Getting through hard times...

As much as we want to avoid them, we can't. We're going to go through hard times, soul-wrenching times.

I want to muse for a moment about what we can learn from our "brothers" about getting through difficult times.

Let me start by explaining what I mean by "brothers." I'm talking about each and every animal that lives along with us and around us on this planet. If it breathes, I believe it's imbued with and sustained by Soul. If it's imbued with and sustained by Soul we're of the same essence. They are no more lumps of clay than we are. They, too, are the very energy of the Univrse. We're related. We're brothers. 

What can we learn from our brothers about getting through difficult times?

Here's one thing we can learn from them: Recently, I read an article about a Pit-bull that lost it's mate. It went into deep mourning for several days (I don't know exactly how many as it was in progress when I read the story). For at least the first four days of its mourning, it didn't eat a single bite of food. Mourning does that to a body and Soul. It's very natural.

Here's the lesson for us humans: When someone you know goes through a season of mourning, be there for and with them if you can. Listen. Let the flood of tears flow, theirs and yours. But look to our brothers as an example about eating. Don't insist they eat if they don't feel like it. Eating isn't natural at this time. It's not an element of the season of mourning. Everything has a season and each season has those things that go along with it.

When the Pit-bull mourned the loss of it's mate, people marveled at the depth of its love. Of course. It's no different for it's human relatives.