Coincidence or cosmically convened?

Eileen Caddy was a spiritual teacher and author.  One of her most popular quotes is, Be at peace and see a clear pattern running through your lives.  Nothing is by chance.

     Obviously Eileen Caddy did not have a dog like Pippa.  Pippa's energy keeps me running in circles; racing to get her out of the house before Tony comes up the stairs, barking reprimands at her for chewing something valuable or chasing her down the street to stop her eating the neighbour's cat (I don't run as fast as I could!).  I am never at peace.  I am often in pieces, but not at peace and I haven't seen any patterns in my life, except the circles I trace in my relationship with Pippa.  

     Well, something changed all that.

     Last week I finished my shift at the Salvos and instead of heading home by walking to the right, I went left to the post office.  It's the first time I've gone in that direction after being at the Salvos.  As I passed a busy cafe, pushing through a crowd of people on the footpath, I noticed a dog who bore an uncanny resemblance to Pippa.  Although I tell people Pippa Jane is a Miniature Wolfhound, a pedigree no less, as you know, she's ain't nothin' but a pound dog.  We were told she had bitsa Wolfhound and German Shepherd in her, but her petite frames contradicts this.  Hence my pedigree Miniature Irish Wolfhound half-truth.  All right, it's a non-truth.

     I was going to ask about this dog's breed, but there was commotion - adults, children and this dog blocking my path.  It was the lunch rush and I couldn't work out who was in the dog party and who was passing by.  

     I was filled with a burning curiosity, the kind that comes with cosmic knowing.  My eyes followed the length of the leash to a female.  I asked about the dog's breed.

     "She's a Schnottie," said the woman who turned out to be Alex.  

     "That's amazing," I said, "I have a dog who looks almost identical to her.

     "Did you get her from YAPS?" said the man who was Lee.

     "Yes."

     "September last year?"

     "Yes."

     "Did her name start with a P?"

     "Yes."

     "They're sisters."

Moose, less camera shy than Pippa.

Freshly-shaved Pippa

     I asked if their dog was part of a massive litter found under the Barron River Bridge.  She was.  And I learned something I didn't know. There were 16 puppies - 8 went to YAPS and 8 went to the RSPCA.

     Naturally, I asked about the Scnottie breed, thinking Miniature Irish Wolfhound sounded far more sophisticated.  Alex explained that a Schnottie is a Schnauzer-Rottweiler cross, Snotty.  And the breed was certain because Moose (her name was Plum at YAPS) had been DNA tested.  Alex whipped out her phone and emailed me the DNA certificate.  

     Suddenly I understood where Pippa's beard came from, even though we keep her clean-shaven. 

     Alex and Lee were just leaving after a coffee and returning to Cairns.  They'd been to Mt Garnet to visit Lee's sister and just stopped in at Atherton on the way home.

     What's more, Alex and Lee had tracked down two siblings of Moose and Pippa and they meet for play dates (one is named Thunder which does not surprise me).  It turns out Moose is as much-loved and spoilt as Pippa.  We went our separate ways, agreeing to meet up in Cairns with our precious furry friends.

Lee, Alex and Moose (and a patron of the cafe photo-bombing the shot)

Our darling Pippa (enjoying the lounge while Tony was in Weipa)

     During the walk home, I wondered about having Pippa DNA tested, but it was bound to be expensive.  I had a better idea.  I called YAPS and asked if Plum was adopted by Lee and Alex and she was.  

     Coincidence or cosmically convened?  I still don't believe it.  Had I been a few seconds slower, I would have missed them.

     There is something so satisfying in finding a long-lost relative.  And to know there are more of Pippa's siblings out there, well, I felt a peace all afternoon, a warm and fuzzy peace ... until I found Pippa with the remains of yet another hair brush.

     Yep, I can now see the clear pattern running through my life.