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Prana
was an angel animal dog in the Anderson family for many years. This is Linda's story of how Prana taught the family about unconditional
love. It is in the Anderson’s book, Angel Animals®, Exploring Our Spiritual Connection with Animals (Dutton-Plume).
What Prana, Animals,
and Apples
Knew about Service to Life
By Linda AndersonPrana, our beautiful golden retriever, whose
name means “breath of life,” isn't with us anymore.
She died of cancer several years ago. But while sharing our home,
she brought such joy and love into our lives that we still miss
her. There are so many wonderful stories about the love in this
dog, but my favorite is one that created an indelible image of
how to graciously give what is needed without reserve.
It was an autumn day in Minnesota. But
the weather didn't seem to know the difference between fall and
winter. We were hit with a big snow fall for which no one was
prepared.
We have two apple trees in our back
yard. Prana loved apples. When she went outside, she'd grab an
apple, stick it far back in her mouth, and sneak it into the
house to save for nibbling on later. The apples had been on the
ground and were often muddy, so I wasn't always happy that Prana
had brought them into the house. Sensing my disapproval, she'd
turn her head, so I wouldn't see her hidden treasure. It was
our little game.
Prana Made Her Own Version
of an Apple Pie On the day that it snowed too early
in the season, Prana went outside, and I watched her from the
window. I noticed that she was frantically digging holes and
bringing the apples to the surface so they could be seen above
the snow. I wondered why she was doing this. She seemed intensely
occupied with a mission to dig up as many apples as possible
during her yard time.
When I called her back into the house,
she carried her usual one apple in her mouth. About five minutes
later, I looked outside. The yard was completely covered with
birds. It looked as if Prana had dug up all those apples for
her bird and squirrel friends to eat because they wouldn't have
enough food to survive such an early winter! Tears sprung to
my eyes as I witnessed this beautiful act of unconditional love
from a creature who taught us how to serve life with such grace.
What’s the Spiritual Message?: Could you try actively looking for
service you can give, like Prana digging up the apples? Maybe
you might perform acts of kindness or give love without expecting
a return. Or discover the joy of doing good deeds when no one
is looking. Could you fill the copy machine at work, water plants
at home, cook someone's favorite dinner, or find simple ways
to bring more love into your life and the lives of others?
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