3D Photo Crystals

I went to the Fredericksburg Holiday Craft Show at the Expo Center last week. One of the vendors there was DC Crystal.   I was intrigued with the beautiful 3D photo crystals that were displayed at this booth and thought it would be so special to have one of my son.  I ordered a crystal and a lighted base to put it on. It has "Graham" and "Love Never Ends" engraved on it.  The crystal arrived today. It is amazing. I couldn't help but cry.  My beautiful boy. 

 

Here is the information for DC Crystal if you would like something like this too.
http://www.dc-crystal.com
email:  sales@dc-crystal.com

1-888-367-8185

Worldwide Candle Lighting 2015

I am getting ready for The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting, which will be tonight (Sunday) at 7:00 pm your local time.  I've copied information about the event below my poem, which I wrote for this beautiful memorial event several years ago.  I was honored to have The Compassionate Friends publish it in their national magazine, "We Need Not Walk Alone."  The special candle I have (in the picture below) has the words to Alan Pedersen's beautiful song, "Tonight I Hold This Candle."   Alan is now the Executive Director of The Compassionate Friends. 

Worldwide Candle Lighting

All of our lost children, young and old,

We gather now and gently hold,

Remembering with our every breath,

That love never ends, not even in death.

A heartbroken group of fathers and mothers,

With a sorrow unimaginable to others,

Struggling to overcome the most devastating blow,

Bonded in grief we never thought to know.

With each candle that we light,

We feel our children’s spirits burning bright,

 Every beloved child’s face we see,

Forever in our memory.

In the candles’ golden glow,

Even though our tears still flow,

We cherish every moment we had with you,

Though the days were far too few.

 We love you now, we’ll love you forever,

As your parents we will always treasure,

The blessing of our daughters and sons,

Our dearly loved, precious ones.

Copyright © C.A. Stevenson 2010

http://amotherstears.blogspot.com/

The Compassionate Friends/USA

Please join us this Sunday, December 13 for the 19th Annual Worldwide Candle Lighting in memory of all children gone too soon. For full information including services around the globe, visit: http://www.compassionatefriends.org/WCL_Misc/2015_services.aspx. If there is not a service near you, or you would rather not attend a service, just light a candle for an hour wherever you are with friends, family, or in quiet solitude.

Add a message to our 2015 Remembrance Book: http://www.compassionatefriends.org/AddRemembranceEntry.aspx

View the 2015 Remembrance Book: http://www.compassionatefriends.org/ViewRemembranceEntry.aspx

http://www.compassionatefriends.org

Feather Synchronicities

This afternoon I made a quick trip to a Hallmark store to buy a thank you card. When I walked in the store I immediately noticed the young sales woman at the counter because of the colorful feather shawl she was wearing. I told her she was my feather sign for today. We started talking and when I told her that feathers symbolize our connection between heaven and earth she said she didn't know that and she had goosebumps! I then asked her if she knew why we get goosebumps and that they are validations from spirit. I told her about the special Facebook group, Signs From Our Loved Ones, that I work with, and asked her if I could take a picture of her to share with the group. She was happy to agree.

Her sister is also a sales person at this store and all three of us were talking. What I didn't know until talking further was that these two sisters had lost their father five months ago to cancer. He knew he was dying and had talked with them about a dream catcher and how they could use one as a symbol with every feather representing a family member. They also said they had looked at one of the Hallmark books a little earlier and the page it opened to at random had feathers on it! I told them that one of them wearing the feather shawl today, the book opening to a feather page, and my coming in the store and remarking upon her feather shawl were no coincidences. None of this was random. This is how spirit works. Love knows no boundaries. We are all connected here and on the other side. Love never ends. Love and blessings to us all.

An Afternoon of Signs

Here are some signs that I saw today from my beautiful angel boy, Graham. He knows this month is hard for me with his angelversary approaching. He has been very busy showing that he is right beside me. I think he really likes to accompany me while I am driving.

When I came out to my car this afternoon after shopping I saw this car parked in front of mine. It was very noticeable because it had a colorful butterfly windshield sun shade! That's not something you see every day. A little later as I was driving I noticed a red van next to me because it said RAM. Graham was an Aries, the sign of the Ram. On the last mile or so on the way home this truck was in front of me. I couldn't believe it. The license plate read GRAME43! Angel number 43 is a beautiful message too. http://sacredscribesangelnumbers.blogspot.com/…/angel-numbe…

When I arrived home there was a package at my door. I thought it was something my husband had ordered and didn't even look at it for awhile. I just opened it and was so surprised and touched to see that it was a memorial gift for Graham for his angelversary from a dear friend. It's a beautiful stepping stone that will be so special to have in our yard. The timing of this after seeing these signs driving home was amazing to me. The verse on the stepping stone and my friend's card reinforce the truth of these signs and of Graham's eternal loving presence. Our loved ones in spirit are forever by our sides. Watch for the signs and connect the dots.

Always Messages and Signs

I had some beautiful messages today from my darling angel boy, Graham. I love the way signs can connect so that we don't doubt they are signs. It's so encouraging. Which is why our loved ones in spirit do this for us.
My personalized license plate on my car reads ALWAZS (Always). When I was driving today I noticed a license plate on a car next to me. I couldn't take a picture of it but it was A1WAY5. I was trying to figure it out and realized that it was also an Always license plate. I was kind of marveling over that when a couple of minutes later I noticed a Walmart truck ahead of me. I couldn't believe it when I saw the word ALWAYS in big red letters on the back of the truck! I was able to find a picture online that shows this. I don't think all Walmart trucks have this on them.

I stopped by the mall and when I was walking through J.C. Penny on my way out I noticed some inspirational jewelry on sale. I stopped to look and saw this necklace. The necklace says LOVE BEYOND WORDS. I then noticed the words above it are MAY YOU ALWAYS! What a wonderful surprise and delight. It was on sale for $14.00, so I brought it home with me.  Love truly is always and forever.

It's September, and I will always remember.

"I Still Cry," Ilse de Lange
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4wN0CvCenw

Autumn Leaves

The rusty hues of autumn leaves,

Are silently falling from the trees,

Their branches now are stark and bare,

In the cool crisp autumn air.

The summer has come and gone,

Time is inexorably moving on,

Seasons change and life changes too,

Sometimes I don’t know how I make it through.

The end of September my heart shattered and broke,

With the news I learned when I awoke,

My twenty-two year old son died during the night,

Slipping and falling from a great height.

The world keeps on turning,

And I can’t help yearning,

For a future I thought to see,

But was never meant to be.

I watch the leaves scatter and float to the ground,

As my tears fall without any sound,

Praying for strength to live well each day,

As time gradually slips away.

September Sorrow

September Sorrow

Precious moments and memories captured in time,
Bittersweet in my heart and mind,
Twenty two and a half treasured years,
All remembered through a veil of tears.

Sunshine and shadows, moonlight and rain,
Your passing is a constant underlying pain,
To have my child leave this world before me,
Is nothing I ever imagined could be.

Now every year in the month of September,
My heart grieves as I remember,
An anniversary of unfathomable sorrow,
Until I too have no more tomorrows.

Forget-Me-Not

Forget-Me-Not

Forget me not, as if I could,
As if I ever should or would,
Though not in this world to physically see,
Forever you will remain with me.

Love never ends, love never dies,
There are no lasting goodbyes,
Your love and memories are gifts beyond measure,
My never forgotten sacred treasure.

A Wedding Anniversary Sign

Last night my husband and I went out for a lovely dinner to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary today. After dinner as we were walking to our car in the parking lot we saw this license plate - HVEN SNT (Heaven Sent). We were so delighted to have this heavenly message from our dear angel son, Graham, on this special occasion. He is always with us, as are all of our loved ones in spirit. Forever by our sides.

Bullfrogs and Butterflies

This is really extraordinary to me. Yesterday afternoon I decided to treat myself to a manicure. My husband and I are going out to dinner tonight to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. I thought it would be nice to have a manicure for the occasion. While I was there I had the thought to have butterflies painted on my nails.

I am always thinking of my angel son, Graham, and things I can do to include him in all I do.
When my nails were painted and I was sitting at the drying table waiting for them to dry another woman came and sat to have her nails dry too. She noticed the butterflies on my nails and said they reminded her of a children's song, Bullfrogs and Butterflies, and we both are born again. I had never heard of this song and was struck by the words- born again. I told her that was really significant to hear because I had lost my 22 year old son. By this time tears were running down my face. She said, oh my I am getting goosebumps! We knew that was Graham letting us know that this was no coincidence. We spoke a little more and I shared with her about Signs From Our Loved Ones. I think she is going to join. It was an amazing experience.

I looked up the song she had mentioned when I came home.  Here it is for us all to enjoy, "Bullfrogs and Butterflies," by Barry McGuire.  We never die, we transform. This is the message that Graham and all of our loved ones in spirit want us to understand. They are always with us and love never ends. What blessed comfort. Love to us all.

2015 Butterfly Release

Yesterday evening my local chapter of Bereaved Parents of the USA had our annual Butterfly Release. It was held at the beautiful memorial garden we created for our treasured children. My husband and I have a plaque there for our son, Graham. We also have a lovely flowering perennial plant by his plaque. You can feel the love and peace in this honored space for our children. 

As part of the program I read my "Butterfly" poem. I was walking across the grass to the microphone to read my poem when I noticed a feather right beside the microphone stand! I picked the feather up and said that feathers are signs too and that our loved ones are always with us. How wonderful it was to also be able to share this sign and message. I hope that it brought a little comfort. Our loved ones in spirit work hard to show us they continue to be a part of our lives. Love never ends. God bless us all.

Family Visit

This is wonderful! My husband took this picture of me with my daughter and grandchildren before they left today. We have a stained glass fireplace screen of our angel son, Graham, in front of our fireplace. Graham ended up being in the picture with us all because his face was showing through the play swing/slide set.  When we downloaded this picture we see that Graham is with us in orbs too! There is a large orb to the right of the lamp and a couple of smaller orbs on the wall to the left of the clock. Family is forever and love never dies. God bless us all and our loved ones in spirit.

Graham's

Here is a wonderful sign today that my husband had from our son.  I was in another aisle. 

My wife Claire Ann and I were in Wegman's today shopping and I was looking through the wines. I looked up and immediately in front of me was this Graham's tawny port. This is very definitely a sign for me because my son's name is Graham. What's more, before he passed he liked tawny port. Also, if he had lived he would have been 30 years old in 2015.

Graham's birthday is March 30th. and he would have been 30 years old.  This was a sign in several different ways.  We are still marveling at it. 

Remember Me

This morning I was at a store in their jewelry department to return a bracelet that I had bought. I ended up exchanging it for another meaningful bracelet for my angel son, Graham. After doing that I decided to look for a pair of two tone earrings. A different saleswoman came over to ask me if she could help me find what I was looking for. She directed me to a small area of Brighton jewelry that I hadn't seen. While I was looking at the earrings, I noticed the necklaces that were there too. I was so surprised when I saw there were words on the back of one of them. The words are, "When you wear this remember me." I knew that Graham had directed me to find this. I was tearful as I was making my purchase.

I explained to the saleswoman why this was so emotional for me. She was very kind. She was from another country. I asked her where she was from. She said she was from Korea. That was such a surprise too because Graham was born in Korea! We spent two years there while my husband was in the Army. That was another amazing connection. I am continually amazed with all the ways Graham finds to comfort and assure me of his eternal love and presence. Our loved ones are not here in the way we want them to be, but they are still here. Love truly is always and forever.

Swan Song

 I have been receiving many swan messages and signs recently.  When I did a little research into the meaning of swans I discovered they have great symbolism.   I ordered two white swans to have beside our lovely water feature/pond in our back yard.  I think they are beautiful and speak to the partnership that my son and I share.   I was moved to write this poem.

Swan Song

Ancient symbols of love and eternity,
Union, bonds, and loyalty,
Strong and graceful, stately and white,
Swan pairs often unite for life.

A devoted partnership of beauty and grace,
Calm and serene, moving without haste,
On water that is calm and ripple free,
Swans appear to glide effortlessly.

What lovely ideals swans represent,
Spiritual messages that are heaven sent,
They speak of the soul and transformation,
Music, poetry, and inspiration.

A bridge between the ordinary and the divine,
Realization that comes with the passing of time,
They sing a song of beauty unsurpassed,
Of inner realms, intuition, and love that is vast.