JESSICA'S WARNING
I love Mondays, but last Monday was difficult. The day before, my friend Niara and I went hiking at Canyon of the Ancients, a national monument west of Cortez. It was absolutely gorgeous and couldn't have been a more beautiful day to go there.
Well, to make a long story short, our supposed three-mile walk turned into a six- or eight-mile ordeal. My dog Ranger, who is almost 10 years old, wasn't used to that much exercise and heat. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough water with us, and the long trek back to the car was almost too much for him. Niara suffered terrible blisters on the bottoms of her feet as a result.
Anyway, my point is... I was tired on Monday morning and wanted to sleep in longer. But my cat Jessica woke me up, meowing. She usually doesn't do that. Jessica has complete freedom. She uses the doggy doors and can come and go as she pleases, 24/7. I couldn't understand what it was she wanted. And so I finally dragged myself out of bed and went to see if her food dishes were empty.
Jessica's feeding station was good, but she continued to meow at me, as if she were trying to tell me something. I couldn't figure it out, so I decided just to get up and get on with my day. I was a little cranky, but that was only to be expected.
I had errands to run that morning and books to mail out. I had just pulled out of the post office and was heading home when out of the corner of my eye I saw an orange flash dart toward me. I was only going 25 miles per hour or so, but I had no control over the situation. An orange cat ran under the wheels of my car before I could slam on the brakes. I heard the terrible THUMP! - THUMP! and then saw out my rear-view window the cat's body dancing in convulsions on the pavement behind me.
I felt TERRIBLE. I had just hit and killed a cat. I saw its body collapse and lay still, and I knew in that moment that it had died instantly. It is an awful feeling to know that you've been responsible for an animal's death. I then remembered that I had forgotten to say my prayer of protection when I got into my vehicle that morning. Immediately I prayed out loud:
"The light of God surrounds me, the love of God enfolds me, the power of God protects me, the presence of God watches over me... wherever I am, God is, and all is well." (the Unity Prayer)
Then, I said my words that I always say when I take a trip, even if it's to the grocery store: "I surround myself, my vehicle and my loved ones with the White Light of Christ 24 hours a day. May the White Light of Christ surround me, my vehicle and my loved ones 24 hours a day. I wear the Cloak of Christ Light and wrap my vehicle and my loved ones in it, 24 hours a day. Amen!"
When I got home and saw my cat Jessica that afternoon, I burst into tears. I told Jessica about what had happened and how badly I felt about it. My black cat purred and rubbed up against me, as if to comfort me and to say, "It's okay. It was just that kitty's time to go, and you were the one chosen to help it to the other side because of your Light." I did remember that I had said a prayer right away for the orange cat and had visualized it well and happy in its new light body.
So, I don't know for sure that Jessica was actually giving me a "heads up" on Monday morning, but I do know that everything happens for a reason and it does no good to beat ourselves up over things with which we have no control. I was able to accept the death, bless the experience and move on.
I just hope there are no more cats, dogs or deer who see my Subaru as a doorway to the Other Side.
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