“The moon on June 26, 1996, the day Bunker came into my life, was 68 percent full and waxing. Moment by moment, it grew bigger and brighter. Bunker and I found each other when the moon was half full, the light half returned. We would begin the process of growing and healing together alongside the moon: brighter each day, little by little.”       –Excerpted from Dog Medicine 

Today is the launch day for the Penguin edition of Dog Medicine, How My Dog Saved Me From Myself. The publisher chose the launch date:  July 19th, 2016.

July 19th, 2016 is a full moon. I didn’t realize this until I looked at a lunar calendar last week. I gasped, of course, because it’s the brightest night of the month. There’s light in the darkness tonight.

There are only twelve full moons a year. The fact that Dog Medicine is being launched on one of them is, to me, another sign that this story matters, that it can help some people, that the natural world knows more than we ever could, and she’s on our side. It’s also my beautiful Bunker saying, “Go mama!” Even the skeptic in me can’t overlook this one.

Some Native American tribes believe that wolves howled the moon into existence. Isn’t that a beautiful idea? That the wolf howl–that mournful cry brimming with sorrow, hope, longing, and connection–birthed this incredible lunar life force.

Go out and look at the moon tonight and take a long, deep breath. And remember– just like my mom always says, no matter where we live or who we are, we’re all looking up at the same moon. Even when the world seems so crazy and disconnected, we are all deeply connected.

Always.