“When I was five I lost my first dog, and my mother consoled me with, “she’s in heaven now, watching over you”. Although my definition of heaven has shifted over the years, I have never lost the sense that many of our animal friends seem to be more human than many who call themselves human. Some seem to bring a spiritual quality with them, and that is exactly what Jeff describes in Codi’s Journey.
His dog-tale is studded with humor, sensitivity, and most of all, the spirituality that his first book, Spirituality Simplified, demonstrated so beautifully. His joy and delight in Codi’s personality and “beingness” is intermingled with the tears and anguish that all of us feel when a loved one is in pain and we prepare for their passing. Artfully written and lovingly presented, Codi’s Journey is a gift for the soul.”
Joyce Naylor, New Jersey
“This book captures the dynamics of being a pet owner and the guilt, grief, and commitment that many pet owners go through in loving and losing a pet. As someone who has “been there,” it was reassuring that I am not the only one to feel those things, to do whatever it took to save them and, when the time came, to let them go.
“Jeff Maziarek has woven a panoramic view of a couple’s love for their dog, a Border Collie girl named Codi. In Codi’s Journey you get the full emotion of learning their pet is seriously ill, and the hole it leaves in their hearts as Jeff seeks help from allopathic means and holistic practitioners. Jeff takes us on the journey of meeting and growing to love Codi, and when she passes, we truly feel the loss.”
“During my high school years I worked as a veterinarian’s assistant, where I grew very fond of animals, especially dogs. As I read Codi’s Journey, it made me reflect on my feelings when being in the room with the vet as he delivered the news that a client’s pet was terminally ill. Because of that experience, I can fully understand and appreciate how the author was willing to do everything that he could, not only to try and save Codi, but also to ensure she wasn’t suffering as a result of her illness. Codi’s Journey reinforces the concept that a pet truly becomes someone’s child, one who truly provides its family with unconditional love.
Since that time over four decades ago, I’ve had one or more dogs sharing a home with me for nearly 35 of those years. While each of these dogs genuinely touched my heart, it was Codi, a certain feisty little Border Collie, who affected me most deeply. Not only was she my best friend in every sense of the term, she also turned out to be an amazing spiritual teacher. While some might scoff at the idea that a dog could actually teach anything to an intellectually superior human being, the truth is intelligence is just one aspect of any creature’s abilities. The dog’s unwavering loyalty, its unique ability to live totally in the present, and its unmatched capacity to give unconditional love even under the most challenging of circumstances truly makes it an ideal spiritual role model. 