Testing God - Post Five

Animal communication does not have to be done with the animal physically present. And so, now that I had technically met Killer, (a.k.a. The Unbelievable) my curiosity was aroused. I wanted to know why he was so pissed off. What happened to make him so angry? So I decided to try to chat him up a bit.

Turns out he was happy to talk, mind to mind. He was thrilled to know that a human had the capability to understand him—he had previously thought we were all quite a stupid lot.

When I asked UB about his misbehavior in the starting gate, he seemed truly apologetic. He didn’t mean to hurt anyone—but he was terrified. All he could think about was getting the heck out of there.

I closed my eyes and tuned in to his thoughts. I could hear the clanging of the metal doors as they locked shut, and the yelling of the assistant starters as the horses were loaded. Jockeys were yelling, too, and I could feel the starting gate—2000 lbs. of metal—shift slightly as horses rushed the front doors or slammed against the back ones. I could hear the snorts of the horses nervously waiting for the doors to spring open.

All of a sudden my heart was pounding and I was shaking. I could feel my body shiver even though I was sweating. I literally felt like I was going to explode! My eyes popped open.

“I totally understand what is happening to you,” I told UB. “The feelings you are having are exactly what happens to me when I’m sitting on an airplane, waiting for takeoff. I have a nearly uncontrollable urge to get off the plane!” (Just another of my personal issues.)

I asked UB if he disliked racing, and was told that in fact, he loved to run—it was just the stress of the starting gate before a race that threw him. Being locked into a heavy steel contraption crammed with so many other bodies—both equine and human—set off a bad physical reaction.

The Unbelievable was embarrassed by all of this, and had become dejected because no one seemed to understand.

I found Jerry asked what he was waiting for—call the owner and Trainer No. 1—we need to go get that horse right now!

Jerry just rolled his eyes. I get that a lot from him.

Daily Notes: I took some time yesterday to accomplish a couple RAKs. One was as simple as taking the time to swing by the house of a woman who I met a few years back when she called me about grooming her dog. At the time, she was having some bad problems with her back, and her husband, who had a bad drug and alcohol problem, had moved out. Her daughters, both grown and with families of their own, had moved several states away, and Diamond, her dog, was pretty much her family now. Not too long ago, she called me because she was preparing her will, and wanted to know if we would take “her baby” if, God forbid, she passed. We of course said yes, and she seemed relieved.

But her faith was strong—amazingly strong, it seemed to me.

She talked about her church family, who kept her going, and of course, her best friend, Jesus. She was so positive, and always wanted to know what was going on in my life and how I was feeling.

To put it bluntly, my friend lives in “the hood.” Her house is in some significant disrepair, as are all the homes on her street, but with hers, there is a difference. She never fails to decorate for whatever holiday is coming up next. And when I say decorate, I mean D-E-C-O-R-A-T-E. As if the holiday being celebrated had thrown up in her yard.

Colors and flowers and streamers and lights and stuffed animals swirled together, all based on a holiday theme. To see it not only makes me smile, but throw back my head and laugh. I sometimes find myself taking a detour to drive by her place, just to see the latest celebratory creation.

And this sweet lady never fails to call us several times throughout the year to wish us well and tell us she loves us. And every Christmas, we get a card containing a photo that shows her holding little Diamond in a Santa suit.

So yesterday, I stopped by her house to drop of a small Christmas present that I had been carrying around for way too long, because I had been “too busy” to do it sooner. Shame on me.

She saw me coming, and met me with a smile and a hug, right there amidst all the red hearts and cupids and lights twinkling in the yard. Seems she got a jump on Valentine’s Day this year.

Thanks, God, for the blessing of seeing the joy of You in others!