she is still a big cuddle bug. Understandably, her mom and dad are beside themselves with worry and will continue to do everything they can to get her back home again. Her dog sibling, Sailor misses her as well, and he really wants her to come back home.

I'm dedicating my blog this week to Lula in the hopes that you may be able to lend your support. You may be thinking that there isn't anything you can do, but there are several ways you might be able to help:

1. If you happen to live in Castro Valley or the surrounding area, you can keep an eye out for Lula.

2. If you have a little extra money, you can donate to the reward fund that has been set up to help get Lula home. Some wonderful people put a website together to help raise money to make the reward more enticing, in the hopes that whoever has Lula will be inspired to return her to her family. You can go to www.helpfindlula.com to find more information about what is being done to help get Lula home.

3. You can hold the intention that Lula will be reunited with her family very soon. I personally believe that intentions are extremely powerful and that the more people who hold a particular intention, the more energy the intention holds.

As an animal communicator, I have to admit, I have been semi-frustrated that I haven't been able to do more. I have been able to connect with Lula, and I have let her know what's going on, reminded her of how much her mom and dad love her and how hard they are working to find her and bring her back home. I was able to get a vision of the house she is being kept in, but the vision didn't include a street name or a house address. So, while I know what the house looks like, I have no idea where it is. I also got the sense that the house was close to a bakery, but so far, Lula's parents (and their wonderfully supportive friends) haven't been able to find a house that matches the house in my vision. They have combed the neighborhoods near bakeries, but still nothing.

I know all of you who read my blog are animal lovers with big hearts, so I know you understand what a terrible ordeal this is for Lula's mom and dad. Please hold the intention that Lula will be reunited with them soon. This sweet little girl deserves to be back home with her family who loves her so much.

Figures of Speech

There are many expressions - "figures of speech" - that are commonly used, that we may not even really think about because we have been using them so long. A few weeks ago, one of my clients gently "schooled me" on the use of one of these figures of speech and it really stuck with me.

I was at my client's store, a high end jewelry store . . . and while attempting to walk to the back room, I tripped over a decorative gate in the showroom and knocked it off it's hinges. I was embarrassed by my gaff and made a joke about being like a "bull in a china shop." My client's response was to say, "I've got to show you something on the internet."

I had no idea where she was going with that statement, as I was still focused on how much my toe was throbbing and how embarrassed I was that I was tripping through her store . . . but a minute later, I understood why she wanted me to see the video she pulled up on her computer.

It was a video that was created to dispel the myth that bulls could cause havoc in a china shop. The producers of the video simulated a "china shop" by putting big shelving units in a pen, each filled from top to bottom with pieces of china. One by one, they let bulls into the pen and each bull ran around the pen, up the down the spaces between the "china cabinets" but never once did one of the bulls run into one of the shelves, not once did they break a single piece of china.

It was clear from watching the video that "being like a bull in a china shop" didn't mean what the expression intended . . . shelves weren't knocked over, china wasn't broken on the ground, the bulls couldn't have been more agile, more "respectful" of the china.

I realized in that moment that I needed to remove that figure of speech from my vocabulary. After all, it clearly wasn't fair to bulls, as it wasn't an accurate representation of how bulls behave when in close proximity with china.

After seeing the video, I had no choice but to accept the fact that this figure of speech that I had been using most of my life was something that wasn't "true" and since I feel so strongly about always speaking the truth, it wasn't something I could say anymore.

So, to the bulls out there in the world, I apologize and I promise to not spread untruths anymore :-)