An unrecalled sage once opined: “That some good can be derived from every event is a better proposition than that everything happens for the best, which it assuredly does not.” This week’s shared tale was written by Colleen Kettenhofen, a Phoenix, Arizona-based motivational speaker, trainer, and co-author of the book, The Masters of Success. It is a true story I found to be an impactful reminder that, although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it. Also, it is a poignant reminder that every flower’s bloom comes after a journey of struggling seed growth through the dark soil of uncertainty. I initially sent this out as a Weekend Inspiration in 2016 but stumbled across it this week while browsing through a collection of my previous posts. Like the four-legged hero of the tale, once my eyes found the story, I couldn’t resist giving it a new life. I hope it brings you a bit of Joy!
It was Easter, March 31st, 2002, and I was on a hiking vacation with my husband in a California desert near where we lived. Our baby daughter, Caroline, was supposed to have been born on this date, but there were complications with the pregnancy and we lost her five months earlier, October 30th, 2001. Three weeks later, we had to put my 18½-year-old cat, “Baby,” to sleep. Needless to say, we needed a respite.
It was now late October 2002, and we were living in Atlanta, Georgia. We’d been contemplating adopting a dog, yet it didn’t seem right with our travel schedules. My husband was an airline pilot, and I was an international speaker. Still, I walked into an animal shelter having convinced myself I would “just look.” In the shelter was a calm, sweet-faced puppy, eight or nine weeks old, who caught my attention. Sensing our chemistry and trust, I did what you’re never supposed to do: I put my hand into her cage. While looking up at me with her big brown eyes, she licked my hand over and over. This innocent puppy was also highly intelligent and obviously knew how to sell herself. After many minutes, I pulled away and forced myself to walk towards the door. Already in love with her, I turned around, and there she was…still looking at me with those eyes.
A new puppy sounded wonderful except that it didn’t seem to fit into the lifestyle of an airline pilot and international speaker. And my husband kept telling me how much attention puppies require. Still, my gut feeling was that it was fate that we were supposed to have her. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I committed to myself that I was going back to the Peachtree City animal shelter the next afternoon, perhaps not to actually adopt, but certainly to visit that little puppy. The next morning, on a whim, I decided to stop by a nearby garage sale I had earlier that morning spotted in an advertisement in the newspaper. As I walked through the home where the sale was taking place, two smiling women walked up to me holding a puppy. As I looked more closely, I realized this was the puppy. The same one I’d been thinking of adopting. They placed her in my arms and said, “Would you like to adopt her? She’s from the Peachtree City animal shelter. We can’t have any more pets, but she had only two hours to live. And we’ve named her Joy because she’s already brought such joy to our lives.” Two hours to live!
She fit perfectly in my arms as she gazed up at me with those puppy dog eyes. There was an inexplicable connection and incredible bond. I wanted to talk to my husband first even though I had a feeling he’d say yes this time. They even offered to pet sit her for free.
Later that day, lunching and sharing my story with a friend, she responded, “My gosh, Colleen, it’s fate. You’re supposed to have that puppy! Let’s go see her tonight.” We drove to their home and as we pulled in the driveway, my friend shrieked, “Oh Colleen, it’s fate, it’s fate!” I had no idea what she was talking about. She pointed to the car in front of us in the driveway, and in huge letters was a bumper sticker that simply read, “FATE.” How many more “signs” did I need?! The family explained to us that night that their son had died unexpectedly a year earlier, that this was his car, his bumper sticker, and that he’d always believed in fate.
After playing with this happy puppy named Joy, I went home empty handed that night. I needed to read some motivational literature, and really think this over. After all, I wanted to make certain this puppy would be with us forever. As I pulled out this little book with its daily word message, I gasped. In big letters, the word of the day was JOY. It was fate.
The next day my husband and I brought our bundle of “Joy” home. Another twist of fate–it was October 30th, 2002–the first anniversary of the loss of our baby, Caroline. There I was with Joy sitting in my lap riding in the car. And it was the only place she would sit. She refused to be anywhere but my lap.
My husband and I are no longer together but still amicable. Joy is a healthy 47 pounds, happily living in Portland, Oregon with her big cat brother and me. Pacific Northwest scenery is gorgeous, there’s lots of family history here, and many large fenced dog parks. My mother’s cousins love to pet sit Joy since I still travel as a motivational speaker and author. They have a spacious backyard and a wonderful dog of their own.
Eventually, everything has a way of working out. Especially if we will roll with the punches, trust our gut, and follow our fate. The lesson here is that we often get what we need, not necessarily what we think we want and that lost dreams may help you find new dreams and new joys.
When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy. –Rumi
Have an AWE-full Weekend!
William “Bill” Bacque