A small white rabbit with floppy ears that looked like the ends have been dipped in black ink has always been with me. I call him Lambie-Pie because he looks just like the bunny Grandpa George gave me when I was about seven. I don’t remember what become of the real Lambie-Pie. Seems like he wasn’t around for longer than a year, maybe less. I do remember playing with him outside in our fenced in backyard in Detroit and in the basement where he’d slip and slide on the old brown speckled linoleum tiles never getting a good enough grip to do a proper bunny hop.

While I suspect Lambie-Pie will be with me forever as a spirit guide, just as my Guardian Angel is, other animals and creatures come and go. It was shortly after I purchased my first and current home in Pigeon, Michigan, that giraffes came into my awareness.

I say “awareness” with a smile since when I was first drawn to them I hadn’t a clue they’d entered as a new spirit guide to aid and assist me. It would take another four years or so before that insight became clear. However, the journey of discovery continues to be both interesting and mystifying.

And to think it all started when I found that I couldn’t bring myself to leave the going-out-of-business furniture store before negotiating a price on what seemed a completely unreasonable and totally unneeded purchase of a two foot tall giraffe fashioned out of leather. I bargained the already discounted $100 plus price down to $30.

Once home, I placed the giraffe on the bow window sill in the family room and stood staring at it. I would have sat down but there was no furniture yet except for a used rocking chair at the other end of the room.

I loved that giraffe yet couldn’t explain why. What was the fascination with it? Okay, so it was pretty. It was different. Unique, even. At least I’d never seen anything like it before or since. For me, it was an extravagant and pricey purchase. It was, and remains, an unusual purchase for me to have made.

Only later, … much, much later… did I make any connection between myself and what that giraffe represented. It should have been obvious had I’d known what to look for, especially seeing that his long, lean neck was outstretched, eyes gazing intently at something far-off in the distance, legs spread wide for stability. And there I was stretching my personal boundaries in many new ways and suddenly gambling I could afford this wonderful house all on my own.

I feel certain now that my giraffe was a sign, an intuitive symbol, meant to encourage me and support the new direction I was traveling. It was a visual acknowledgment of what I was doing: physically, financially, emotionally and spiritually sticking my neck out and taking some risks. It remains a reminder to stay grounded but continue to reach for something higher.

Over the years, my giraffe collection has grown. That first leather one, brown with black markings, is still my favorite. It’s sitting directly behind my calico, Jiffy. Jiffy, herself, is quite intuitive and a positive influence since she moved in 13 years ago.

Are you aware of your animal and spirit guides? I’d love for you to share your stories or questions.

Perhaps, like me, you didn’t realize at first the significance of an attraction…or repulsion!…of a particular animal or creature. Please share your comments below.