FOLLOW YOUR DOG

(Laurentians 2010)

It's 1AM, I can't sleep and neither can my dog so I grab a headlight and we go out into the night.

He leads me along a wooded path covered in memories of paw prints and explorations with dogs of past and present. 

We are surrounded by giant pines and we can hear the whisper of everything that is alive and dancing through the forest.

We find a spot unobstructed by trees where we can sit and take in the starry, country sky. 

A deep, warm silhouette of colours and shapes waltz their way across the canvas and every now and then a star loses its grip and falls. 

I feel a wave of emotion come over me. I wonder where stars learn to twinkle and why some fall while the others stay in place.

I hold my dog close and kiss his head. I hold him never wanting to let go because my love for him is so great and our time together so brief.

As we head back toward the house, he nudges my hand with his head, barks and gestures. Suddenly, we are startled by a  strobe of light racing across the sky. It reaches out and carries us for a slice of a second.

Shades of blue and purple, pink and orange join hands like a rainbow after a storm. The entire sky calls to us with a silent, soothing calmness.

I feel the presence of my dogs - all my boys - their spirits still very much alive, radiating like stars flowing in Rainbow Heaven.

I reach out to hug them and there within the warmth of their souls, I drift like a leaf in the wind never wanting to land.

Sleep well my boys and when I look up at the sky - remember to twinkle so I know you are there.