Gratitude Swings Both Ways!!
As Alexandria (cat) became more comfortable with me, I was honored, thrilled and moved beyond words. I would well up when I really thought about it. In fact, I remember feeling guilty because she was so great. I thought somebody must be missing their cat.
The truth is, someone had dropped her off in a box, with kittens, in my friend’s yard. The whole cat courtship made me feel overwhelmingly filled with gratitude.
Each step of the way, as she let her guard down, I discovered, she too seemed to act out of gratitude. Over the next 10 years, through moves across country (4 times), distractions, a marriage, a divorce, stepkids, adding a dog, she became that anchoring sense of home.
Sometimes in a sea of unknown, that sense of home was as simple as gratitude. I could feel it emanating from her as well just in her furry being. I could see it in her behavior. She even had acts of gratitude (as in hunting).
You could scientifically prove to me that gratitude in animals doesn’t exist and I would have to say, I know in my heart of hearts, she was grateful.
There are so many ways that animals show us they are grateful. Sometimes a horse that is really tense and is prone to blow up, will suddenly act like a darling little child, dressed up in their Sunday best. The horse will actually listen with ears like they’ve never heard before. That’s gratitude.
Dogs have that look, that look doesn’t have enough words to describe it…….you know that look, somewhere between submission and smiling, that look of “Oh my God, I could burst with love.” That’s gratitude.
Dr. Brian Hare has discovered that when humans and dogs make eye contact, dogs release oxytocin, the love drug. Cats look like their releasing and spreading oxytocin when they open and close their eyes in slow motion. Horses feel as though they are releasing oxytocin when their eye softens and they are totally available to you like putty.
Love is synonymous with gratitude. Yet, I’ve even felt a sense of gratitude when I’ve helped wildlife or when I’ve connected with animals as an Animal Communicator.
In this week of Thanksgiving, I’d love for you to share with me the animals you feel as though are expressing gratitude to you. I’d also love to see pics of the animals you are grateful to for being in your life. Let’s create a giant wave of gratitude and share it with our animal companions!
Join me on my Facebook fan page and share your pics of gratitude! www.facebook.com/pages/Joan-Ranquet-Communication-With-All-Life/44647277077?ref=hl
