Celebrate the Holidays with All Beings: A Special Gorilla Connection

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eXS0o6r-Wk&feature=youtu.be”][vc_column_text]After a few week hiatus from writing about  insights on the kindred spirits project blog due to a “time-challenged”  schedule of seeing my horse, dog and cat patients,  there are so many exciting and interesting perspectives I would like to share with all of you.  I would like to begin this renewed sharing with a video that brought such joy to my heart. It feels especially appropriate for this holiday season, illustrating the connection between all beings that transcends words.

This video of  a  Gorilla Connection, where an ecotourist  visiting them in their endangered sanctuary in Uganda demonstrates to me how if we all can shift our hearts and minds to be in an inner place of love wherever possible, what miracles can occur.  They have chosen to introduce a complete stranger to their intimate family of parents and children.  Wherever I go, I find that if we come from a place of inner peace and quiet, without fear, animals of all species gradually warm up to us and treat us as one with them.  I am blessed to share my small sanctuary with two family of deer who give birth, one to one fawn and one to twins every year underneath my deck.  A pair of Anna’s hummingbirds stay all winter around my cabin sitting in the dead arbutus tree branches or on top of the douglas firs and sip the nectar from the yellow oregon grape flowers.  Eagles, otters, seals, herons, flickers, junko’s, chicadee’s, quail, raccoon, and many other families reside on, above, below or around my sanctuary.  As we all get to know each other throughout the various seasons, we come to accept all living together comfortably without fear.  As I fill the bird feeder, the birds are all inches away on the branches chirping to me as if to say “thank you and hurry up please”.  When I sit in a chair outside, the hummingbirds will come fly right in front of my face and look at me eye to eye.  We can truly live in a garden of eden if we choose to.  It is simply a choice to create a sanctuary around us and within us that nurtures a compassionate life with all beings, beyond all labels and species.

In this time of celebration of the winter solstice,  Christmas, Chanukah, the shifting of seasons, let us celebrate not only with our immediate family, but with the larger family of all beings, two-legged, four-legged and winged.  Let us expand our compassion web to integrate a fun, loving relationship and rejoice in a much more expansive view of family!  Yes, we are all family, in one small neighborhood, mother earth!

Wishing you all a joyous, healthy, peaceful, prosperous, fun, enlightening and awesome holiday season and New Year!

Blessings from your kindred spirit,

Allen M. Schoen, MS, DVM[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]