Moments

Last week I had a moment.  On an unusually warm winter morning, while walking around the frozen reservoir near our home, I heard a loud “CRACK!” I looked out over the water wondering what happened, when I heard another “SNAP!” from several hundred yards away.  Suddenly, a roar rose up from the distance and, like an oncoming train, I watched and listened as the ice fractured from across the pond, creating a giant crevice that shot toward me. The crack stopped less than ten feet from where I was standing.

I stood by the side of the pond feeling exhilarated, taking in the beauty of such an unusual experience.  And, always one for seeing the symbolism in life, I considered the shifting fault lines in my own life.

As I went about my week, that morning by the reservoir stayed with me. I thought about how some of our best experiences are born from unexpected, beautiful moments.  Later, while shopping at my local health food store, I ran into the owner, Kathy, and had a chance to hear about a moment in her life – one I immediately knew I wanted to share with you.

After losing her beloved dog to bone cancer in December, Kathy decided to rescue a dog.  She went to PetFinder.com and chose an adorable black puppy from a shelter in Tennessee.  PetFinder.com provides an online database of adoptable pets from more than 13,000 animal welfare agencies around the country.  In this case, volunteers load several pets in crates on a large truck (with plenty of food and water), and drive twenty hours to connect these pets with their new owners here in the Northeast. (They stop several times along the way for the dogs to stretch and go to the bathroom).

Once Kathy completed the adoption application process, she was told where to go to pick up the new dog she named Lulu.  Kathy’s moment happened on a Sunday morning in a parking lot in Rhode Island.

When Kathy showed up at the lot, she found herself joined by a group of anxious and excited adoptive parents.  They all watched as the truck pulled in, the back was opened, and one by one, the volunteers announced the name of the pet, searching for the right owner.  “It was an amazing experience,” Kathy explained.  “I stood there with tears in my eyes as each owner stepped up to the truck to claim his or her new pal. There were people from all walks of life waiting in the lot that day and I’ll never forget one older gentleman with a baseball cap who looked so serious standing by his pickup truck.  When they called his name, though, he began yelling, ‘She’s mine! She’s mine!’  It was so moving.  He had adopted an older dog and when he ran to the truck to get his dog, he picked her up and hugged her tight.  He looked like a four-year-old little boy with a new puppy.  It was a morning I’ll never forget.”

As an animal lover, I appreciate PetFinder.com for bringing such joy to people’s lives (while saving animals!).  And, as a lover of life, I appreciate the spontaneous moments that open our hearts to love – love of nature, one another, and the connection we find with our beautiful pets.

I hope you have a few “moments” yourself this week.

Take Action Challenge

Stay awake. Keep your ears and eyes open. There are moments of amazement waiting for you, too.

This week’s video shows the love between a man and his dogs . You can find it here. Thanks, LionMoma!