It was a pleasure knowing you!

My Dear Prince,

You were a great friend and companion! You understood so very well how to live your life, and how to extract the good from everyone you encountered. Your love was so free and so readily available. Nadia, Laurence and I all loved you very much...you were family!

Once you arrived it didn't take us long to get to know one another. You were well past your second birthday...big, strong and highly intelligent. Early on you tested me with what would have appeared to an outsider as a viscious attack. You didn't sink your teeth into my flesh, but the force of your paws upon my body left me scarred for months. We reached a mutual understanding that day, which lasted throughout your life.

Your awareness and sensitivity were well-honed. You responded to the subtlest gestures....a soft spoken word; a nod of the head. As with all of us, your body eventually failed you, but your spirit held firm. As with all lives lived well, your death came nice and easy. With Baba singing the Guru Gita and with Maha Vakyas whispered in your ear, your eyes closed and your breath left your body with a mantric snore. Where exactly you went will remain a mystery for now.

A number of people were saddend by your departure. I don't quite understand how they view things. When you came, I never considered myself to be your owner, nor did I look upon you as a possession. Your life belonged to you and you alone. Like the rest of us, you are traveling along your own unique life jouney. As your caretaker I tried to give you as much comfort as possible, and be of assistance in whatever way I could. Our love was profound. I do not consider you gone, but rather continuing on your way in some other form.

As Lord Krshna tells Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita, "Just as one casts off worn-out clothes and puts on garments that are new, so does the embodied Self cast off worn-out bodies and assumes others that are new." And again, "Death is inherent for those that are born, and birth is inherent in those who die... over the inevitable, you should not grieve." I will only add that it's very sweet to experience non-attachment when life presents it's inevitable challenges.

So sweet Prince, I thank you for the gift of allowing me to serve as your caretaker. In this role there is no grief and no weeping. Only joy and happiness. You came, you stayed awhile and you went. Other than that, nothing much happened! My happiness lies in the 'nothing much happened' part! It's difficult for others to understand what really goes on in any particular relationship, due to their over active imaginations. So long for now. Perhaps we'll meet again some day, who knows? One thing I do know: it was a pleasure knowing you.

And by the way, a special thank you to Lester, Kathy and their family for caring for Prince during his puppy days, and then delivering him to us at SMA (so he did get the blessings of being there!). You guys did all the dirty work. We just enjoyed the fruits of your labor. And to Ray McSoley for letting us know that Prince was looking for a new home. Thanks!!!