Beyond the Veil

How wonderful it must be,
To return to pure energy,
Unencumbered, happy and free,
Having shed the earthly body.

No more physical aches or pains,
Heartache, resentments or emotional strains,
Only love and joy prevail,
When we move beyond the veil.

Reconnected to our source and shown,
All the answers we longed to have known,
Beyond the ego and multi-dimensional,
Able to see our greatest potential.

While in the body here on earth,
Experiencing the years from our birth,
It’s hard to see past the illusion and live,
With the greater wisdom that is God’s to give.

Open my heart and my mind,
So while I’m here I may find,
Strength from Spirit to understand,
My soul’s purpose and divine plan.

Into the Light

Life has many mysteries I long to have revealed,
Teachings and truths that seem concealed,
Traveling through time we gradually see,
What we thought was hidden has been waiting to be freed.

It’s our vision that changes,
When perception rearranges,
For when we start to awaken,
Old thoughts and views are shaken.

Mysteries suddenly become more clear,
When we listen with a divine ear,
We learn the greatest teaching hides in plain sight,
Love is what brings us all to the Light.

Happy Father's Day

     This is a picture I took of my husband with our children in the summer of 2006.  Graham only had one more Father's Day with us after this picture.  We miss you, Graham, every day.  Thank you for making Father's Days so special.  We love you.

Butterflies and Dragonflies basket

I have been collecting items with butterflies and dragonflies on them for a themed basket. The basket is for the silent auction/raffle that will be held at the Bereaved Parents of the USA national conference next month in Reston - http://www.bereavedparentsusa.org/Gathering.html. A dear and talented friend artistically arranged the items in the basket and beautifully wrapped it. Here is a picture of the basket.

 

Searching for You

Lord, hear my heartfelt soul's lament,
I fear my tears will never be spent,
Aching, soul-deep despair and sorrow,
It’s so hard to care about tomorrow.

 True agony of the soul,
What now will be my goal?
No longer will there be,
The plans and dreams I hoped to see.

I still look for you each day,
How could you have passed away?
I look for you in the house and yard,
Nothing I could imagine would be this hard.

Without the sense that you are here,
Only in a different sphere,
The pain would be much too deep,
For my soul to ever keep.

Stay always by my side,
A loving, helpful spirit guide,
And when my time here has passed,
Together we will be at last.

Unsatisfying Phrases

“He's in a better place,”
As if that can erase,
The loss of a loved one's sweet embrace,
Or the sight of that precious face.

“We can't know,”
Goes to show,
How little these phrases satisfy,
We do want to know, why?

Consciousness risen,
Answers be given,
To the journey of a soul,
This is my goal.

With an open heart and an open mind,
I pray that I may find,
What was lost,
At the greatest cost.

To be able to release,
And to find the peace,
The comfort, the surety,
That all is as it's meant to be.

Always

This picture of Graham, me, and his grandmother (my mother) was taken at VCU's Spring Exhibition for the graphic arts majors.  Graham had several posters on display.

 

If home is where your heart is,
Then my home is far away,
Because my heart went with you,
The day you passed away.

In the kingdom of Heaven,
Is where my heart now resides,
Because it beats with yours forever,
With all the love I hold inside.

No one could love you more than I do,
Remember, I used to tell you so,
There is no stronger bond of love,
Than a mother and child can know.

I miss you here beside me,
The calls we made each day,
I would give anything,
To hear what you have to say.

Your funny observations,
Your serious, probing thoughts,
Your clever witticisms,
All are missed a lot.

The joy of seeing you marry,
To have children of your own,
Are no longer possible,
For you have gone back home.

I mourn your crossing over,
That it was your earthly time to die,
I know you are happy in Heaven,
But I still can’t help but cry.

You are flying freely now,
There is nothing to weigh you down,
In many ways you show me,
That you are still around.

I loved being your mother,
Thank you for being my son,
You are with me always,
Forever we are as one.

The Bigger Picture

If I live the average number of years,
Calculated while I am here,
I am already two-thirds through,
With what I came here to do.

It gives one pause upon reflection,
Because there’s so much to question,
Has the life you’ve lived so far,
Positively defined who you are?

Have you fulfilled your hopes and dreams?
Are you happy with what you’ve done and seen?
Have you tried your very best,
So in contentment you may rest?

We must pray for God’s love and light,
To help us to keep shining bright,
It’s easy to become disillusioned,
And to live in a state of confusion.

When life doesn’t go as you planned,
It’s so hard to understand,
You realize there’s so much we don’t know,
And that we really have little control.

The picture is much bigger than we can see,
In the plan of eternity,
There is no timeframe for a soul,
Only one consistent goal.

That is to experience, learn and grow,
So that we eventually come to know,
The sacred breath of life,
That unites us all in Heaven’s light.

Mother's Day 2011

I'm blessed to be able to share this Mother's Day weekend with my mother and dad.

Count your blessings large and small,
Be thankful for them all,
A beautiful day, a note from a friend,
Your pet’s happy greeting, the list never ends.

The love of your family, a baby’s smile,
So many things make life worthwhile,
When at night you go to bed,
Make a list inside your head.

What did your day bring?
Think of any positive thing,
Let the shadows move and pass,
Dark clouds do not always last.

Look for the sun, for it will rise,
Let no negative visions obscure the eyes,
Ask for any Heavenly help,
To move beyond thoughts of self.

Cherish every happy memory and know,
That we are here to learn and grow,
And that if we walk each day in love,
All our needs will be taken care of.

Arizona Trip

I spent my birthday flying to Arizona.  My husband and I spent the weekend at an Afterlife Awareness conference.  It was very interesting.  The best part of the conference were the people attending. It turns out that three quarters of the attendees were parents that had lost children.  You could feel the love. 
When the conference was over we drove to Sedona for a couple of days.  What a beautiful place!  There really is a special feel to it.  Here are a couple of pictures we took at an amazing little church, the Chapel of the Holy Cross just outside Sedona, where I lit a candle for Graham. 

Easter 2011

We had a lovely Easter weekend at our home with family. We also went to the cemetery and left an Easter lily at Graham's grave site.  We used this poem by Helen Steiner Rice as part of our reading before Easter dinner. http://www.rabbitsabc.com/poems/helen-steiner-rice-1.html
Here are a few pictures.  

 

On My Knees

We bought this angel statue for Graham's birthday last month.  I was thinking about putting it in our yard, but decided to use it indoors instead.  Shortly thereafter, my husband and I bought the fountain and placed it with the statue, then added the plants and the candle.  It somehow evolved into this indoor grotto.  We love the feeling of serenity this area gives.  The water is soothing to hear.  We draw comfort from this little spiritual oasis of love.

Brought to my knees,
With agonizing need,
When the world without,
Turned to darkness and doubt,

No place to hide,
 I went inside,
Desperate for my pain to ease,
And for faith in which to believe.

I prayed to God,
I cried so hard,
Why is my child dead?
It should be me instead.

With God’s love and Heavenly help,
Move me beyond thoughts of self,
To see the greater picture and plan,
So I might come to understand.

Let me feel your Divine love,
With all comfort from above,
To replace my anguish and grief,
With the peace that I seek.

Internet Talk Radio Show Interview

I was Carolyn Bookout's guest today on her Internet radio show, "Focus Factor." It will play again Thursday night (links below) at 10 Eastern time. The show will also be archived for replay on Contact Talk Radio. I've been listening to various shows on Contact Talk Radio for the past three years, and found them very helpful and informative.


Carolyn Bookout - Join me at http://www.contacttalkradio.com
on Saturday at 10am PDT (1pm EDT) and Thursday at 7pm PDT (10pm EDT) to hear Claire Ann Stevenson discuss her book "A Mother's Tears".  Find out how the loss of a cherished son brought her on a path through grief to hope. Visit her blog at amotherstears.blogspot.com
Internet Talk radio-Internet- talk radio - Contact Talk Radio - Internet Talk Radio- -Talk Radio Show
http://www.contacttalkradio.com
CONTACT Talk Radio Network: A media platform that presents cutting edge information geared toward spirituality,business, health, environmental issues and activism; connecting listeners with tools that assist them in making educated and empowered decisions.

Clip from an interview about a show that I was on

Kay VanHoesen, founder of Here Women Talk radio, was interviewed on a television station in her area. She mentioned one of the shows on her site. It was the "Rivers of Faith"show that I was on with Donna Tyson. Here is a clip of her interview.

"Rivers of Faith" wth Donna Tyson [HQ]

Here Women Talk founder Kay Van Hoesen talks about "Rivers of Faith" hosted by Donna Tyson (airs every Tuesday, 11am-12pm EST) at www.HereWomenTalk.com (this video is part of a January 2011 interview with a local TV program)

Length: ‎1:33