Heart Stories Part 6
August 16, 2025
Heart Stories Part 6
Stories about animals are often heart stories. Their love is fierce, loyal, and unconditional. And when an animal expresses what we think of as a deeply human feeling, like love, grief, or joy, our hearts overflow with empathy for them because they have touched something in our own hearts and minds; something we are intimately familiar with, something we know in our bones— the feelings that we share with all life, even the trees—the universal longing to love and be loved.
As I reflect on a heart story of an animal I knew and the love she gave, I hope you can touch some of the same feelings in your soul.
When I was five years old, we moved from an apartment in town to a quiet suburb out in the country. Next door lived a young couple without children. My brother Trevor and I were enchanted by their dogs, who would occasionally wander into our yard. One of them, a little cocker spaniel with black curls and deep, expressive eyes, was named Sparkle. And sparkle she did.
At first, she was just a curious visitor. But soon, Sparkle stopped returning to her own yard. I suppose Trevor and I gave her something she was longing for: attention, affection, perhaps the unfiltered joy of children who instantly adored her. Sparkle started sleeping beneath our house, waiting faithfully for us to come outside. She made it clear, in the quiet way that dogs do, that she had chosen us. And eventually, her owners saw it too. “She’s yours,” they said with a smile, “She’s already made up her mind.” They understood what we too were learning: you cannot negotiate with the heart or who you love.
From that day on, Sparkle was our dog in every sense of the word. But more than that, she was a companion of the soul. What marked her most was not just her protectiveness and loyalty. It was the way she greeted us, each and every morning. She would whimper softly, rising into a high, trembling cry, as if her little heart were overflowing. Not a bark, not a yelp—but a soulful sound that said, “I missed you. I love you. I’m so glad you’re here.”
And if we had been gone for the day, or even just a few hours, she would whimper again when we returned, with long, melodic whimpers, layered with love and relief. It would last for a full minute or more, and we would whimper back to her, echoing the sounds so she knew we understood. These were not just greetings; they were heartfelt conversations in a language of affection we all somehow knew.
She was my confidante, my playmate, my guardian. Trevor and I would spend hours with her—laughing, running, fishing on the beach, while she chased sand crabs with unrelenting joy. Wherever we went, Sparkle was by our side. In the car, she stood on the back seat, with her paws overhanging the window, as she looked ahead. The breeze lifted her long ears that were like wings.
Sparkle lived until I was seventeen. And even now, I sometimes dream about her. In the dream, I can’t find her. I look everywhere. Panic rises in my chest. I call out, desperate to hear her familiar whimper. The dream always wakes me, and I know it is speaking to me: some part of my heart has drifted too far from pure, unconditional love. And so the dream sends Sparkle back to remind me. Of all the symbols my subconscious could choose, it selects her—the one whose love was whole, pure, unwavering.
It may just be that the universe is always giving us the love we most need. And sometimes, that love walks right into our life and lets us know it its own way: “I am yours, and you are mine.”
Spiritual Practice: What animal has given you a glimpse of the Divine? Take a moment to remember. Try writing or speaking aloud your feelings about that creature. What did it teach you? What did it reflect back to you about your own heart?
Self-inquiry: How might you honor your memories of animals who expressed qualities of the soul to you?
Dear God,
Every time I think of Sparkle I am reminded of her tremendous influence in my life. The times she sat with me on the backsteps just listening were times I will never forget. She listened as if she understood— and probably she did! For sending two little boys such joy and wonder, such love, my heart is infinitely grateful. Amen
