Manifesting grace through gratitude
I was in my office, getting ready to go out and play with my horses, when an email popped up from Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey. They were advertising their course, “Manifesting Grace through Gratitude.” I was blown away when reading this, as I had recently had a life altering experience which prompted me to make a serious commitment to practice daily gratitude. I am typically a very grateful person. I feel grateful for all that has been blessed upon me, but I can’t say that I have been mindfully practicing gratitude on a daily basis. This was wonderful to find in my inbox, but it was no coincidence, and it was not the only reason that I was blown away by receiving it.
I recently lost my horse Grace. She crossed over the Rainbow Bridge on my birthday, July 9th, 2017. It was a shocking death and one that emotionally knocked me out! She died from a twisted gut and it happened so quickly that it did not even feel real. I experienced so many feelings over the loss of this precious gift who had been born two and a half years ago; fear, anger, grief, guilt, pain, heartache, sadness, desperation… The list goes on. The grief I was feeling was unbearable to me at the time. I could not bear that I had not been able to save her.
Only hours after Gracie passed, I remember being in tears while speaking to my friend Carolyn Resnick on the phone and as she was comforting me, I asked her, “Why on my birthday?” She replied, “It is a sign of rebirth and you must fine the gifts that she gave you on your birthday”. At that time, I could not imagine that there was anything good that could come out of this tragedy, but I was determined to find the silver lining.
Just after Gracie passed, my friend, Linda Salinas, who is an animal communicator, and also a certified instructor in the Carolyn Resnick Method, presented me with the gift of an animal communication session with Gracie. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to have any connection with Gracie that I could have, so of course, I was all in. She told me that it is best to wait some time before reaching out to her, so finally last week Linda asked me to send her a photo of Gracie and to send Gracie a message that someone would be contacting her for me. I did what Linda requested and the following day Linda called me and told me that she had contacted Grace and that she had a lot to say!
The following are Linda’s notes on her communication with Grace:
Core essence of Gracie: Very feminine, young, sassy, not the most well-mannered horse, independent, loves people, “baby brat”, wise, curious, playful, loved her herd.
Linda to Nancy: “The connection I am experiencing with Gracie feels very distant. There is a feeling a hook is in her that feels like she is being held back. It is coming from Nancy feeling she could have done more.”
Linda to Gracie: “Gracie, do you have any idea what happened?"
Gracie: “No I don’t I just know I kept getting weaker and weaker by the minute.”
Linda to Gracie: “Is there anything we could have done to help you?”
Gracie: “Not that I know of. In the end I accepted my fate.”
Linda to Gracie: “Is there anything you would like to share with Nancy? She has had a really hard time since your leaving. "
Gracie: “Nancy is a doer and an action person. There are many mysteries to life. Nancy needs to pray for peace. Nancy is so perfect just the way she is, but she lacks peace. She has more of a connection to drama then she does to peace. This is one of the many benefits I hope that Nancy can learn from. I know it is not easy but when one finds peace with what is, it takes the unnecessary pain out of life. It is one of the hardest lessons in life to learn. Look at us horses. We have pain, we also have acceptance of what is. This ability to make peace with the moment is something humans could learn from horses and other animals. Humans have a very strange relationship with the concept of time. Animals in general don’t. We live in the present moment. We are able to remember and recall experiences but we live in the moment.”
Linda to Gracie: “Do you have a message for Nancy?"
Gracie: “I want Nancy to know how much I loved my life. It was perfect. The energy and kindness was more than any horse could want. I am very grateful for the life I had. I want you to know how grateful I am. Please look after my mother as I know she is grieving in her own way even though you may not know it. I want Nancy to know that I had a perfect life and there is nothing I would change about it. Loving “what is” is just as important as loving one another. Yes, we understand grief but we also know to accept what is. This is a big difference between horses and humans. I know that my message is easier said than done, but acceptance will bring you peace. If you can accept to let go and surrender, while there is still pain, there is less pain. Embracing “what is” is an important lesson for Nancy to learn. Nancy volunteers often to take on the weight and pain for others. It’s a beautiful trait to have but it is also a double edge sword. There is a better way. Sitting with your pain and finding peace. Simplify your thinking. Train yourself to think differently even though you have old patterns to overcome. It will be so helpful in finding peace. Finding peace in the middle of a storm is attainable. Being grateful for what you have or have had needs to be cultivated. Gratitude is a very high vibration and experiencing gratitude in the midst of pain has infinite value. The first years of our lives come with many changes and many learning experiences. The end of our lives come with lots of changes as well. Mostly emotional changes. Be a light for all. Always hold on to the best parts of life, never the worst. It’s a discipline.
Animals are always rooting for you regardless of which side we are at (meaning physical or spiritual) always. One of the beautiful things about animals is they do not wish harm to anyone. You have much to learn about the energetic world. Thoughts, feelings, emotions, are all energy."
Linda: “The connection just ended and I thanked Gracie for communicating with me."
Since the day that Gracie gifted me with her wise words, I have been paying close attention to each and every moment. I see that each observation Gracie shared with me was an accurate description of me and the things that I need to work on in myself. What she shared with me about her Mom, Anoushka, was even more amazing.
Although I love Anoushka dearly, it had seemed that for quite some time she had not wanedt to interact with me like the other horses did. I chalked it up to her foaling and felt she needed that time with her new baby, so I spent my time caring for the 5 horses which I had rescued the year before. These horses were in bad health after rescuing them and also detached from humans. Shortly after rescuing them I had Linda Salinas come to my ranch in Costa Rica and give a Waterhole Ritual clinic. This method truly resonated with me and my horses and today I am studying to be a certified trainer in the Carolyn Resnick Method. I have spent many hours over the past 3 years training my horses in this method and it has totally changed their lives, as well as mine. Today we have an amazing connection with each other and I am overjoyed. The odd part of this equation is that I brought Anoushka into my life when she was only 6 months old. She was my special girl and we always had a deep connection and a special bond. Over the past two years, or so, she seemed detached from me and would either walk away when I approached her, or pin her ears to let me know she did not want to be bothered. I wrote this off to her being a mare and just having had a foal. I had so many horses to work with that it did not seem like a big deal to me at the time…I simply let her have her space. When Gracie told me to please look after her mother as she was grieving and I may not be aware of it, I decided to make sure that I did this for Gracie, as well as for Anoushka, and myself. I decided to take Anoushka into the arena and spend time with her just being together while Sharing Territory. She was very welcoming to this idea and again I felt a wonderful connection to her. I decided to begin to teach her some of the Waterhole Rituals and to my surprise, the magnetic connection that we had between us was undeniable. She performed like a pro and knew exactly what I was asking of her! She was an amazing dance partner and I would not have realized this at this time had it not been for Gracie’s request about her Mom. She is spreading miracles and helping guide me to cherish each and every moment.
For so many of us when something like this happens the pain is so debilitating that it is difficult to see the miracles that can come from it. I am so grateful to have received the beautiful gifts of awareness that were bestowed upon me. From these wise words of Gracie’s I can now relate to my experience of her death on a completely different level than before. I now know that she was an Angel put here on Earth for a short time to help guide me on a path of healing and transformation. It is no coincidence that my journey into a life of healing and horses began only one month after Grace was born. I now know that Carolyn was correct. Grace passing on my birthday was about rebirth and her words to me my gift.
I can’t thank Linda enough for sharing with me her gift in animal communication. Once again she has shined her light upon me and helped me find peace through the Gracie’s wisdom and what she has shared with me.
Love to all,
Nancy Zintsmaster