It’s Just A Thought
“Oh My God! He is so cute!”
A Tribute To Asti Spumanti Cross
9/6/1993 – 3/6/2008

I should probably be writing about Easter or the Spring Equinox or something timely as such. Instead I am honoring a great and wise citizen of our Town. A 4.5 pound tiny furry creature with a name larger than his physical body, Asti Spumanti Cross, who won all hearts within his presence and even some never within reach with total unconditional loving as his only pretense, his only teaching, his only law. What follows are stories of Asti, our Forever Puppy, and his Town’s people.

“Oh my God, he is so cute! What is his name? May I pet your dog?” These were the usual cries of joy as soon as anyone spotted this tiny Little Guy. Always the first greetings were for Asti and everyone young, old, truck driver or ballet dancer wanted to touch him as if something magical would transfer from his body to theirs and oft times it did, unconditional love. “He is the cutest thing I have ever seen”. My response use to be, “Thank You” until one day I thought, “What am I thanking you for, neither you nor I had anything to do with it. He does that all by himself. I can only agree. I think he is the cutest thing I have ever seen too.”

On our first drive into Town, Centreville Town, on a Sunday scouting for our new home, we parked, clicked the leach on Asti and got out to walk about. As we crossed over from the Court Yard to what was then Farmers National Bank a man leaning over his balcony above Mear’s Barber Shop said, “That your dog? He’s a cute thing. What kinda dog is that?’ No, Hello, How are you, Welcome to our town you cute people…No…the first recognition always went to Asti. How could it not? He was such a perfect example of God’s radiant love. That man by the way was Phil, the Barber.

One day Asti and I strolled into the Centreville Bank to make a deposit. Within moments people came from everywhere, offices, behind desks, teller windows. They were down on the floor playing with little Asti. I looked down on this magical scene of professional people who had instantly unleashed their child within noticing how it took only Asti’s presence to bring love up from the heart and playfulness out of the body. I wanted to play too so I asked of all those on the floor, “OK, this is a test. I am the one with the account. What’s my name?” For a moment all the faces looked upward and as if there were no question the answer in unison was, “Asti’s Mom!” And so it was and has been that I have been known around Centreville Town as Asti’s Mom. It has been and continues to be a grand title and one worn with honor. Even after Ordination the distinction became, “Rev. Asti’s Mom”. The joke was “Who’s the Reverend here?” His gentle and wise presence was always right there beside me through my studies.

When Eddie was Manager of Farmer’s National/First Virginia Banks Asti made a great paper weight up top his desk through any visit. As soon as we entered through the door, employees would start crunching up the biscuits into the tiniest of bite size pieces making piles on the floor for Asti to enjoy or tossing them across the reception area just to watch Asti run like a slinky as if on a great hunt.

One early Sunday morning after several hours of trying Kenny and I were not having the success we needed concerning Asti’s collapsing trachea. We had an emergency. I dialed the phone, “Todd, I am so sorry to call you at home on a Sunday morning but…” “Meet me at the clinic. I’m leaving now” was Dr. Todd Rice of Town and Country Veterinary Hospital’s reply. Todd spent 1 and 1/2 hours with the three of us, checking Asti while paging through book after book, and then said, “There’s an ingredient missing. Go home and I will be in touch.” In three hours time we received a call, “There is something for Asti in the box outside the clinic’s front door”, he said. We called it Uncle Todd’s Magic Asti Juice and it worked. This man from Centreville took his Sunday time away from family, church and home to help save our Asti concocting a formula particular to Asti’s life and Asti’s life alone. It was at that point that Kenny created the huge copy of the photo of Asti in his tuxedo that still hangs in T & C saying, “You’ll feel better soon. I did!”

Speaking of large posters of Asti, there is one that hangs at Edwards Pharmacy, “Edwards Pharmacy is my neighborhood pharmacy”, Asti says. The folks there, each and every one, have been Asti fans from the first day he appeared at their counter. They have formulated nutritional supplements, Chinese herbs in the smallest of capsules as well as western medicines needed for this or that moment. Each of them bares the name of Aunt, Uncle or Cousin of Asti. Each of them has loved Asti into wellness when he had a challenge. Asti has been quite the celebrity in our little town for a little more than 10 years.

Right across the street was one of Asti’s favorite bites in town, the Sugar Magnolia sitting outside in his summertime stroller cafe. Marianne always made sure he had the best seat in town for watching passersby, showing off his wardrobe, getting strokes from the lunch bunch and lots of lovin’, not to mention a few taste treats she would bring out for his full tummy approval.

Everywhere we went people were because Asti was. Kenny and I always considered it a compliment when folks would say something like, “Please take me home and treat me like your dog” or “When I die I want to come back and live at your house with Asti.”

We would roll in laughter when we watched and people would say as we walked through town that they had never seen anyone “walk with such purpose”. He did walk with such purpose and that purpose was just to be, just to say hello, just to enjoy, truly enjoy every moment of present time. That was another of Asti’s great teachings, be in the moment. My teachers have always called him The Guru. Asti was a great healer of hearts and teacher of love. I have often said, “If I can do a quarter in my whole lifetime of what Asti does in the moment he appears in a room, I have come that much closer to my own Enlightenment.”

And so life moves forward without our Little Guy as our constant companion. Sometimes it is almost unbearable. Then we think of the stories he created living his life with us and the love comes up and the play pours over and laughter and shining eyes appear through the tears. We feel happy for where Asti is and we know how very blessed we are for where Asti was.

Thank you Towns People of Centreville, for sharing our Asti with us. We are so grateful for all you have said, done, been over the years of his life. Is it not a wonder that such a Little Guy from the great Animal Kingdom could make such a BIG difference in all our lives, enriching us all with love in an Asti moment.

Very privately Asti’s Pet Parents have thanked the students, clients, participants and network of Light Paths – Centre For The Healing Arts, yet this Tribute to Asti’s life and his Town’s people would not be complete without an acknowledgment of their years of close heartfelt relationship with him. They watched and cared for Asti as he lived his complete life. He sat on many a lap during classes and assisted in many a healing session. So to all his fellow students on the Path of Enlightenment, we share in expressing gratitude full circle for Asti’s teachings of God’s Love, Light and Power held within the potential of each of us. Namaste’.

Asti taught the simple abundance laws of love and living joyfully in the present moment. There is a prayer I have often prayed over the years “Lord, help me to be the person my dog thinks I am.” It’s Just A Thought but I know I have my Soul’s work cut out for me.

Please do send me by email (info@light-paths.org) or add below in a comment your stories of Asti and they just might be added to the book being written in his honor and the law of love.