MSSA and Louie Anderson

I attended the 2013 MSSA (Minnesota Social Service Association) Conference this week, and had the good fortune to meet Louie Anderson, the keynote speaker (and one of my favorite comedians!)  Louie was an incredibly funny speaker, and also quite knowledgable about the field of human services.  He spoke about his experiences being the tenth child of eleven- wow! as well as his experiences being a counselor at St. Joe's Shelter.  He also spoke about being the sibling of someone with severe mental illness, which was very moving.  I was able to meet Louie in person briefly to get a book signed after the presentation, and he was incredibly gracious and kind.  Even after a long flight and almost no sleep, Louie took the time to sign books and take pictures with many of us.  He has a very genuine warmth and humanity.  He's someone I could sit and talk with for hours. Thanks Louie, for taking the time to inspire a few thousand social workers. You're our rock star.

Meeting Michael Bodine

I had the opportunity to meet a local author and psychic recently at the Psychic Symposium in Minneapolis.  Michael Bodine is refreshingly honest and genuine, and spoke about his journey through addiction, as well as discussing his current profession.  Like me, he came from a family that struggled with addiction issues through the generations.  He spoke about relatives using chemicals to block their psychic gifts and the deep empathy they felt for other people, because those feelings were simply too painful. I can certainly understand that. I have relatives who have confided to me that they use chemicals for the same reason.  Although I have not abused alcohol and drugs, I have also at times tried to push away some of the feelings that come from being deeply intuitive and empathic with other people. Feeling the feelings of other people can be very overwhelming at times.  Looking back I can see many times that I have isolated myself to a certain degree to recover from the unrestrained rush of other people's feelings and issues around me. It took time to able to set some internal and external boundaries, so that I could be supportive and caring while not becoming completely overtaken by other people's "stuff".  I really related to much of what Michael had to say, and I admire his talent. I also admire his tenacity of spirit.  Being a "sensitive" is what my grandmother Florine used to call a "hard gift"- having extra information and "feeling" what is going on with someone can be very helpful, but can also be very exhausting.  Learning balance and self care skills is vital to being able to stay healthy in the midst of all the extra stimulation that this gift entails.  Thank you Michael, for sharing your story; and thank you for your irrepressible, irreverent spirit.  You are a delight to experience.

Zena the Warrior Princess

This week my eleven year old German Shepherd Zena died.  She was a beautiful dog, strong and graceful- running across the yard she was poetry in motion.  She was an Alpha female, and took her job of protecting the family very seriously.  Every day she patrolled the boundaries of our fence, and every evening she lay in front of the door, blocking the entrance to anyone who was not invited.

She was at times an imperious girl, barking sharply at our smaller dog Bear or one of the cats when she felt they needed correction, and we were not moving fast enough to suit her. She liked an orderly household, and wasn't shy about making her opinion known if she felt someone was not towing the line.

Zena loved our kids, and I think she considered them her puppies. She was gentle and affectionate with them, and watched them like a hawk.  If someone tried to snatch their food off their plate, she was immediately there, barking orders.  Every night she lay in front of my daughter's bedroom, guarding the door against intruders.  She was alert to any sound, any motion that occurred, and was always watching where the kids were, what they were doing, looking for any possible threats or misbehavior.  She gave our household a sense of safety and security, a deep love that surrounded all of us.

Recently she hadn't seemed herself, so we took her in to our family vet. Sadly, he found a large tumor on her spleen, and we were told her time was short.  We arranged for comfort care for her and took her home, thinking we had a few days to be with her, maybe even a few weeks.  We wanted our older daughter to be able to visit her from college and say goodbye, for our kids to have a few last moments with her.  But in the small hours of that night, Zena died.  We did our best to make her comfortable after our younger daughter alerted us to the change in her condition, to tell her  how much we loved her.  The last thing she had done before she died was to drag herself to my daughter's door, to guard her.  Even when she was feeling so sick, that was her priority. Protect the puppies at all costs.   While she was in her last moments, she kept looking in front of her, and would suddenly break into happy panting.  She looked as though she was interacting with someone we couldn't see, someone she recognized and was very happy to see.   Shortly after that, she died.  I choose to think that she had an escort who came to get her,  to bring her to the next world without fear or pain. She certainly deserved that.  She was one of the most pure spirits I have ever known.

Rest in peace, Zena.  You did your job well, and you were much loved. I hope you are surrounded by family in the afterlife, by tennis balls and chew toys, and rabbits that you can chase without harming.  I hope you come to visit us, perhaps sleeping on our beds or guarding the doors you slept in front of for so many years.  You will always be welcome to surround us with your love and presence.