Only on Locket’s Meadow . . . or . . .
A Tale of Two Puppies

Gertrude Elizabeth

A friend, MaryBeth, posted a picture last week of a huge pile of newborn black puppies . . . and . . . were my eyes deceiving me . . . or was that really one, lone brown brindle? Forget the “aha!” moment. This was an “uh-oh” moment. A big one. Because this is Locket’s Meadow and the strangest things happen here, and I was sensing a curious plot twist. My plan was to ignore the puppy picture (because I’m getting old and tired,) but a few days went by and dammit, the puppies’ mama started talking to me and when a mama dog speaks, I always listen.

She told me she was clean and happy and she loved her babies. She showed me how dirty she’d been, how hungry, emaciated and scared . . . mostly, of course, she’d been terrified for the babies in her belly. She described the pain and itch of millions of fleas, and she let me know she was exhausted and anemic, but also content – very content, because she had her babies and she was clean, fed and so very grateful. She didn’t have enough milk but MaryBeth was supplementing the babies with bottles and they were thriving. Life was good.

I texted MaryBeth, because the mama puppy wanted her to know she was deeply grateful, and I learned the dog’s name was Allie. MaryBeth asked if I wanted to meet her later that day, and . . . well . . . yes . . .

I brought my husband along because of the tiny brown puppy in the giant pile of black puppies, which I will explain shortly.

I believe in reincarnation, and that our animals consistently come back to us. Over and over and over again. Currently we’ve been waiting on the return of my husband’s dog, Gertrude, and we made it very clear that she’d be the last “boomerang pet” – I’m 57 and my husband is 61 and we can’t keep this up forever, you know. Gertie was a boxer/pit, and she adored David. Before she died I told my husband to cut a deal with Gertie if he wanted her to return as it’s my experience that if you give an animal precise parameters regarding how to re-find you, they follow directions to THE LETTER.

David, of course, babbled about how Gertie could come back however she wanted, as long as she returned. He talked about, “Maybe this, maybe that . . .” until I finally yelled at him (I know, hard to believe) and told him he’d better come up with something concrete and fast.

“Fine!” he yelled back, flustered. “This time I want her to be male, brown, and she should come back like Ragano, and be born in the animal shelter.”

David meant she should be like Ragano as in “similar to” and have his perfect disposition, but that’s not actually what he said, so Gertrude took him at his word and literally CAME BACK LIKE RAGANO, or rather, as Ragano had originally arrived to us as the only brown dog in a big litter of black puppies born in a Milford shelter.

Hence . . . “Uh-oh . . .”

We went for a puppy visit that Saturday night and while I fawned over precious Allie (whomever adopts her will be one insanely lucky puppy parent,) my husband held the brown puppy who talked and squeaked a blue streak at him for a good ten minutes before falling asleep curled against David’s chest.

“His name is Gerard,” David said, teary-eyed, as he handed him back to Allie.

Which finally brings me to the point of this blog.

No really.

We’ve arrived.

Most Sundays on Locket’s Meadow we have a Spiritual Development workshop, and this past week we worked on animal communication. I’m always amazed by the participants and the insights they receive, but this week . . . well, one talented psychic, Joe, had a conversation with my dog Nessie, a jack/rat terrier, who told him she was deeply concerned about a huge pile of puppies that might not be getting enough milk. While I’m used to this kind of thing, it was still a while before I could pick my jaw up off the floor.

We believe that Locket’s Meadow is an experiment in what the world should be. All of us are entirely connected, animals and human alike. Think of God however you will, but the truth is, we are all God, or Spirit. Spirit is the life force within every last being on the planet (and in the universes,) from protozoa to the great blue whales. We are all exactly the same at our source, and because of that, every living being is connected, and IF WE CHOOSE we can all communicate with each other, and that includes those who are alive and those whose living vessel can no longer contain their bit of Spirit.

(Editorial comment: This means that OUR JOB ON THIS EARTH IS TO TREAT ALL OTHER LIVING CREATURES THE WAY WE WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED BECAUSE WE LITERALLY ARE EACH OTHER!)

In any case, on Sunday evening I filled my husband in about the events of our class, and we laughed and said, “Only on Locket’s Meadow. . .”

Only on Locket’s Meadow do we plot the returns of our beloved pets, only on this farm do our pets follow our directions to the letter, only here would a little old Jack/rat terrier pick up on a “returning” dog and worry about him and his litter mates having enough to eat, despite the fact that Nessie hated Gertrude! And only here would an awakening psychic named Joe pick up on the entire complicated and brilliant circle of life and Spirit and love and unshakable, unbreakable connectedness. Because elsewhere, you know, this stuff is impossible . . .

Only on Locket’s Meadow.

Except . . . and the joke is on all of us . . . whether we like to believe it or not, this is what life is supposed to be everywhere on this planet, and if not for human ego, all living creatures would live in balance, connection and communication between all souls. The only difference here is that on Locket’s Meadow we try to recognize this every moment of every day and strive to live in harmony with the animals and each other. Do we screw up? Hell yes. All the time. I mean, this is an experiment, people. But . . . we recognize the value of this great experiment and, Spirit knows, we try and try until our hearts bleed from the effort.

Last night, MaryBeth texted that Allie’s milk had finally come in and the puppies no longer needed bottles. MaryBeth could sleep, Nessie could relax knowing Gerard would grow big and strong and come back to have another go-round with her and maybe finally get their little karma problem straightened out, and our little experiment here on Locket’s Meadow will keep chugging along.

And in seven weeks, right after New Years, Gerard will come home almost to the day that Ragano had first arrived all those years ago. Just. Like. Ragano.

OK.

So maybe there really is one thing that could only really happen here on Locket’s Meadow.

Welcome back, Gertrude/Gerard. Love will always attract love back to itself.

And may love return to all of you over and over again, wherever you might live on this amazing little planet. Because that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

Peace and Light.