Rita Reynolds and the Sacredness of all Life

When the time came for me to help my12-year-old Labrador retriever Cuchulainn--a beautiful and loyal friend--make his way out of pain and into the next world, I emailed a woman I never met in Virginia and asked her to pray for me.

Though I never met Rita Reynolds in person, I knew her to be a deeply spiritual woman, a kind person, a friend who would follow through for me on this one. She and I have been pen pals of sorts for about 10 years now, since she first published some of my writing in her quarterly magazine LaJoie and Company.

Rita's work, her writing, and her magazine are about recognizing and celebrating the sacredness of all life. On the farm where she and her husband have lived for more than 30 years, she has adopted into her family all manner of abandoned and sick animals, embraced them as friends, and helped them make the transition out of the world.

Rita does more than provide room and board for these animals; her gesture is not one of pity but one of compassion. They find their way to her, and they become a part of her world physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

In the spring issue of LaJoie, she describes her relationship with the dogs in her world this way. She sees them through a glass door as she descends stairs in her home. "Through all these years, dogs of many sizes, kinds, and ages have come to live here and peer anxiously through that door. Eventually, each moves on to other worlds, other dimensions, and new ones arrive to become members of our family. And each new dog seems to intuitively know that glass door holds a special moment in time, when beloved human and adored dog will be united as I once again come into view and descend the stairs."

When I emailed my plea for Rita's prayers, I was asking her to be with me and my dog in spirit. Rita did that and more. She called two women who are animal communicators and who live and work in other parts of this country. These women phoned me and spoke with me about my dog. They told me he understood I would act out of love and compassion for him; whatever decision I made would be the right one. Although I knew that, these women helped ease open the door that allowed me to accept that truth into my soul. I don't remember their names; I know only that Rita made it possible. (more)