My Summer Vacation in Wisconsin

In August of this year, I had the opportunity to travel to Wisconsin for three weeks to be with my two younger sisters and their families. Oh. My. Goodness. My two sisters go non-stop! We had visits with our Minnesota cousins, childhood friends, in addition to a lovely brunch we enjoyed with our last living uncle, Uncle David.

The list of activities seemed endless. We went canoeing down this peaceful river, spotting a few eagles, hawks, and deer along the way. We cooked delicious family meals together, hit community rummage sales, frequently took out the pontoon on the lake, and one morning after breakfast, Bonnie and I even played in a Cribbage tournament at a local country bar where, after 20 years of being single, I finally practiced a little flirting! And throughout my time there, I managed to work in some heartfelt client sessions. All and all, it was a wonderful time. I always feel recharged when I have the chance to spend time with my family.

One thing my family loves to do is play games. One night we were sitting around the dining room table playing cards, when I casually looked up to see two huge brown eyes looking back at me through the window. I was a bit startled. I wasn’t’ sure what it was, but I definitely saw eyes looking at me! You know how a dog looks at you when you’re talking with them? They sometimes turn their head side to side as they listen to you. Well, these two big brown eyes were doing just that! I said, ‘Hey guys, I think there’s something looking in the window at us. What is it?’ It turned out to be a huge buck with a massive rack. I think maybe he was just stopping by to say, “Hi Auntie San! I thought I’d drop by to see what you’re all up to.” Lolololol. It was a crazy moment. I sent him a warm hello and some love before he wandered off into the night. That was a lovely treat.

There was another night during my trip when Bonnie and I were staying up quite late playing a game called Rummikub. It’s kind of addicting. We would finish the game and immediately say, ‘You want to play again?’ And of course, we immediately jumped into another game without even answering the question. We carried on playing for hours! So, here we are, at 1:00 a.m., still playing the game, and out of nowhere the living room light starts to dim. At the same time, Bonnie and I both say “Mom! We want to keep playing, so please leave the lights alone!” We laughed out loud about our immediate reaction and synchronicity of thought.

Just a quick backstory about our beloved Mother, who made her transition in April of 2023 at 99 years old. From the moment my older sister became a dating teenager, our mom’s trick was to flash the front porch light on and off as a sign that my older sister should say ‘goodnight’ to her date and come inside. Believe it or not, since my mother’s passing she has become very good at turning lights on and off to get our attention or to let us know she is around. And the timing is always amazingly appropriate!

Needless to say, Bonnie and I kept playing Rummikub after the first light dimming. At 1:30 a.m., our mom literally turned off all of the lights in the living room to tell us it was time to go to bed. All we could do was laugh and turn the lights back on. Another sign our precious mother is still visiting, whenever we visit our mom and dad’s gravesite, we noticed that mom’s grave is always the greenest in the entire cemetery. She was a consummate gardener in this life. It’s wonderful to know my mother is still around, and we feel her presence with us frequently!

I’d like to share one more heartwarming story with you about my trip. There is a wonderful Humane Society Shelter in Douglas County where my sisters live. We drove by it several times during my visit. One day, as we were approaching it on the highway, I asked if we could drop in on the shelter. Something was drawing me to it. My sisters thought it was a great idea. Before going into the shelter, I felt guided to do an invocation to open up ‘Sacred Space’ for whatever would be the highest and best good for our visit. We thought we would visit the dogs, but when we walked in, we saw all of the cats in their comfy spaces. One in particular caught our eye. His name was Pork Chop. (I know, a funny name, but super cute!) We asked the front desk if we could visit with him in the designated room.

The minute we entered the room with him, he jumped up on my sister Coleen’s lap, then he jumped down and got up on Bonnie’s lap, then he jumped on my lap, as if to make sure we all felt loved. Then he went back to Coleen. While on each of our laps, he purred and rubbed us with so much love and affection! We all fell in love with him right then and there. He then did something I’ve never seen a cat do before. If you know what ‘making biscuits’ is, it’s a gentle kneading of the paws on a person or another animal. Pork Chop was so happy sitting on Coleen’s lap, that he didn’t just gently knead his paws on her lap making biscuits, he literally marched with each paw high in the air. We saw joy that day. And, of course, I made it my mission to find a home for Pork Chop, talking with my friends in Wisconsin and in Texas. I was even willing to fly him home with me! I called the shelter a couple of days later and discovered that Pork Chop had been adopted by a mom, and dad with a 10-year-old boy. I don’t know if opening ‘Sacred Space’ made a difference that day, but I hope it did for Pork Chop and those fortunate enough to receive his love!

I believe a soul is what ignites life in all sentient beings. And both humans and animals are sentient beings, who come to this world with a purpose and live on beyond this physical life. Their relationships with us, and other animals, are just as important to them as our relationships are with other people. Treating animals with respect and kindness is a noble endeavor. Please know this, I am always here for you and your animal companions, should you ever need help clarifying communication or pinning down an issue and finding a solution.

Whenever you are in the world, I hope you take the time to enjoy the beautiful cooler weather this fall!

Much Love,

Sandra

Larson Sisters