You are an agent of change committed to adding your expression of peace and love in the world…
~ through your relationships with family and friends, your work, your creativity ~ through all of your life.
And yet, there may be emotional or spiritual turmoil which is heavy; there may be a mixture of grief, anger, anxiety, helplessness, loneliness and strife because of the challenges you face. Your health may even be affected. There is not a linear progression through these emotions or a map to follow.
And still, you struggle to be kind and good. You want to participate fully in life: you want to be a vital force for others and for yourself.
You are living on the edge; suspended between two worlds. One world is the immediacy of living every day and the other world is the mysterious territory of heart, spirit and soul. This edge is holy and pregnant with possibility and yet, so very uncomfortable. Yes, we do have bodies and yet, we are souls that will continue on long beyond this existence. How can one be present in both worlds?
For the most part, you have come to realize that each moment is precious and you seek to make the most of every breath.
Some of the people who I work with ~
I’d like to tell you about a few people who have walked a similar path, not as a testimonial to their work with me but rather as a testimonial to their hearts and souls. The ways that they have managed life are inspirational and full of magic and mystery. I love these people dearly and am excited to share a bit of their stories so that you may feel a glimmer of hope, a surge of energy or peace. Perhaps you may even feel a rush of excitement to think of re-entering life. Yes, there is the path of the heart and it offers much.
(Of course, I have changed their names and a few details to protect their privacy.)
Dan ~
Dan was a dedicated spiritual seeker and also a man with a brain tumor. He had two surgeries and was starting to lose his sight but he was full of light ~ and I mean that literally, not metaphorically. His eyes were so pure and so bright that after I looked at him, my eyes actually stung.
Dan’s wife was working to support them so he was home alone all day long. I would pick him up and we’d go out for fast food ~ a special treat for him. I remember one day in particular ~ we were in the car and Dan was telling me about his experience of Spirit. He started pounding on his knees and getting all excited. He kept saying, “Divine Spirit is light, so light that there’s nothing else. Can you see it? Can you see it!? It’s everywhere. He’s everywhere. He is nature. Oh, my, can you see what I see?”
On Dan’s death bed, he rose up to smile at me one last time when I asked him if he was seeing the light. He died in great peace.
Christine ~
Christine had been suffering from Lyme Disease and/or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome since she was twenty-two years old. She was now in her thirties and had to move back home with her mother. She knew that there was a distinct possibility that she would never be able to have children or live what she considered the ‘normal’ life she had dreamed of. She was bedridden much of the time.
Christine found what she called “Pure Presence” ~ the stillness that allowed her to be truly awake. She realized she had been asleep her whole life and that waking up was her greatest gift. She would laugh and joke that if she got better she might fall asleep again.
She spent many of her days in the forest painting flowers.
Paige ~
Paige lost her mother, father, grandmother and brother all within a span of a year and half. She was grieving deeply, very sad and sometimes very angry. Then her husband had a heart attack! She kept giving of herself and eventually became extremely depleted.
Through time, she began to do things to care for herself ~ like writing, drawing and meditating ~ to aid her grieving process. She went for long walks every day. With each of these steps, along with the mindfulness practice of letting go and watering seeds of peace and happiness, Paige began to feel lighter.
She valued her simple life and settled into a routine which gave her energy instead of depleting her. She started living in the present moment.
John ~
John had ALS. Yeah, it’s not a very hopeful situation for a woodworker with a young daughter. John had been through some hard times. His shop had caught on fire and he lost everything but even worse, his older daughter died in a car accident a year before his diagnosis.
By the time I was working with him, John was in a wheelchair. He would laboriously tell me stories about his life. I arrived one day when he had time between caretakers. His wheelchair had overturned and he was literally hanging in the air. I was horrified, as you can imagine. We got him back up and situated and he could tell how upset I was. He was able to mumble to me, “No worries. I always liked the rides at the fair.” Now tell me, who was helping who?
Before he died he asked that three words be put on his casket – Light, Love, Truth – because he said that was all there was to life and they all continue after death. He told us that this is what he found inside of his silence.
Mary ~
Mary was a successful businesswoman who had been at the top of her field. In her early 60s she contracted multiple arthritic and rheumatoid diseases. She began losing her ability to walk and she knew her hands would be crippled enough through the years that she may not be able to use them either.
So, this dear woman began offering free business coaching to people from her home. She worked with people that would never have been able to afford her services. She even paid for their training and classes at times.
I am particularly humbled by her presence and love for others without thought for herself. By working with others, she found that she could still live a life of meaning.
Writing these stories makes me tear up. There are such good people in this world. Witnessing the evolution of these souls, the expansion of their hearts and the deepening of their inner life through the experience of their challenges was an honor.
All I can say is ~ every moment is sacred and I am truly grateful for every moment.
In doing this work, I selfishly get to experience many sacred moments.
I can only pray that all my clients find the same moments of sacredness, peace and the bounty of love.
Remember ~ you are never alone.
Deb
To find about about my line of flower essences, Sacred Forest Flower Essences ~ click here.
To find about other offerings through my complementary business for families and children, Grandparents of the Forest ~ click here.
“Love is what carries you, for it is always there, even in the dark, or most in the dark, but shining out at times like gold stitches in a piece of embroidery.” ~ Wendell Berry
