Happy Wednesday Friends!
On today’s ‘Wednesday Walk with Chants’, Chants and I connect with you from our home. My relationship with my dog Chants is one of the longest, most intimate relationships I’ve ever had ~ he means the world to me. In the past six months, Chants’ body has begun to slow down. Through this entire shift, his spirit and love have shown me the capacity of the heart. After a series of recent visits to a few different veterinarians, Chants & I discovered that he has cancer. In all my life, never has the following saying rang more true:
“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
Please enjoy my tribute to my best friend, Chants.
Chants & I would love to hear from you. How has an animal companion taught you to be all love? Please leave a comment on the blog so we can all learn from you.
all love,
jodi
Oh, Jodi . . . my heart goes out to you and Chants. I am grateful for the inspiration to live in the present, love with all my heart, and hug my dog! Love & light to you both.
Jo Jo & Chants, Thank you for the love you have radiated and shared through your bond over the years! Thank you for sharing yourselves with me, whether in one of our homes, yards, dog beach or skype. I know that love will always surround you both and you will be forever joined by heart and spirit. Chants, love and avacodos to you buddy!
I love you Jodi. That was such a beautiful message. Rusty, Hans and I send our wild puppy love and hugs.
We love you Chants! We love you, JoJo! Chants will always live in our hearts. He is the original YogaDog. Jodi – you are the best Mom ever to our buddy. Thank you for sharing him with us. Today we will take a walk in Central Park on his behalf. We might even jump in Bethesda fountain in his honor.
Special note to Chants from our Mom: Eternal thanks for your help in “hatching” my kids by patiently sitting on my pregnant belly while Jodi and I worked in the NYC studio. I love you forever. xxoo
Your insight and attitude toward this event is really very beautiful. I appreciate the lesson you have demonstrated about loving and living in the moment. My thoughts go out to you and Chants. He seems like a very special dog.
Sending all love from the team at be present.
Dearest Jodi & Swami Chantsananda! What a beautiful tribute to a wonderful life! I did cry (Stacy) but not for sadness for deep longing & love. We said goodbye to our beautiful Skye just a few months back. She had a similar condition as Chants. Our hearts fill with love for you both. xoxoxo
Jodi, what a cry I had watching this week’s video. Having pets too, I can appreciate how hard this is for you and I will be sending you and Chants blessings from NY as you enter a new relationship with him. Namaste`
Hi Jodi and Chants! I have had 6 boxers in the last 34 years, (and of course one as a kid!) and they all got cancer. Thank you for posting this video, I love you and Chants, and I am here for you both! xoxo
Dear Jodi,
this view is sooooo true
we lost our 13 years old newfoundland, 2 years ago
my husband was so sad, He didn’t wanted to have another dog
saying ” I don’t want to feel this pain again”
from my point of view, even if we felt deeply sad, we had the chance (or Chants) to share this long period with our dog
Lot of love to Chants and to you
kind regards,
Sophie
BE
Smiling and crying at the same time. You and Chants are so beautiful together. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself and your story. Lola and I are sending love—I am sure you feel it! Peace, love, light. Christine
What a beautiful tribute to a very special bond….
thank you for always sharing your heart with all of us and inspiring me on so many levels.
Loving YOU and Chants always my beautiful sister…
Loving light and blessings,
Sondra
Jodi,
I am smiling for you and chants!! Holding much space, love and light. for you and Chants. As I watched the video I was sending Reiki.
Dearest Jodi,
This is so touching. My heart is with you.
As Chants teaches us, “Be Love” and “Be present.”
A cat walked into my life recently and I feel similarly in my heart!
Lot of love to you and Chants from me and Utku (from Istanbul).
Esra
Jodi, thank you for the beautiful tribute. That saying is so true in relation to our animal friends. I smile when I think of my cat Bandha who was one of my companions for 12 years. It’s a long time to establish a relationship and when they have to leave us its heartbreaking. But this is how it goes with pets and having them in our lives is so worth the tears when they leave us. Chants is a beautiful light who brought smiles to so many faces. What a beautiful story. Love to you both as you navigate the next few days/weeks ahead. ((((HUGS)))) xo
Ace & I just snuggled & watched your sweet tribute to Chants. Though we’ve never met Chants in person we know that the two of you share an unbreakable bond that will last forever & ever & ever. He is the luckiest dog in the world to have such an incredible, caring, kind, gentle, sweet soul for a mama. I champion your ability to face this transition with such grace & strength, Jodi. I admire you in all ways. Ace & I are sending love to both of you today & every day. ?
Jodi and Chants,
I am sitting here with my 7 year old, very touched by your words and sharing. My son loves boxers and was drawn to see his picture and watch with me….this was a beautifully ‘teachable’ moment for us to discuss life and end of life with our companions. My personal life companion, Skittles, was a fiesty runt-of-the-litter smokey persian. He was a rambunctious little furball, who could use a jedi mind trick to stop any dog in it’s tracks! He lived a full life of 19 years and accompanied my heart from my kindergarden years through freshman college year. He taught me unconditional love, play and sarcasm at a very young age.
I thank you for sharing this love journey so honestly.
~Rachel
Jodi, my heart is with you both. I couldn’t have made it through making a video like that. Your grace and strength is amazing. May your presence in the next short while be what you’ll hold in your heart always. Hugs, Erika
Ooh, sweetie. Such a tender moment. I’ve only had my cat for about 5 years – first pet ever and she is a wonderful presence in my life. I know I will miss her when she goes. Pets teach us so much about unconditional love and being in the moment. Big hugs and deepest Namaste to you and Chants!
Bawling over here. I love Chance. Through both meeting him and watching your videos. Seriously choked up. Okay – on being teachable through my furry companion – my Aussie Mix “Greta” had almost been adopted out twice by us – once at four and once at eight because she became too aggressive in her “herding” of little kids. But, both times, we decided to keep her because she’s otherwise pure love, kindness, empathy, sweetness and comfort. Shortly after that, at the age of 9, she came down with diabetes. She is now 11 1/2, has survived (barely) pancreatits, and patiently and sweetly tolerates twice a day insulin injections. She would have surely died had she been adopted out, as I doubt anyone would have given her the level of medical support and love that we have. She taught me to never give up on someone. With enough love, they will come around, and she has. She is now getting visibly old and blind, her back legs are weaker, and when little ones come up to her, she just licks their hand and wags her tail. She too, will leave us someday. When she does, it will be one of the saddest days of my life. She mostly cocoons in our walk-in closet as her safe den, and every night, I lay on the floor and press my face into her fur and give her a full body massage. Our bond is…well…words do not do it justice. My love goes out to you and Chants and I will pray for his transition to be beautiful and peaceful. All my love, Hilary