The window to your soul
“Animals are a window to your soul and a doorway to your spiritual destiny.
If you let them into your life and allow them to teach you, you will be better for it.”
― Kim Shotola
Just when you think life has dealt all the surprises it has in its war chest, here comes another. On top of building a new home, organizing storage units, plotting the everyday of a small business, organizing a bustling calendar, and remembering to breathe, grief is added to the equation.
Cody post surgery during one of his naps.
Cody was the first “being” that Len and I shared. One day, shortly after Len and I met, this bouncy, stray puppy appeared on our porch, starving for food and attention. We gave him both, and that was the beginning of our 11-year love affair with a mut.
Cody mastered the lawn mower with exceptional balance and never met a FedEx or UPS truck he liked. It wasn’t the driver but the truck itself that caused his distain, forcing his exodus down our long driveway, aggressively biting at the truck’s tires. He’d return up the hill to me, out of breath, seeking my approval for the big, bad, dog saving my life. He’d chase anything that dared to come onto his home turf, and even when we’d open his gate for him to roam, he’d always return to sleep beneath the overhang of the kitchen window, which was also known as his drive-up window.
His best friend was Silas, a rescued old-man pit-bull. When Silas died two years ago, we watched Cody mourn for months. It was at that moment that I realized the depth of an animal’s love and how its heart can break.
Jeep rides were his favorite, and at 80 pounds, Cody sat where he wanted. On the rare occasion that Stripling’s sausage became a leftover, Cody scarfed it down and begged for more. He’d roll on his back for belly rubs, slap his big pretty feet on the ground to play, and bounce around in his old age just like he did as a pup. When we had to have his left eye removed, we thought that would be the end of our Cody. But it renewed his zest for life, and he was happier than ever. He bumped into everything, but he was happy. And he was happy until the end.
It's only been a few days since we lost our boy; he left us with a huge hole in our hearts but we are better because he gave his life to us and taught us some important lessons.
📍 Just because you don’t have a home doesn’t mean you can’t find one.
📍When you lose one eye, rely on all your other strengths to put life in focus.
📍 It’s never too late to find joy.
Editor’s Pen, Georgia Connector, December 2022
