Written by Joyce Vissell and Narrated by Marie T. Russell
There is a magnet on our refrigerator that reads,
"Until one has loved an animal,
a part of one's soul remains unawakened."
-- Anatole France.
Pets awaken our hearts in a way that nothing else can. Yes, human relationships are very important, but our pets can open our hearts in a quiet very sweet way that nothing else can. If you cannot have a pet of your own, perhaps you could bond with someone else's pet.
Barry and I have had many pets, mostly golden retriever dogs starting when we were twenty-five years old. We have also had cats, and at one time had five cats all from the local shelter. Currently we have one feral rescued cat named Gertie, who lets us pet her and loves our company as long as we do not bring her inside. And we have two golden retrievers, Honey and Gracie.
Our pets bring so much joy and peace to our lives. We always know that they will love us. Our dogs' greatest desire is just to be near us and walk with us and love us.
Whenever I feel sad about something or need to feel peaceful, I go to our older dog Gracie who is very motherly and I bend down and hug her in a very big full hug. She stands there very patiently knowing that what is happening is very important. After I am done hugging her, I always feel better and then she looks up at me with her soft brown eyes and wags her tail in love and devotion...
Continue Reading at InnerSelf.com (plus audio/mp3 version of article)
Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay
* Subtitles by InnerSelf
Copyright 2021 by Joyce and Barry Vissell.
Book by this Author(s)
Heartfullness: 52 Ways to Open to More Love
by Joyce and Barry Vissell.
Heartfulness means so much more than sentimentality or schmaltz. The heart chakra in yoga is the spiritual center of the body, with three chakras above and three below. It is the balance point between lower body and higher body, or between body and spirit. To dwell in your heart is therefore to be in balance, to integrate the lower three chakras with the higher three.
This book contains 52 writings and stories that all illustrate the many facets of heartfulness. That’s one per week. Our goal is to lead you into your heart. Our goal is to give you a feeling experience of the heart in its many dimensions. We could say each piece will make you feel good. And this may be true. But each will also challenge you to grow in spiritual awareness, for there is often a certain risk that must be taken before the heart can open. Sometimes we need to leave our comfort zone to really live from the heart.
Click here for more info and/or to order this book. Also available as a Kindle edition
About the Author(s)
Joyce & Barry Vissell, a nurse/therapist and psychiatrist couple since 1964, are counselors, near Santa Cruz CA, who are passionate about conscious relationship and personal-spiritual growth. They are the authors of 10 books, their latest being A Couple of Miracles: One Couple, More Than a Few Miracles.
Visit their website at SharedHeart.org for their free weekly 10–15-minute inspirational videos, inspiring past articles on many topics about relationship and living from the heart, or to book a counseling session on-line or in person.
