From time to time, Spirit calls on me to stand up to assist people who, or situations which, have gone off path. This is something that I do only after repeated incidents or blatant criminal activity. There is this hesitancy in me to create disharmony even when I know it is for the best. Spirit knows my tender, yet fierce, heart.
For the last three years I have walked by and taken Reggie into a lovely park at the end of my street. If there was a dog off-leash in the park, I would go across the street or walk blocks around so as not to cause any problems for me or Reggie. Some smaller dogs have come out of the park to run across the street to say hello to us and I walk them back into the park. Some larger dogs have come out of the park and I have had to quickly pick up Reggie to run away or ask a neighbor if we can get in his car so the dog won’t keep chasing us. Some dogs have run out of the park and into the street, endangering themselves and drivers.
It is interesting that all of the owners tell me that their dog won’t run off, has never attacked anyone before, never chased people or cars – even as they watch it happen. If they deny it inside themselves and to others, then they must think that they do not have to do anything about it. The knowing is still there inside though. Denial is such an interesting phenomenon when one loves someone or something so much or one is so afraid, one simply chooses not to know or act on the truth.
So, after one of the dogs attacked and injured Reggie and me, I had enough. Now when I see anyone with their dog off-leash, I advise them to get their dogs on leash immediately. I advise them that the park is an on-leash park, posted clearly at the entrance, and that the Animal Control people will enforce it. I now call the Animal Control people if I see repeated instances of dogs off leash.
Some of the neighbors understand and continue being friendly. One or two others are upset that they can no longer let their dogs run free and are less friendly with me. Spirit reflecting to me the quality and character of the individuals living in the neighborhood.
In another situation, a man in the neighborhood agreed to take me to a medical test appointment in another city about 25 minutes away for which I would pay him $50. As his car had room for only one person due to being filled with various things, I agreed to drive my car to the appointment and he would drive it back and put it in my garage. The agreement was that he would pick me up after his class which would run later in the afternoon because he would go get my car first. I said that was fine that I would wait. So, he picks me up late in the afternoon and on the way home I ask him if he had any trouble finding the key, which I had left under the mat on the front porch, and getting the car in and out of the garage. He cavalierly tells me he was running late and drove my car (160 miles) to his class and back. I didn’t say anything at that time, but I felt an anger burn deep inside. Spirit awakening me to an injustice.
Because I was not feeling well after the tests, I waited a few days and took time to think things over. I talked with a family member who suggested letting it go, but that is not what I was called to do. So, I talked with the man reiterating our agreement, told him that I did not appreciate him taking my car without my permission, especially when I was medically impaired, and that I wanted my $50 back. He apologized a few times and brought my money back. He appeared unaware and uncaring that if he had an accident, I would have been without a car. Spirit called me to stand up so a lesson would be learned by both of us and not repeated. My lesson was to stand up and make different arrangements in the future. His lesson was not to make decisions without asking the person involved and not to take advantage of me or anyone, especially when medical issues were involved.
Several years back, Spirit called me to stand up again. We were living in Bella Vista, CA at the time and were ready to sell our motor home. So, we put it on consignment at an RV Lot in Anderson, CA. I make notes of everything in any transaction as I have out of habit from the years I worked with the Federal Government. I advised the owner of the lot that my husband was a retired Los Angeles Police Officer and that I had been a Personnel Management Specialist, so we expected that he would treat our business relationship with the upmost integrity. Spirit was guiding me to warn him in advance to be honest with us.
He sold our motor home for cash $20,000. I happened to go down there just to check on things the day he sold it. He said he had to get a check from the bank to give to us. He never paid us after repeated attempts to get the money. I went to the Sheriff’s Department and outlined what had occurred. Spirit guided me to immediately become aware of the transaction.
The people, who maxed out their credit cards to pay cash, took the motor home and would not return it to us. I felt compassion for the people who bought the motor home, so I called the woman and told her she would save herself attorney fees and heartache in the long run if she returned the motor home as the bank would take it anyway. She declined to return it. The bank holding our loan on the motor home went after them and got the motor home back. We had continued to pay the loan, so the motor home was still ours and the bank returned it to us. Spirit saw that we and our property were protected.
I had detailed notes from the first to the last interaction with the lot owner, typed them up and took them to the Sheriff in charge of the case. The lot owner and his wife were arrested, convicted of defrauding not only us, but many older couples out of thousands of dollars. The Court ordered that the couple had to work until we, and all the others, were paid back a portion of what we were owed or they would serve time in prison. They paid us what the Court ordered. Spirit revealing that Divine Justice prevails.
We put our motor home up for sale in the newspaper. We also told our neighbors what had happened and that we were selling the motor home ourselves. A week later, the man who built the neighbor’s house next door bought it for $25,000 cash. We made $5,000 on the sale. Spirit rewarded us for our efforts to stand up for what is right for ourselves and for others.
My agreement with Spirit is that I will respond when called, that I will be protected, and that I will work to bring as much harmony as possible for myself and all involved. Always, I am enfolded in the precious love of Spirit which makes standing up much easier.
Reggie stands up for himself even when he is smaller than other dogs. He stands up for me with all his 16-pound might. He wasn’t comfortable with the man who drove me for the medical tests which was Spirit giving me advance information through him. Spirit is always present helping us in known and unknown ways to stand up for what is right and we are grateful. Nancy and Reggie♥