All Soul's Day/All Saints Day
Having been brought up Roman Catholic, I can never travel Life's Path on October 31 and November 1 without thinking of all my loved ones who have moved ahead on the Path and entered the next existence.
This past year, I have created my own Memorial Altar...a kind of "Day of the Dead" memorial on which I have pictures of my loved ones, some of my brother's ashes and a candle burning. Each time I pass, I pray...prayers of thanksgiving for their being part of my life, prayers for peace of spirit and mind, prayers of love.
When I was a child, it was creepy to think of people's spirits hovering close to us after death. As an adult, older and I hope wiser, I take great comfort in this thought. I have felt the presence of my mother and father over the past year during different times when I needed a bit of guidance or when I wished I could share a moment with them. I have felt my brother's spirit lingering at home, finally at peace, with my beloved and I. I have felt the loving spirit of a dear friend who, like me, was an educator and writer.
All Soul's Day and All Saint's Day are for me a continuous celebration of Life. During both, I remember my loved ones, celebrating their lives, sharing memories that for me are still so real I can touch them and recognizing the gifts of love, friendship and grace they each gave me.
It is no longer creepy to think of death. I have come to a clear understanding that it is simply a part of Life. I have seen the full circle of life as a birthing coach and as a Reiki master holding the hand of a dying patient. The work is the same, it is only the direction that is different. A new child enters this Life, while a person dying exits. The door is the same.
I like to think of it this way: my loved ones have run ahead of me on Life's Path. They have journeyed into a new land. On occasion, they send a spiritual telegram to let me know they are fine and that I will be, also. It is comforting.
May you all find peace-filled memories of your loved ones who have run ahead on Life's Path today and tomorrow and all the tomorrows to come until we meet with them again.
This past year, I have created my own Memorial Altar...a kind of "Day of the Dead" memorial on which I have pictures of my loved ones, some of my brother's ashes and a candle burning. Each time I pass, I pray...prayers of thanksgiving for their being part of my life, prayers for peace of spirit and mind, prayers of love.
When I was a child, it was creepy to think of people's spirits hovering close to us after death. As an adult, older and I hope wiser, I take great comfort in this thought. I have felt the presence of my mother and father over the past year during different times when I needed a bit of guidance or when I wished I could share a moment with them. I have felt my brother's spirit lingering at home, finally at peace, with my beloved and I. I have felt the loving spirit of a dear friend who, like me, was an educator and writer.
All Soul's Day and All Saint's Day are for me a continuous celebration of Life. During both, I remember my loved ones, celebrating their lives, sharing memories that for me are still so real I can touch them and recognizing the gifts of love, friendship and grace they each gave me.
It is no longer creepy to think of death. I have come to a clear understanding that it is simply a part of Life. I have seen the full circle of life as a birthing coach and as a Reiki master holding the hand of a dying patient. The work is the same, it is only the direction that is different. A new child enters this Life, while a person dying exits. The door is the same.
I like to think of it this way: my loved ones have run ahead of me on Life's Path. They have journeyed into a new land. On occasion, they send a spiritual telegram to let me know they are fine and that I will be, also. It is comforting.
May you all find peace-filled memories of your loved ones who have run ahead on Life's Path today and tomorrow and all the tomorrows to come until we meet with them again.
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