Saying Goodbye To A Loved One

As I climbed into bed last night, laid my weary head and heart on the soft down pillow, I sighed deeply.  Such a day full of emotion and perseverance that frankly, I was exhausted.  I closed my eyes and began to pray for peace as I often do.  In that quiet moment of reverie, I surrendered.  I had done all that I could, pushed through the limits and swallowed and alternatively let go of many tears.  But as I prayed, it was in gratitude for all of the angels who attended this day.

When a loved one passes, it is never easy for those left behind.  After the initial shock, because even when we know they are sick, it is still a shock to know that they have passed, there was work to be done, papers to be signed, a funeral home to be called, family and friends to be notified and a personal life of responsibility to continue living, all at the same time.  It’s a day of moving through the grief in order to process the necessities that need to be done, all the while, alternatively stifling and letting out the grief of losing a loved one.  Tears poured from my eyes at times and quiet sobs escaped (probably not so quietly) as the reality hit me in waves.

Last night the epiphany which I knew already, hit me.  Why do we grieve when our loved one passes?  Some of us believe that their departed souls return home to God and I have to ask myself,  why aren’t I rejoicing that she is no longer in earthy life school, no longer suffering with a body which had grown old and desperately needed repair?  My answer was selfish – I wanted to be with her when she passed and hold her hand as she departed peacefully from this earth, onward and upward back home.  I wanted her to hear my voice telling her how much we loved her and although I tried to move mountains in plane travel plans, I was unable to get to her in time.  What brings my sad heart peace is that I know in my heart that she knew I loved her and she was not alone when she passed.  She had her pastor there, who by the grace of God, arrived only moments beforehand.  She had been visited by a dear friend of ours who had kissed her on the forehead and told her how much we all loved her.  At 88, she had lived a long life, on her own terms with lots of love in her heart and a dash of stubbornness which served her well.  She had brought much joy to the world by being a teacher who made a difference and who had received the joy and was gifted back by her students (especially Lisa).

This morning I awoke thinking of Aunt Mable and as tears poured down my face in the early dawn, house quiet, alone with my thoughts, I realized again, how short this life can be even when it lasts 88 years and how important making connections with others truly is.  Although I often write about connecting with others, I’m reminded yet again, how our legacy is in our connections and not in our earthly possessions.  I think it bears repeating.  Hearts connecting means more than material possessions as we flow to our next chapter.  The legacy of making a difference, accepting, helping, inspiring, encouraging and loving are pricelessly worth millions in spiritual wealth.

So this morning, I bow my head in honor of a life well-lived, an Aunt whom I loved and who loved me.  I know she is home again in Heaven, with her family and loved ones and she is remembered here by the loved ones and family she left behind.  Surely, her soul is leaping with joy to be pain-free, her brain free of the confines of dementia, and free of the bonds of life school.  Rest in peace, Aunt Mable.

Thank you dearest friends for allowing me to share this morning.  I needed to write.  May you have a lovely Saturday, making connections with all whom you meet and even if a simple smile passes between you and a stranger, let the love of humankind flow freely.

Shine On!

xo

Grow Your Own Sunshine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This little Light of Thine…go ahead and let it SHINE!

For awhile now, I have ended every post with the phrase Shine On!  It was on a whim that I began that phrase, not meaning any more than to hope you would feel uplifted and empowered by it.  I realized today after helping a friend that there is more to it for me.  In fact, the Universe is giving me signals these days for on Mother’s Day I was given a cd of music entitled, “Shine On.”  So I thought I should write about what it means to me.

We are meant to Shine On, to embrace our light and to allow it to Shine On all with whom we come into contact.  Surely there may be people, who like the planets which orbit our sun, who may turn away from our light.  There may be those who can only experience our sun self’s warmth for small lengths of time.  But who doesn’t rejoice in the warmth of sunshine?  Who doesn’t feel the positivity in the sun’s radiance?  Who doesn’t thrive and grow in the light of the sun?

Your powerful sun self warms the world around you.  Your growth mixed with the growth of others, allows the Universe to expand its positivity and optimism.  Hope extends like a halo around your goodness and love radiates in waves of light on all those with whom you connect, with whom you come into contact, with whom you touch.  It is in this way that I caution you to not dim your light and I urge you to seize your power!  You do no good in the world when you play small and lessen your power.  When you do not own the power of positivity within you, when you do not share it, when you hide it away in the smallness of your world, you lessen yourself and others.  You must enlighten yourself and the world around you in the way you are meant to which is to play big!  What if our sun decided to just play small and not expand?  Would there be as much growth here on Earth?  Or would we all suffer because the sun didn’t want to shine as much as she could?    What if in connecting on a larger more international scale we could help our seeds of light grow, expand and develop?  Wouldn’t that be grand?!

Sure it requires a change of mindset to expand our sun self’s rays of light.  It necessitates our stretching out of our comfort zones in order to shine brighter.  It demands that we own the power within us and push forth into the world with our knowing and our innate love in order to connect with others.   It demands that we are in touch with ourselves and with others in order to experience the light.   One may even find that uncertainty and fear begin their rays of darkness when we decide to extend forward and to shine.  That’s ok.  It’s always darkest before dawn ~ and there is always dawn.

So the next time you read Shine On! please take the request to allow your light to

Shine On

and benefit the whole world with your unique love and light!

xo

Let’s Fire Up Your Life!

Anything that is worth having is worth working for.

Good morning!  I’m reblogging a post from Open Your Journey ~ Create the life you’ll love to live ~ as I think it’s an excellent way for us to kick off IHU (Inner Hotshot University) and hopefully get you moving and grooving!  Start thinking about what you want to try to do as your personal stretch out of your comfort zone goal for the week.  It doesn’t have to be big, it just has to be something that makes you take that baby step!  I think we’ll start on Friday so start thinking what you’re going to try to do!  Remember we’re all here together to connect and to help each other succeed!  I believe in you and I know we can do it together!

I’m thinking that we can also connect via my FB The Presents of Presence Click here!  There we could communicate on a more immediate basis!  What do you think?  When you need a bit of applause, we could all gather there as well on a daily basis!  Stop by when you get a chance!  I post inspirational tidbits and giggles to brighten the day!

I hope that you get fired up below and hop on over to Bobbi’s blog when you get a moment!  She’s a life coach and has some great ideas ~ and if you’re interested, she can be your life coach as well!

Let’s Find Your Old Spark To Fire-Up Your Life!

“Fire-Up, you say?” with tears at the ready edge of the thought of adding anything to this never-ending, overstuffed schedule called life. I can hear you protesting from the depth of your unfulfilled soul, “But, I’m exhausted! I do everything for everybody, all day, every day, except for me, and there’s simply no time left over!”

Well, I hear you, and I truly empathize. I was that woman scattered in every direction, every day like a hamster in his little pretend merry-go-round wheel. In fact, sometimes, on a low day, I just wanted to jump off that merry-go-round because it just wasn’t that merry anymore, and I sadly resented feeling locked into it. I loved my family, and I loved my career, and I loved all the friends and neighbors, and causes, etc., but my plate was simply too full. And I’m not saying I really, really wanted to run away (though I occasionally dreamt about being on a desert island quite happily), but I couldn’t see a way to make the exhausting repetition and expectations stop. I didn’t know how to carve out room for me. My energy was drained and there was no time for that, so then came the colds…basically this was my “dis-ease” time in my life.

So, having been there, I feel for you, and I feel for so many people I know right now. Friends I once knew as happy and productive people, now have lives completely driven by the daily saucer-juggling that fills and evaporates their every day. The only sense of calm they have is their feeling of “not-too-far behind” as they collapse on their pillows, night after exhausting night. And now that they have lost their spark, they have lost their joy. Happiness, for them now, is the occasional vacation, but with just a different to-do list and almost not worth it.

Okay, so remember back when you felt alive, energized by new ideas and creativity, and you felt free to try new things and embrace life? Try hard, now, you know there was a time! Maybe you have to go as far back when you were a teenager, but I know you can remember having a zest for life somewhere in your history. That’s what you want back. You want a fire in your belly…sparked by a passion…a reason to feel alive and participating…making a difference…connecting with what you’re here to embrace. And the path to that old spark is becoming re-acquainted with your worthiness. My guess is you forgot you deserve to be giving your excitement and gifts to the world. You only need to go inside of you to your deepest and safest sanctuary to remember your inner voice. Listen. It says you are here for a reason. This lifetime isn’t a practice, so you can and should be exploring, creating, teaching, learning, giving, growing, and making a difference in the wholeness of your existence! All in little steps starting with believing you could…believing you should…believing you can…believing you will…and then reaching for what inspires you to go for your joy.

How about you take a baby step today? Start with a belief that you deserve to have a life that includes your happiness, too. (Okay, so maybe that’s a giant step for you? I don’t know, but, you have to admit, it’s not unrealistic.) Add to that a little brainstorming and some creative planning with someone who believes in you and can keep you on your “I-deserve-it” track. And voila! Your spark will be back! Just imagine that…I mean really, really imagine yourself…energized, fired-up, and happy! Will it be worth it? You better believe it! So why are you waiting?

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Shine On!

xo