"Remembering" 

The older we get, the more we have to deal with the adversity of saying good-bye to our loved ones, so they can go home to be with our Lord. And although we eventually get on with our lives, their memory lingers with us forever and the pain never really goes away, it just becomes more bearable. There will be certain times of the year where we will mourn their passing more than others, such as birthdays, holidays and anniversaries, but it usually doesn't take much for their memory to be in the forefront of our minds. 

Remembering a loved one who has already left you can be so moving and brings up all kinds of emotions, but the best ones are times when we remember the love we had for them and the love they had for us. There are times when, for no reason at all, their memory will suddenly appear and we will remember their quirky little ways or perhaps something they had said or done and it will make us smile or perhaps laugh out loud.  It helps alleviate the sadness when we can focus on the happy memories, the funny stories and recall the special moments that meant so much to us, rather than how much we miss them. Their memory becomes alive and they are here with us as we relive a special memory.

Though we are physically apart from our loved ones, I believe spiritually they are here with us. We don't know what happens after a person dies, but it makes me feel better to think of them as angels guiding us through life. In the movie "City of Angels" there are scenes of angels whispering into people's ears, putting thoughts in their subconscious mind, to help guide them through their life or to prevent an accident. Wouldn't it be wonderful if that is what happens--that our loved ones become our guardian angels? If we were quiet enough and cleared our head of all those busy thoughts, could we feel their love surround us and know they were still with us? I've never been able to do that, but certainly wish I could. I believe it would help us heal knowing that they were still with us; guiding us through our life. At times my cats will stare at something or get up, walk to the middle of the room and look up and I wonder, is somebody there? Who knows, but like I said, it would be wonderful if it was our loved ones checking in and making sure everything is alright.

We are people not bound by blood, but by the unity of spirit. We are different, but yet we are very similar. We share many of the  same experiences and adversities of life such as, hopes, fears and the pain of losing loved ones.  If you would like us to know a little bit about the person(s) you have lost, please send us a picture and a little bit about this person and I'll post it on our Remembrance page. I realize that sometimes it's hard to put a few sentences down about the person you lost, so if you would like to share extraordinary memories with us about your loved one then your letter will be transferred to our Life Experience page. So this week, we come together to celebrate, honor and remember our loved ones that we have lost, but will never be forgotten. We realize that their memory touches our heart and we learn from their mistakes and they make us remember how fragile life really is. This week we are focusing on "Remembering." A little glimpse can be found on This Weeks Inspiration and Weekly Messages pages.