Mystery, Yes

I am sharing a story with you today not only because it is interesting, but also because it provides us with one more example of how the Intelligence that oversees the great mystery of life and death is ever present and knows our heart.

I have a granddaughter who is an advocate for the animal world. She has a simple home with her life partner. Over the last few years, their home has become a sanctuary for the unwanted, the lost, and neglected animals. Somehow, without even trying, these beings find their way to this unintended sanctuary, and little by little it has blossomed into a home with 11 dogs, two cats, a chicken, and a couple of tanks of fish. My granddaughter and her partner make all the food for the animals from scratch and ensure that they have medical care, exercise, nutrition, and above all, love for each and every one of them.

During this period of expanding their family of animals, there have been losses as well. Tanana, a small mixed breed pup; Melvin, a family cat for nearly 17 years; and Cece, an older pup, passed away just recently. What my granddaughter shared with me and why I am writing about this, is that when each one of these beloved friends crossed over the rainbow bridge, within a very short time, a flock of geese would fly over her house.

I can say that having this happen one time is coincidence, and two times may be an interesting coincidence, but three times — once for each passing — I know there is something happening, and it is not coincidence. It’s a gift from something beyond our understanding, and that something is speaking to us by using a presence we can understand. In this case, what better sign for them than another of nature’s creatures, the geese? I asked my granddaughter what she felt the message was saying and she said, “I like to think they stopped over to carry her away to a beautiful space.”

I imagine there may be many who have received messages from the great mystery beyond this three-dimensional world we occupy. I feel that my granddaughter’s experience with the geese tells us we are not alone, and no matter what our experience may be, there is something greater than us that sees and knows what we need. In my granddaughter’s case, the geese brought her comfort in a very difficult time.

Mysteries, Yes
(a poem by Mary Oliver)

Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous to be understood.
How grass can be nourishing in the mouths of the lambs.
How rivers and stones are forever in allegiance with gravity while we ourselves dream of rising.
How two hands touch, and the bonds will never be broken.
How people come, from delight or the scars of damage, to the comfort of a poem.
Let me keep my distance, always, from those who think they have the answers.
Let me keep company always with those who say “Look!” and laugh in astonishment, and bow their heads.