Some say that love can bring souls together in life after life. If we believe animals are soul, too, this must hold true for them as well.

Meaning of Forever contributor Mary tells how she and her beloved dog Grover, a Golden Retriever mix who was terminally ill with cancer, agreed to meet again once his physical life was finished.

Mary tells their story this way:

“We loved each other deeply and I wanted to know, if he decided to come back to me in a different form, that indeed it was him.”

Grover and Mary, who is a trained massage therapist for small animals, agreed on a signal—something that passed between them often: “He frequently placed a paw gently on my right cheek and looked into my eyes,” writes Mary.

About two years after Grover’s passing, Mary had a feeling that, either Grover had returned to this world, or he was contemplating a return. Meanwhile, a young girl in the local 4-H Club was raising a litter of puppies. They were Morkies, a cross between Maltese and Yorkshire Terrier, which Mary says she found adorable.

“The girl sent me pictures of the puppies and I determined which one of them I strongly felt was Grover,” recalls Mary. “When I arrived at her house, the puppies were outside playing and I spotted the male puppy I thought was Grover. I was so happy. But when I picked him up, there was no feeling of affection or love between us. In fact, the puppy couldn’t wait to get out of my arms!”

This set Mary back: “How had I been so wrong about my feelings and intuition?”

But, then…

“As I sat in the grass contemplating what had just happened, one of the other puppies came running up, jumped into my lap, placed her paw on my right cheek and looked deeply into my eyes,” writes Mary. “Grover was back!”

Since Mary took her new puppy, Shaley, home they have developed a routine: “Every night before retiring, Shaley and I lay down together, I look into her eyes, and we speak to each other.”

When this routine first began, Mary would tell Shaley about her memories of when Shaley was Grover.

“After the fourth or fifth night of doing this, she told me in no uncertain terms that while she knew I loved her as Grover, she was now Shaley—here for new experiences—and did not want to be pulled back into that old consciousness.

“She wants me to see her for who she is now,” says Mary.

At The Meaning of Forever Project, we would love to know about uplifting experiences you’ve had with people or pets who have passed on. Learn more about us at The Meaning of Forever Project website, or send us an email at themeaningofforever@gmail.com

 

In September, 1962, Ethel Voas wrote to Hattie, whose young son had died. Ethel knew well the long and debilitating grief this kind of loss could bring—but she also knew the joy and relief of a dream in which her son reassured her he was well and happy in his new life. She shared that experience in words of comfort to a friend:

Dear Hattie—and your sorrowing family:

    I am writing because I cannot come in person and while you scarce have time now to read, lay this aside until the sad duties are finished, as smoke clears following battle. Then is when the hurt grows too heavy to bear and one asks why? Only two years have elapsed, when the grim-reaper takes a heavier toll—so young he was! So beautiful! So full of promise!

     29 years ago, it happened to us and I grieved four years when, in a dream, Keith “came home”. He was driving a large herd of beautiful sheep. The old dog was with him, and in overwhelming ecstasy I could not move but begged all the others to hasten to him.

     I was suddenly caught up into the blue of heaven, then I awakened.

     I could not believe it was a dream though the clock ticked, the dappled moonlight made shadows upon the wall. This was Reality and my grief left completely.

                Perhaps you remember Ethel from her poem “Faith” in our blog post of January 29, 2017. Following that vision of her son, Ethel was inspired to write “Faith” and a few more verses. This one she kindly shared with her grieving friend Hattie.

I cannot understand

The whys and wherefores of a thousand things

The crosses, the annoyances, the daily stings

I cannot understand

But I can trust, for perfect trusting, perfect comfort brings

I cannot see the end

The hidden meaning of each trial sent

The pattern into which each tangled thread is bent

I cannot see the end

But I can trust

And in God’s changeless love I am content

©Ethel Voas, 1962

The Meaning of Forever Project is compiling a book of comforting experiences with loved ones who have passed on. If you have something to share, please contact us at themeaningofforever@gmail.com You can learn more about us from The Meaning of  Forever website (here), and from our Facebook page (here). Please be sure to follow our bi-weekly blog by clicking “Follow” at the right of this post.⇒