Angel Animals Story of the Week, 5-9-05, "A Moose Messenger" -- Angel Animals Story of the Week

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Date Posted: 06:26:48 05/18/05 Wed
Author: Angel Animals Network
Subject: Angel Animals Story of the Week, 5-9-05, "A Moose Messenger"

Angel Animals Story of the Week
May 9, 2005
Visit us at www.angelanimals.net

Dear Friends of Angel Animals,

Welcome to the Angel Animals Story of the Week.

Happy Mother's Day to all the human and animal mothers!

This week, we met a woman who has a service dog. We asked her how things were going. She started to express her dissatisfaction. Everything she said were good reasons for the frustrations she was feeling. But we noticed that as the woman continued to talk, the dog at her side slunk lower and lower until he was on the ground. His ears hung long; his eyelids drooped; he was the picture of dejection. That's when we realized that this listing of his faults was embarrassing the dog.

We've had similar situations with our animal companions. One time, we were telling a story about Cuddles when she was a kitten. It involved some serious stalking behavior with our birds. We'd had to scold her and were happy to note that she'd improved her behavior by 100 percent. But the telling of the story to our friends seemed to make Cuddles get agitated. Finally one day, she let us know in no uncertain terms that she didn't want to be embarrassed anymore. When we started with the story, she turned around and hissed at us as if to say, "Enough already!"

Have you noticed embarrassment in animals? How did they show that you were telling "tales" that should be kept private?

On an entirely different subject, we'd like to tell you about something that we're restarting. For years, Linda was helping people write their books and proposals with a combination of coaching, mentoring, editing, and ghostwriting. With her 25 years of experience in writing and publishing, most of the books and proposals Linda worked on were sold to publishers and did well.

She had to stop book coaching after we became too busy with our writing and teaching schedules. It also took awhile for us to recover after Linda was knocked down by a serious illness. But now we're reopening for business. To read about the new book coaching, mentoring, manuscript and proposal evaluation services Linda is offering go to www.writingontherun.com/bookcoach.html

And on yet another note, we're looking for stories for ANGEL HORSES, the next book in the series. If you or anyone you know have had a spiritual connection with a horse, send us the story to angelanimals@aol.com.

One more thing: Look at the announcements below for a wonderful class we are teaching about the spiritual nature of animals.

Today's story is about the souls of animals with a remarkable experience a pastor had that gave her the proof she needed.

We welcome your stories for possible future publication in this newsletter or in one of our upcoming books.

We invite you to e-mail this week's newsletter in its entirety to others who might enjoy it.

Animal blessings,
Allen & Linda Anderson

* * * * *

STORY OF THE WEEK

A MOOSE MESSENGER
By The Rev. Mary Piper, Bozeman, Montana

(The following story, meditation, and bio are reprinted from GOD'S MESSENGERS: What Animals Teach Us about the Divine by Allen and Linda Anderson, New World Library 2003.)

I've always believed that pets would be with me in eternal life. But when my dog, Eunice -- a shaggy, fun-loving Old English sheepdog -- died a couple of years ago, I began to have doubts. Eunice loved the job she had given herself of being my "fuzz alarm," waking me each morning with kisses the minute the alarm went off. Eunice was sensitive, quirky, and loving, and I thought of her as my soul mate during the ten years we spent together.

On the day Eunice died, I took her body outside to be buried, sobbing as I dug her grave. I cried out to God, asking if the animal who shared my life on earth would be with me in heaven. In my sorrow, I needed a sign that Eunice was with God. At that moment, close over my head, a flock of birds swooped by. I thought, "Oh, that's just a bunch of sparrows." Then I remembered the Bible verse that says, "Not one sparrow will fall to the ground apart form God" (Matthew 12:29).

OK, that was a pretty good sign.

But I cried again and asked God for a clearer sign. I wanted to see a mammal! Just then, even though it was the middle of the day and not a time when such creatures are usually visible in these Montana mountains, a deer walked by.

I had to admit, that was pretty good. But what I really wanted was something that would be too difficult to explain away or chalk up to coincidence: I wanted to see a moose.

I don't necessarily recommend demanding bigger and better signs from God, but God was patient with me that day and very willing to handle my desperation.

After burying Eunice, I went inside. What I didn't realize was that, at the same time, my husband, Harry, had been praying the same prayer; he had also asked to see a moose as a sign that our dog was with God. As he stood outside at Eunice's grave, I heard him calling for me to join him. To our amazement, a big bull moose slowly walked by about sixty yards away from us.

That was clear. I finally got it. I was reassured that my beloved pets will be with me in eternity.

Do animals have souls?

Don't take my word for it. Ask God to show you.

MEDITATION

Would you like to try Reverend Piper's suggestion and ask about animals as souls and whether they are with God after they die?

BIO:
The Rev. Mary Piper and her family share their lives with five dogs, four cats, five horses, and a variable number of rescue animals. She's an Episcopal priest and a hospital chaplain.

ANGEL ANIMALS QUOTES OF THE WEEK

"We are at the beginning of that path that can lead humankind to humanity."
--Sviatoslav Zbelin, Russian environmentalist

"My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am."
--Unknown

"I think it was from the animals that Saint Francis learned it is possible to cast yourself on the earth's good mercy and live."
--Jane Hirshfield

CAT HAIKU
My small cardboard box.
You cannot see me if I
can just hide my head.
--Unknown

"Never try and teach a pig to sing: it's a waste of time, and it annoys the pig."
--Robert A. Heinlein Time Enough for Love

What is man without the beasts?
"If all the beasts were gone, man would die of a great loneliness of the spirit.
For whatever happens to the beasts soon happens to man."
-- Chief Seattle, 1854

* * * * *

ANNOUNCEMENTS

NEW CLASS. Allen and Linda Anderson and Doug Munson are teaching a class every Wednesday in May, 7:00-8:30 p.m., based on the inspiring stories and wisdom in the new book by Harold Klemp, ANIMALS ARE SOUL TOO! This class is open to the public and people can attend one or all of them. It is at the Temple of ECK in Chanhassen, Minnesota. For more information and directions, call (952) 380-2200.

ANGEL CATS: Divine Messengers of Comfort, GOD'S MESSENGERS: What Animals Teach Us about the Divine, and ANGEL ANIMALS: Exploring Our Spiritual Connection with Animals are available at online or regular bookstores and at many gift shops that sell animal books. ANGEL CATS is also a selection of One Spirit Book Club.

Visit our other Website: www.writingontherun.com and subscribe to the free online Writing on the Run Tip of the Week. The May '05 Writer's Digest magazine named Writing on the Run as one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers. Writer's Digest E-Newsletter recommended the website (www.writingontherun.com).

* * * * *

OTHER INFORMATION

The Angel Animals Network is devoted to collecting and disseminating original, true stories about the spiritual connection between people and animals. You can learn more about the Angel Animals Network at www.angelanimals.net.

If you send this newsletter to others (and we hope that you will), please don't change it in anyway and include the information above about the Angel Animals Network. Thank you.

This newsletter is sent to you by the Angel Animals Network. Copyright 2005, Allen and Linda Anderson, Angel Animals Network. All rights reserved. Nothing in this newsletter may be reproduced or published without the written permission of the individual authors and/or copyright owners. Angel Animals(r) is a registered trademark.

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