Loss and death rearrange us. They transport us forward and backward in time, sometimes in search of answers, other times in denial for a much-needed reprieve. Grief and pain oftentimes take us to another realm, and although needed, lets us eventually remember the here and now to help us heal and grow, even if it means sitting on the riverbank breathing in the new life of summer or allowing the wind to take our anguish out to sea in the crashing of the waves. Notice the blooming flower, the old, rooted tree, and the soar of the eagle, for they too have been broken yet live again.
Read moreFragile
May love and peace nurture every fiber and soothe every loss, whether death or change: a child’s first day of kindergarten or exit to college, an older adult saying farewell to one too many friends, the lingering touch of a lost lover, a career, a disease, a flag at half mast, a move across county, a loved one’s passing, a sad childhood, daddy’s hands across mama’s empty belly. So much loss, yet somewhere the valley meets the mountaintop and seeds of hope grow, birthing flowers with smiles wide open like dimpled hydrangeas cheering, “Yes, there you are!”
Read moreSing A Song
What have you survived? Are you in the protective mode of your process or maybe you are celebrating in a jubilee way? Whether we are taught spiritually or musically or by oral tradition, there is a time for everything. And, we can hold both life and death or life and loss together, respecting our grieving time frames and tender hearts, and lean into a song of survival. We can smile and cry; reflect and connect all the while we put back together the shattered pieces of our hearts.
Read morePeace, Sweet Peace, for your Grieving Heart
Pain, sorrow, loss, and change are common human experiences we must process and survive. If we carry these aches every minute of every day, our minds and bodies could become paralyzed with fear and despondency. We must, when faced with tragedy, in some logical timeframe, be willing to stand up and say, “Oh yes, there you are, my aching, pounding, grieving heart who wants to stop; who wants to quit; who wants to scream and run and hide….I see you, I feel you…”
Read moreA Thousand Orange Butterflies
“I wish for one moment, a thousand orange butterflies would fly around my home, my gardens and reflect the love of the morning’s light; embracing all that I am and all that I will become…
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