pets

Deep Thoughts for Spring

by

Welcome to the advent of Spring! The Spring Equinox arrives March 19th.

Most folks, myself included, love the beginning of Spring! “Bring it on,” as they say. It’s time to plant seeds, literally. And, metaphorically, it’s time to plant “seeds” to bring about the needed changes in our lives – mentally, emotionally, physically and of course spiritually, the core of our being and soul.

March, of course, is filled with many fun holidays, including one of my favorites, St. Paddy’s Day. And for the more religious among us, Purim, Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter . . . Whew! Quite extraordinary.

Just recently, a colleague of mine experienced something quite extraordinary, but in a negative way. A neighbor shot her kitty cat, wounding the animal seriously.

While there are many ways to handle painful situations, the rules change a bit if one is a spiritual counselor, as is my colleague. There are do’s and don’t’s.

Of course, we all have experienced the impulse to respond – as they say in the Old Testament – with an eye for an eye. Especially when someone in our family has been hurt. And, as we know, our furry companions are our family!

But that is not the way to go for anyone, especially a spiritual counselor. For we are all part of God. My colleague was of course angry and expressed that to the neighbor but took no steps of revenge, knowing, of course, that, “Karma is a bitch!”

We are all accountable for our actions, period. The person who shot the kitty will be held responsible, at some point, and pay a price. On a brighter note, although the kitty had to have his leg removed, he will in time heal, especially since he is surrounded by a loving family.

Of course, it would be a less joyful world without our furry companions. They are part of the ecological cycle and make the world a more precious, warm, and loving place to live and share. Be clear, that those who honor Mother Earth, also honor the creatures with whom we share this blessed space.

On another note, I recently received an email from a family I saw several years ago in Toronto . . . after my TV show The Afterlife was aired on OutTV in Canada. I remember, it was a very intense session, so much so that I wrote about it in my newsletter. It was wonderful to hear from them again, and learn that their transgender son’s passing did and continues to bring the family closer together in a way they hadn’t been prior to his crossing over to the Other Side.

It had been a heartwarming experience for me to serve as medium for this family, and I can’t help but note how things have changed here in the U.S.A. regarding transgender people. Most of us have moved on from total shock toward an acceptance of the differences among us. The hit TV show Transgender, and the movie The Danish Girl, helped spur things along. And then of course, there’s the story of Caitlyn Jenner.

Reflecting on all this, I recall how honored I felt to be chosen by this family which felt that I would be particularly sensitive to the issues at hand, and that I wouldn’t judge their transgender child who had committed suicide. Thankfully, I was able to convey all the feelings and thoughts that this family so needed to hear and know, from their loved one on the Other Side. Specifically, how the child felt incapable of being who he was, and how he felt to have taken his own life.

Thinking about this family, and knowing what they went through, and realizing that they can still love and forgive, and keep their hearts open, is an inspiration. How wonderful that they can continue to share the experiences their son, who became a daughter, taught them.

Now my friends, I know this is Spring, and that this is not one of my usual light Spring topics. However, I felt that I would be doing a disservice to all those parents and children who have gone through either one of these “taboos,” if I didn’t relay this story. I trust you will understand.

On a related note, hearing Jeffery Tambor speak, after winning the Emmy for his performance as a transgender person, about the greatest blessing he’s ever experienced playing that part, warmed my heart. The world is changing. But the bottom line is, we all want the same things in life, including someone to love.

And we all want warmer weather. So, in the spirit of Spring, remember . . . it is a new beginning for all. Let us head the words of the master, Jesus: “Judge not.” For we are all a part of God. All of our children are and will continue to be part of God. And yes, we will all be met by God and all our deceased loved ones when it is our time to cross over.

But in the meantime, come on! Everyone! Get ready! Soon it will be time to stop hibernating! Lose those coats, jump up and down and watch as the flowers begin to bloom. The breath of Spring is upon us!

Looking forward to sharing some spring fever with many of you!!!!! Check out my calendar for when I may be coming your way!

A Time for Giving Thanks

by

Welcome to the month of Thanksgiving, a time for giving thanks, and perhaps feeling the need to give back for the blessings we have.

As we approach the holidays, so many emotions come to the surface, along with memories past, and memories in the making.

Memories are personal to each of us, of course, and we all feel varied emotions when reflecting on days gone by, whether moments of sadness as when a loved one who has crossed over is missed, or at times touched in some other way we know is truly important. Wanting so badly to go back to that time when everything seemed right, is commonplace.

It’s been my experience that when our DPs come into our thoughts, a flood of emotions usually rises to the surface. If grief is in play, try to move to a place where your grief will lessen, focusing on the positive memories you had with a loved one who is now on the Other Side. Remember, our DPs want us to be happy.

Those special memories are always with you, and can be be filled with laughter. Maybe you remember having that Thanksgiving dinner when your brother wore that stupid tie to try to impress his new girlfriend. Or maybe that time your sister and her girlfriend tried to create a meal and there was so much smoke in the kitchen that the Fire Department showed up commenting that they were sure you were cooking up something other than dinner!

When we go to those wonderful memories, they can touch and heal our hearts, and once again make us smile. No one can ever take those from you. They are yours to cherish and hold dear.

Some of you may feel very strongly that you don’t want to celebrate the holidays. The thought process being that the times gone by were priceless, and that the present situation is just an empty echo of the past. But, let me preach here for a minute. Don’t you dare give in to that attitude! If you really want to honor those who have passed, then celebrate as they would have wanted you to. Realize that although your DPs may not be here in the physical, they are with you in Spirit. And again, they want you to be happy.

The DPs we honor include, of course, our beloved pets who gave us unconditional love before crossing over. Here’s a story about one. I recently was on a radio show and a techie there was listening to me on the air. The deejay asked me who I thought was going to win the World Series. I try never to make predictions publicly so I said, “I’ll tell you what I think, privately,” and he wrote what I said on a piece of paper for no one else to see. But, as luck or faith would have it, the paper fell onto the floor and the tech guy picked it up and saw that I had said that the Kansas City Royals would win, as would turned out to be accurate later – KC beat the NY Mets. So, the deejay said, “Oh, she meant the first two games,” which was not true – I meant the whole series. Well, the tech guy was already devastated with the Mets having lost Game 1 when they were two outs away from winning on the road. Then everyone shared why he was so devastated. He is a HUGE Met fan and had just lost his beloved dog Shea who had been named after Shea Stadium where the Mets used to play before Citi Field was built. Of course, had I known of the techie’s situation, I would have said nothing. It was still a very raw time for him. To the techie I could only say, “Your dog Shea will be with you always in your heart and if you can listen inward, she’ll be by your side jumping on your bed, during happy times, and there beside you when you are feeling blue.”

As we approach the beginning of the holiday season, know and feel all the love that we want to give and receive. The ability to share and experience love is with us all the time. We need not go further than walking out our front door realizing that every person could use a smile, a kind word, or just a nod hello, all serving as an acknowledgement that you are connecting on a friendly basis. Remember that it doesn’t cost you anything to be courteous and friendly, or to feel positive in your heart toward another. That, my friends, is a part of what Thanksgiving is all about.

Of course, the most poignant message that we all need to be reminded of is, “Do unto others only that which you would have be done unto you.” This is not without limitations of course – it may be that something you would not mind having done unto you is not right for someone else. So overlay this approach with consideration as to whether the person you are addressing is on the same page as you with regard to that which you are considering doing for them.

I personally want to give a HUGE thanks to those who received me at my recent events in California, including Good Day Sacramento. Also thanks to: Pat Walsh on KFBK; WQRC 99.0 “The Q” on the Cape, Karen and Ralphie; K92 Danny and Zack; and as it has been for years, WTIC with Gary Craig and Gang. There are so many more to list, I could go on and on.

To be able to do what I love, and be able to share that love with so many others, here and those beloved ones in Spirit and in our hearts – I am most thankful.

A Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Merry May!

by

Welcome to the merry month of May! Clearly one of my favorite months, in part because my birthday is in May. And of course, May means Mother’s Day which is said to be the day on which the most phone calls are made nationwide, even beyond Christmas!

As a reminder, I will once again be doing the “Mother’s Day Special” for radio station WXLO in Worcester, Massachusetts, to honor all mothers aound the world who, without enough recognition, do all those many special things that are so important to all of us.

While a title doesn’t necessarily earn you the reality, there is no doubt that by giving birth, a woman does become a mother. However, I have met so many women who could easily claim the title of mother even though they have never had biological children of their own. I can’t tell you how many sessions I’ve had where a “mother’s presence” is coming through and then I learn that the woman was not a biological mother, but the woman who was identified as a mother, because she played the part so well. I’d like to honor those women who take on the role of mother so eloquently, without claiming the title.

On another note, I’d like to share with you one of my favorite stories that is fitting for our Mother’s Day theme. I got an email a while ago from a mother, and it provides a unique insight into the lengths mothers will go to make things easier for their kids. See what you think.

Dear Suzane,
Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4-year-old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to Heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in Heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her. You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love,
Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith, and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to Heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.
Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, “To Meredith” . . . in an unfamiliar hand writing. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, When a Pet Dies. Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in Heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn’t sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don’t need our bodies in Heaven, I don’t have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.
I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.
By the way, I’m easy to find, I am wherever there is love.
Love,
God

Just one example of the little things that mothers do for their kids – this time with a unique assist from someone in the U.S. Postal Service who also knows the importance of motherhood.
So let’s remember to give thanks this Mother’s Day to all those mothers and mother figures here in the physical or waiting for us on the Other Side. And let’s also take a moment to honor how much better it is to share a world with mothers so willing to prepare a loving meal, lend an ear to listen, a hand to hold, or a shoulder to cry on – whenever there are kids in need.
Have a Happy Mother’s Day!

The Love For Dogs

by

At times, people come to me to see if I can connect them with their beloved dogs or kitties that have crossed over.  I’m sort of known to be a medium who animals come to.  Indeed, I’ve had many types of animals-horses, pigs, donkeys, and even iguanas-show up at my sessions.  That’s because pets who have been part of the family are still connected to their owners by Love, and are capable of reconnecting and being reconnected with those of us still here. 
 
In my experience, I’ve seen that for many people, the loss of a pet is often as intense, sometimes even more so, than the loss of a human family member.

For example, last week, I got an email from Lisa, a friend who lost her beloved Logan, a beautiful Golden Retriever.  Lisa words were: “Suzane, I lost my best friend and companion of 14 years.  I buried him in my back yard because I couldn’t bear him being far from me.”   I had gotten to know Logan since he lived in the apartment next to mine for the first several years of his life.  I had Lucky Star at the time.  Lucky was older but tolerated the young pup.  He was a joy who touched many peoples lives.   Of course, Lisa will miss her Logan, but truth be known, their connection continues.  That connection, like the connection during life, can be very healing.

My work has taught me the power of healing and its importance in life.  Indeed, the role that many dogs play as healer, is crucial.  Like Lisa’s dog Logan, many dogs touch the lives of their owners in very powerful ways.  If  you’ve ever seen a child  hugging their dog, or telling the dog about their troubles and heartaches, then you know what I mean.  Indeed, merely stroking a dog can help bring relief.  And obviously, dogs don’t do their healing work for money or  fame-they do it simply because that is what they are about. 
 
Most of you have heard me talk about “Best Friend” in Utah, that wonderful organization which takes in all animals, and turns none away.

I read recently that Best Friend was giving some of the dogs from Michael Vick’s fighting ring a chance to help heal people, most prominently soldiers that have post traumatic stress (PTS) syndrome. A wonderful job for those dogs who also suffered in battle. 
 
Now imagine you have the symptoms of PTS-the anxiety, the stress, and especially the inability to sleep.  One veteran I spoke with told me that the only way he could sleep was if his dog was on the bed with him, because that the only time he feels safe.  In that situation, who wouldn’t want  a dog?
 
As further evidence, a program at Walter Reed – “Paws for Purple Hearts” – provides trained dogs for wounded warriors in wheelchairs. The trainers themselves were service members diagnosed with PTS, according to a story in the Washington Post.   And now the Paws for Purple Hearts program, which began two years ago, has drawn the interest of a cluster of scientists who think that the human-dog relationship may have measurable clinical impact on the health and well-being of patients, including veterans with PTS.  So now, even science is getting in on what we’ve known all along-how valuable dogs can be. Witness the 200 veterans being treated for PTS who are going to become partners with service dogs that have been trained especially for the veterans.

According to American Women Veterans, Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc. has recently partnered with the federal government to provide highly trained service dogs to the Veteran’s Administration (VA) for a multi-year scientific study examining the impact that service dogs have on veterans with PTS.   The Guardian Angels study, which is being conducted by the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital of Tampa, Florida, is designed to quantify exactly what it is that veterans with PTS can gain from having a service dog.   I think we know already the answer: unconditional Love, and healing.  Someday, maybe, science will catch up.
 
As I’ve said many times before, even death cannot  destroy the energy of Love. Which is why when our pets cross over, the connection of Love continues, as documented in so many of my readings.  So rest assured that even whey their time here is done, all the Logans and Luckys everywhere will be forever in our hearts, and our connections to them will continue. 
 
Here’s hoping that the news in this August newsletter makes you go out and wag your tail a little bit!  Yes, be happy! it’s still summer, after all!