On this, the eve of the two year anniversary of my dear friend’s passing, I’m re-posting the story I wrote about her, about us, the day after she left this mortal coil.
Before you read this, please call or text that one person you’ve been meaning to reach out to. Take that time. Even if it’s been a while and you think it will be awkward, use me as an excuse– tell them Denise, your favorite blogger, told you to call.
Then, come back and read this.
On the first day of this fresh new year, I visited Snoopy, Budgie and their mom Jean. Budgie has been acting out a bit so Jean wanted me to check in with him and make sure all is well with him. Before I left my house, I rubbed drops of Highest Potential essential oil over my heart and Release essential oil between my palms, just the oils I was compelled to grab in honor of my upcoming session. Every time I’ve treated these bunny brothers, I start with Budgie (maybe next time I’ll change that up!). Momma Jean worked on her computer, adjacent to the boys’ enclosures during our session (remember this fact for later). Budgie was very receptive to the Reiki energy and very calm. He “showed” me the number one, which I connected to the opening of the new year… or that he’s #1!
Budgie quickly invited me into his pen and we shared lots of hands-on energy throughout our session. All is well with loving Budgie. He’s a reputed kisser. He consistently gave me three kisses, then flicked his tongue three times, left-right-left. That might just be his habit, his tongue muscle memory… or maybe he was bringing the power of three to the forefront. Three is pure power. Three is divinity.
I moved on to Snoopy. He’s a guarded little boy so I know to stay outside of his pen. He still gets the bountiful energy and energetic benefits just as much as he would with hands-on—Reiki love and light will flow wherever it needs to, wherever it is welcome! Snoopy stayed within his cardboard house for the duration of our session (his Snoopy house?!) but acknowledged our exchange through his grooming and sharing “messages” with me as well. I had a sense of Jean’s mom, Snoopy and Budgie’s grandmother, and the letter M toward the end of our session. As shielded as Snoopy can be, he is still receptive to the energy, love and light in such a beautiful way. I feel so energized when I work with these boys!
After I closed out our session, I share the “messages” and feelings with Jean. I felt awkward asking about her mother; while I feel spiritually connect to Jean, I still don’t know her that well! What if this was a “bad” question to ask? But I had to ask her anyway. I asked if Snoopy was close with Jean’s mom or if they even knew each other. Jean shared with me that her mother passed away six years before Snoopy came into her life. Then she paused, took a breath and told me that she was writing a post for her own blog
while I was working with the boys. That post is about her mother and father.
I am honored to confirm Jean’s mother’s presence. Our loved ones are never truly gone if we just take the time to quiet our minds, remove the distractions and pay attention on purpose to the present moment. I am not a trained medium. But I am a true believer. We all have these abilities and they step forward when we take the time and care to listen. Sharing the love and light, the life-force energies with Snoopy and Budgie on the first day of what I know will be a year of beauty set a wonderful tone. Thank you Jean. I love you and your boys truly.
Snoopy, photo credit: Jean
I am the initial point of contact when someone emails information@longislandrabbitrescue.org. This month, the number of “finder” emails we have received is more than double the number we receive in a typical month. We define a “finder” as someone who has either spotted a stray domestic rabbit or has rescued an abandoned domestic rabbit and is reaching out to our group for resources and recourses. I have typed the following sentences an alarming number of times this month: “We don’t have a shelter facility; all of our rabbits are fostered in private homes. If you or someone you know can provide an indoor foster home, we can…” And it’s not even Easter yet.
We get at least a hundred emails to the aforementioned address per month—only three times in my almost three years of being at the email helm has someone reached out because their rabbit had actually gone missing. So I can safely conclude that these “found” rabbits are abandoned, dumped, neglected.
Abandonment happens one of two ways, from my perspective. There are the scarily misinformed, who think their rabbit, who no longer serves a purpose in their family, will survive in the woods or in a park because other rabbits live in the wild. Yeah… those are wild rabbits. Not domestic rabbits. Domestic rabbits will not survive and will face the harsh elements of the seasons and starvation, and predators. A horrible fate.
Then, there are the heartless, who just don’t care, who need this “thing” out of their house. Sometimes these people try to seek help before abandoning their rabbit, but most town shelters aren’t equipped to handle rabbits and most rescue groups are overloaded, no matter the animal on which they focus. For these, about whom “careless” is the nicest word I can muster, the living being they once chose to care for has passed his/her expiration date and must be tossed out. Just a note—if caught abandoning an animal, one faces $1,000 fine and other legal consequences. If you see something, take pictures. Send them to me. I’ll turn them in for you. I’m not shy.
We need:
As a rescue group, our resources are limited but trust that we use them to their maximum potential! Thank you for being one of our resources. Spread the reality about rabbits as pets—10-12 year commitment, specialized veterinary care, bunny-proofing (As I hear my chief destruction worker bunny Tater Tot tearing in to what I hope is his cardboard tunnel in the next room…). As awareness is heightened, I hope there are far fewer rabbits out there to save. But for now, many rabbits are found but still lost, as the number abandoned far surpasses the number of foster homes and adopters.
Release your feelings, not your animals.