Remembrance on All Saint’s Day

Today is All Saint’s Day on the Catholic calendar.  It coincides with my deceased father’s birthday which makes the day one of remembrance for me.  I think of all those who have passed before me and I took a moment for each of them this morning when I awoke to say a prayer for them.  I think it’s important to remember those who have gone before us and the gifts that they have given to us, the lessons we learned and the knowledge that we now have because of our experiences with them.

A new month for me is a beginning, just like each dawn heralds a new day and another chance to begin again.  Peacefully I lay my head on the pillow at night, resting my brain and allowing whatever foibles of the day to be forgiven.  I arise in the mornings with a fresh slate to do the best I can for myself and everyone else with whom I come into contact.

It is a blessing to be here today as it is everyday.  I am grateful as I am sure you are too to be able to breathe, to live and to love.  Sometimes it’s hard work to get through the day, but at the end of it, I hope that you find a soft, comfortable place to lay your head, your heart and your mind.  Today, I am reminded to communicate with my soul and with others on a soul to soul level for each of us carries the baggage of life experiences.  Oftentimes, at least for me, I find I forget to reconnect my heartstrings to my soul’s essence, to find gratitude in the experiences I’ve been delivered and to look for the blessings in each and every moment.

So today, take my hand…let’s walk baby steps towards the light.  Let’s remember those who have passed with gratitude for their heartlights.  Let’s connect with those who are here on Earth and appreciate them.  Let’s smile, laugh and love all those souls.  Let’s be the peacekeepers here on Earth.  Let’s look to the Heavens with our heartlights shining and embrace the love that is ours by Divine Right.  Let’s be in this moment, filled with peaceful loving energy and know in our hearts that we are embraced by God’s light and love.

Shine On!

xo

P.S.  And don’t forget to say, Rabbit, Rabbit! ♥

Be the one who remembers…

2012 was a rocky year for me, 4 major surgeries, the passing away of my Dad, the added responsibilities that accompany closing down his business (of which I know little about) and the taking care of my Mom who relied on my Dad for everything.  AAngel (my sister) and I have been dealing with all of the nuances of this literally life changing event in our family and it’s been sad and hard and frustrating.

However, it’s made me realize how grateful I am for everyone and everything in my life.  There’s a saying that I heard which says without the clouds, you cannot experience the rainbow…so as the rains came, I knew that eventually the sun would emerge and I tried to simply be in that moment and not fight the sadness.  It was a huge shift for me and one that I am grateful for experiencing.

My goal this year is again, to be present, to enjoy the Presents of Presence as it were…and to be grateful for the experiences of 2013.    Part of being grateful I believe is to show your gratitude and connect by sharing it with others.  With my Dad’s death, I learned how much of an impact he made on so may people simply by calling them on their birthdays.  I learned that he called all of his clients on their birthdays every year and sang the first line of the birthday song to them.  Now you may think that is nothing, but I can’t even begin to tell you how many emails, how many notes, how many phone calls I’ve received from people in the last 6 months telling me how their birthdays weren’t the same without my Dad’s traditional birthday call.  Something so simple and yet so powerful…I love the legacy that he left for so many people…

In the same vein, although with my own twist, I’ve done the same thing with my business ~ except since my choral days are over, I’ve turned to card sending which for me is a bit more concrete because you have a card to hold, to cherish and to be a loving reminder for years to come.  How I wish my Dad had written more cards to us instead of calling ~ imagine how wonderful it would have been to have held his loving words in my hands when I needed to hear from him now that he’s passed?  Imagine your loved ones holding your priceless words of encouragement, your pictures, your videos in the palm of their hands for years to come?

Are you a card person?  Or are you like AAngel and find having to drive to the store to then stand in front of the shelves until you find a card that costs between 4-6 dollars which doesn’t quite say what you want appalling?  You want to be that person who remembers everyone’s special day, but quite frankly, you simply don’t have the time to add one more ‘do’ on your to do list?  You have an entire family and work schedule to keep track of so how can you keep track of anyone else’s stuff?

Well, the solution is simple…SendOutCards is a free system which keeps track of all of that for you ~ and acts like your own personal assistant whether you use it for business or personal use!  Need reminders of friends’, family members’, clients’, customers’ birthdays, anniversaries, children’s names or need to write notes about them?  There’s an online address book which allows you to put everyone’s special days in the calendar so you never miss sending a card and even a gift!  You can be that person who remembers everyone and makes them feel special!  You simply log onto your computer, iPhone, iPad, kindle or android at any hour, from any place and send a card/gift on time ~ saving you time, saving you money (a card costs less than $1) and getting the card that you want instead of trying to be satisfied with something that only feels ok from the store.  Add pictures?  Add a video?  Add your logo?  Sure!  Write in your own handwriting?  Yup!  Pick a card from our catalog or make your own from scratch!  Add a gift card?  Mrs. Field’s cookies?  A toy?  Jewelry?  A trinket?  Yes!  You can even schedule your cards to be sent out up to a year in advance!  Or send the same card to many people but personalize each one!  It takes 5 minutes to do and yet, SendOutCards is not a household name…yet!

We are an INTERNATIONAL company with distributors in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom and Singapore.  But you can be a customer from anywhere and you can send cards and gifts to anywhere!  That’s the beauty of the free system!  Buy only what you need ~ there’s a pay as you go option or a subscription ~ whatever works best for you!  Yes, it’s that simple!

So come join me and be the one that remembers ~

Give the priceless gift of thoughtfulness

You’ll be glad you did!

http://www.sendoutcards.com/126830

Shine On in 2013!

xo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JJic3b_MU9Q

Life After Death?

They that love beyond the world cannot be separated by it.

Death cannot kill what never dies. – William Penn

Well, we made it through our first Christmas without Dad.  In case you didn’t know, my Dad passed away 6 months ago so we’ve been dealing with many firsts in the last few months, my parents’ first anniversary and his first birthday (is there such a thing to celebrate when he’s not here?), the first Halloween, Thanksgiving and now Christmas.  In the near future looms New Year’s Eve and my Mom’s birthday.  According to helpful friends, the year of firsts without Dad are the hardest which I imagine is true having been through a bunch so far…but it is supposed to get easier with time which is a relief.

I awoke this morning pondering life after death and thought I’d ask you ~  my blogging community ~  to help me again navigate these muddy waters.  Many of you have special gifts that you’ve shared with me so I figure if anyone can help, it would be you.  I”m too close to see the forest for the trees so I’d like to rely on you.

Do you believe in life after death?  Do you believe you can come back to be with your loved ones even for a little bit?  Do you believe that spirits can rattle windows or become squawking birds?  How about hovering around the house and moving objects in a mischievous manner?  Can they enter our dreams to show us that they are happy?  Do they possess the ability to play with electricity?  Can they leave us signs?  Can they turn into cardinals or butterflies to show us they are nearby?

In case you weren’t able to guess, the above happened to our family ~ although I am a bit skeptical since not all of the above were experienced by me.  But to my Mom, they are definite signs of Dad.  In fact, she knows that he’s been back to visit her, to let her know that he’s still around watching over her.

I’d love to hear your experiences if you have had any and if you’d share with me.  Because I think that especially around the holidays, the empty chair of a loved one who has  passed is most felt now.  We tried to make it easier for my Mom by changing it up this year and my sister AAngel hostessed Christmas Day so that we wouldn’t have the memory of Dad’s empty chair.  For the most part, I think it worked well ~  she subtly lit a white candle on her table for him which I thought was most caring.

Have you experienced any after death visits?

Do you believe in the ability for loved ones to come back to visit?

Do you have any suggestions on how to get through the rest of the year of firsts?

Any and all suggestions, stories and experiences are appreciated!

Shine On!

xo

I found a few blogs who had a bit to say on the subject as well ~ I thought you might like to check them out too!

http://rickalonzophoto.wordpress.com/2012/12/22/life-after-death/

http://sarahsana.wordpress.com/2012/12/21/the-two-hearted-woman-in-love-with-an-itsy-bitsy-spider-man/

http://sharingacrosstheveil.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/from-tamara/

http://globalsearchfortruth.com/2012/12/17/is-there-life-after-death/

http://theowlsmoonsoulsupport.wordpress.com/2012/12/12/spiritual-mainframe-qa-2/

I Am…SendOutCards!

So yesterday’s challenge of 10 I AM’s was met by SendOutCards! 

Here are the top contenders for the I AM List from them!  Enjoy!

xo

Seasons Change, Life Changes, You Change…

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.

Nature’s peace will flow into you just as sunshine flows into trees.

The winds will blow their own freshness into you… while cares will drop off like leaves.

Well my friends, it’s almost the end of summer and I am hanging on to its vestiges with every fiber of my being.  I know most of us are already thinking in terms of fall since school has started but alas, the Fall Equinox officially begins on in the Northern Hemisphere on September 22, 10:49 A.M. EDT.   The word equinox comes from the Latin words for “equal night.” The fall and spring equinoxes are the only days of the year in which the Sun crosses the celestial equator.   From here on out, the temperatures begin to drop and the days start to get shorter than the nights.

My Dad passed away on June 21st which was the first day of summer which was his favorite season so I guess moving into fall would be just another first to add to our collection.  We’ve endured my parents’ first wedding anniversary without my Dad, my nephew’s & brother-in-law’s birthdays, my husband’s and my wedding anniversary, the first day back to school went by without his traditional call to ask how the day went and various holidays ~ July 4th, Labor Day have already been celebrated without his earthly presence.

I guess that’s where this all ties in together for seasons change…life changes…we are born, we live, we die…and then…?  I won’t go into what happens next, because I am concentrating on the NOW…the PRESENT that we’ve been given.

My suggestion to you is to video tape your loved ones talking about something special…get their voices on tape…take pictures now while life is good because we only have today…we only have my Dad’s voice on the answering machines since he was always calling us.  I am grateful that I kept his last few messages.  My sister took a video of him when he was first put in the hospital, before he started to really go further downhill and it is one that I am ever grateful for because he sent me a message ~ one that I’ll forever cherish.

Which brings me to my passion ~ sending out love.  What’s the legacy you’re leaving behind?  If today was your last day, would your loved ones know how you feel?  Would there be kind words left unsaid?  I used to keep cards from my family that said something very special ~ you know, that note that said how proud of you they were and how much you are loved…those kinds…now I keep the last card sent from others because I’ve now found first hand how much it means to see a loved ones handwriting especially when it says something good.  You see, we all need to feel loved and to feel special.  An unexpected card in the mail, amidst the junk and bills, is a smile giver ~ telling someone now how you feel is a sure-fire way to not feel that there are words left unsaid.  Sending a card with your heartfelt words gives a concrete, hand-held reminder of how you feel ~ one that will be cherished.  And with SendOutCards you can even write it in your own handwriting, but from the comfort of your computer, in your pjs without leaving home!

Do you have 10 minutes and $1?  Of course you do…now use it…be the change you want to see in your life, in your relationships…you can’t change others, but you most certainly can change yourself!

Don’t FALL back into the routine which you’ve know for years…

branch out, let your cares fall like the leaves

and blow the freshness of a new season into your life and into the lives of others!

I’ll help by getting you started…

www.sendoutcards.com/126830

xo