By Dannette Horton, North Carolina
At four o’clock on a Saturday morning, a dish crashing to the floor in the kitchen downstairs awakened me. I heard my ex-husband, Carl, making sounds as if he was in pain. (Although Carl and I are divorced, he is still my best friend and lives with us.) My thirty-seven-year-old son, Eric, was pleading in an urgent voice, “Dad, please try to sit up in the chair.”
By Steve Runfeldt, Minnesota
During my first phase of graduate school, I studied how bonobos communicate and vocalize. They are cousins of chimpanzees. My graduate-school professor, an expert on animal communication, had worked with renowned scientist and author Jane Goodall in the past. Dr. Goodall researched the similarities in behavior between animals and people. I’ve discovered a fascinating spiritual link between chimps and humans.
By Norman Lee, Montana
All my horses are rescued. We jokingly call them the geriatric herd because they range in age from twenty-three to twenty-nine years old. Currently we have an Arabian-Belgian, two black-and-white Paint horses, and a part-Morgan horse.
By Dana Lovell, Minnesota
I adopted an orange-and-white adult male tabby cat named Austin. He was rescued from life as a laboratory cat, and his trust in people was low. Austin was gentle, observant, and reserved. He never meowed. Occasionally, he would look eye-to-eye with someone and express deep love without a word.
By Gai Lawson, Ontario, Canada
From the time I began to study the teachings of Eckankar as a young adult, I was aware of inner spiritual guides known as ECK Masters. These wise beings protected and guided me, providing loving assistance in sometimes surprising ways. Little did I know that the ECK Masters could also guide cows.
By Kathi Jacobson, Alberta, Canada
One beautiful summer evening, I went for a walk around our farm. Out loud I sang HU, an ancient chant that I learned about in Eckankar.