I will be a guest on the radio program, Take a Soul Step with Me, hosted by Cathryn Taylor on Blog Talk Radio on Wednesday, January 27th at 5:00 pm CST.
Click below to listen to the show.
If you would like to learn more about Cathryn Taylor and her work please visit her website:
EnJOY your day!
I’ve been asked to provide some of my writing for two different blogs. Both of them have been published this week. Here are the links:
http://lesleehorner.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/kims-click/
If I get enough hits on Monique Chapman’s blog, I will be a guest on one of her radio shows!
Enjoy your day!
I’m always so glad when I see media pieces that talk about after death communication.
Today I saw two completely different, but very stunning examples.
On THE TODAY Show this morning, a story ran about a little girl named Elena who died from cancer in 2007. After her death, her parents and younger sister began to find notes all over the house telling them how much Elena loved them. And, it wasn’t just a few notes here and there. To date they have three large plastic containers full of notes.
They even found notes that were sealed in envelopes which they have chosen not to open so they will always have an unread note available from their daughter.
Meredith Viera asked them if they thought Elena somehow knew of her impending death, even though as parents they had chosen not to tell her. Their reply was that they sincerely hoped not and they choose to believe that she did not.
Receiving these notes has been very healing for this family and has helped them on the road to acceptance and peace.
I believe that we all know everything that is going to happen – but we know it on such a deep level that we would consciously never ever access it – but some part of our soul does know.
Here is the story from TODAY if you would like to see it:
The second stunning example happened on The Oprah Show this afternoon. The Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol showed up and chose someone from the audience to receive $25,000 . A woman’s name was read off and she came excitedly to the stage. During the commercial break, she told Oprah that she knew her husband was responsible for this wonderful surprise. She explained that she had had Oprah show tickets since 2007 but because of her husband’s illness, they hadn’t been able to use them until now. She went on to say that before her husband passed away on September 9th, they had discussed ways in which they could still continue to communicate with each other after her husband had passed. Another marvelous example of our loved ones sending something wonderful into our lives – but more importantly letting us know that they are indeed alive and well, and living marvelous new lives. I’ll bet for that woman having that knowing about her husband is worth more to her than winning the $25,000. Check out Oprah’s video to watch it all unfold. Now there will always be those who will say that these are simply just coincidences … and of course they have every right to believe that if they choose to. For my money – these are both stunning examples of the connection we all have with those we love. Love is a bond that can never be broken … not even by death! And that is the best news of all!
I had the opportunity yesterday to be a guest on Achieve Radio with Nancy Wallace.
The show has been archived and it can be accessed at
http://www.achieveradio.com/archplayer.php?showname=The M
Enjoy your day!
Kim
I’m back from spending five wonderful days in our nation’s capital. I had never been there before and was able to see many things I have only dreamt about for many years.
The purpose of my trip was two-fold. The main purpose was to partner with Campus Firewatch and promote fire safety issues on college campuses across the country.
On Thursday we kicked off the day with a press conference which included speeches by Congressmen, Bill Pascrell of New Jersey and Joe Wilson of North Carolina.
The highlight was the speech given by Edye Smith, a parent like me, who lost her son in an off-campus house fire.
The second part of the day consisted of breaking up into groups of fire personnel, current college students, and parents.
My group visited staffers of Cong. Keith Ellison, Sen. Al Franken, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, all of whom represent my state of Minnesota.
We were able to convey the urgency of continued education on fire prevention, along with the need to offer incentives for landlords to improve their rental units by adding sprinklers.
There are currently two pieces of legislation that address both of these issues.
It was such a personal day for me. To be able to share the life of my daughter and share her picture with people who never knew her, six years after her death, just boggles my mind and brings me such happiness and peace.
My intention is to spend the rest of my life honoring her and to have the opportunity to work to improve the lives of today’s students is very comforting and rewarding.
And, it was also a wonderful opportunity to see first-hand the workings of our government. The fact that most people never have this kind of opportunity was always on my mind throughout the day.
On the second leg of my trip was spent with my daughter Anna and her best friend Stephanie. Roger and I consider Stephanie to be our unoffical third daughter.
We crammed alot of sight seeing into two full days. The weather was absolutely beautiful and we had a grand time. Here is a list of what we accomplished:
toured the Capitol, including the Rotunda
toured the Supreme Court (saw Judge Sotomayor’s new chair).
visited the Smithsonian to see a Lincoln exhibit, dresses of the First Ladies, and Julia Child’s kitchen.
We visited the White House and saw the First Dog, Bo Obama, out on his afternoon walk! (I was really hoping to see Barack or Michelle, but hey I’m happy we did get to see one member of the Obama family!)
We went to the top of the Washington monument where you can see the entire District as well as Virginia and Maryland.
We ate at a favorite hang out of the Obamas, Good Stuff Eatery, and enjoyed the best hamburger and fries I have ever had … and the beer was great too!
We spent most of Sunday the 20th at Arlington National Cemetery; we visited the graves of JFK, Robert and Ted Kennedy.
We also had amazing seats to watch the changing of the guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
I thought about Liz alot that day because it was the 6th anniversary of her death. It seemed fitting that we should spend the day at Arlington.
As we sat in the trolley waiting to start our tour we noticed that the gentleman sitting right next to me had a large butterfly tattoo on his forearm. We all smiled because we knew it was a sign that Liz was with us in spirit.
We returned home Sunday night, very tired, but very very happy.
To view pictures of the trip click on the links below.
As I write this it is 8:40 am, I’ve been up for almost three hours … I so enjoy the quiet and peacefulness of early morning both inside my home and outside on my patio.
But why am I feeling so completely exhausted and heavy? After all, I’m getting plenty of sleep these days.
Of course I know the reason – today is Liz’s birthday. 26 years ago my beautiful girl came into the world. And it wasn’t an easy entry. She was born on a Monday at 6:00 pm. I had been in labor for most of the weekend. We finally went to the hospital late Sunday night. And, although my contractions continued to get stronger and stronger and closer and closer together, I was making little progress. It was the most physically painful day of my life.
Finally the decsion was made to do a C-section, and my girl was born. She had a huge head of wild black hair and the biggest blue eyes ever.
She was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. And at only a few hours old, her very strong personality was already coming through.
My parents came to see their first grandchild. As they looked through the window of the nursery, Liz lifted up her head and looked right at them, as if to say, “Here I am.”
She made our life “interesting” for the next 20 years. And “interesting” is not always a good thing … but most of the time it was.
We will mark her departure from this earth in eight days.
But all in all, even though I’m sad for what could have been, I’m also very happy for what still is.
And that is that Liz is still very much a part of my life. I know she is still very much a cheerleader – leading me, pushing me on to do things I never would have considered had she not left as she did.
The glass is more than half full – it is overflowing – and for that I will be enternally grateful.
For most of these past six years, I have known that the experiences I have had were not just for me. They were meant to be shared.
Today I took another step in making that a reality.
My story of “The French Lesson” was published in the Sept/Oct issue of Angels on Earth magazine.
Liz’s picture and story will be read by countless people now and I am so incredibly grateful to God for making it happen.
We each have opportunities and choices given to us each and every day. We have the ability and free will to ignore them or to use them.
The sixth anniversary of Liz’s death will be here in about six weeks. My intention is always to find a way to honor her in some way as each anniversary comes and goes.
I never know how I will honor her. However, I haven’t had to think too hard because many wonderful opportunites just seem to present themselves about this time each year.
Last year I was able to send some words of advice via email to the parents of current U of M students moving into off-campus housing. That gelled into more opportunities to create a flyer to hand out at a picnic for U of M students on 9-20-03 at Van Cleve park, just across the street from Liz’s house. I also was given the opportunity to do a TV segment to mark the fifth anniversary of the fire and note the progress made in making off-campus housing safer for today’s students.
This year, once again, the opportunites are beginning to present themselves to me.
Liz was an avid cheerleader in high school. I learned last week that for the second year in a row, the alumni cheer team will perform at our county fair in memory of Liz.
In September, a story I wrote about Liz will be published in Angels on Earth magazine.
Today I was contacted by a local TV station and asked to do another news piece on fire safety. The story will air during the first week of classes at the U of M.
There are no words to express my gratitude for these opportunities to make a difference AND to remember my girl.
I’d like to think, and I am confident, that Liz is playing an integral part in pulling it all together and making it happen.
We are a team and together we make a difference. And that, makes life worth living.
I’ve been asked a lot lately if I still get signs from Liz.
I’m happy to report that I do. But it’s not like you might think.
I have no control over when a sign will come. Early on, I was obsessed and would wake up each day wondering if something would happen.
That’s very normal for new grief – and I’m certain that Liz needed to send me signs just as much as I wanted and needed to receive them.
And I have to state the obvious here — I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know why I have received so much when others in similar situations feel they have received no communication from their loved ones.
Alot depends on the loved one on the other side. Alot depends on the openness of the people left here on earth to look beyond what they can see and touch.
The signs she sent in those first days, weeks, and months were not always for me. In looking back, that was a very good thing. It brought validity to them. If I had been the only one to receive signs I and others probably would have questioned my sanity.
But she reached out to her friends and her family and spread it around. Those she chose really “got it” and most importantly were not afraid to share their experience. That is huge.
I went through a stage where I tried to get her to do something on a particular day and time. It didn’t work and was particularly frustrating and just plain made me mad.
But it made me realize and finally accept the fact that I can’t control this. It is completely out of my control. Once I had that realization, I was able to come to the conclusion that I had to be thankful for the experiences I had already received. And, eventually I was able to accept the fact that even if I never got another thing from her, it would be ok.
I knew without any doubt whatsoever that Liz lives on. Not only does she live on, she’s extremely happy and she is doing important work. I no longer feel any need to worry about her. As a parent that is HUGE!
So, getting back to signs. No, I never know when one will come. But they pop up every now and then – usually when I least expect them. And, they are a wonderful surprise.
I was told early on to “expect the unexpected” where Liz is concerned. That certainly was true when she was physically here … and it still rings true today.
We have a bond that is unbreakable. I feel now, after almost six years without her physical presence, that we are closer than ever.
We are a team – stronger than we ever would have been together on earth. She knows what I do not. God is the playwright and we the actors – and by sharing our experiences with others, it promotes hope, promise and healing.
We’ve all heard the statement that “everything happens for a reason.”
From my perspective that is essentially true. Although things happen that we don’t like and that are completely and totally unfair … but that is life.
What we do with those losses are what counts. And it is always our choice.
We can be sad, angry, resentful and unhappy for a time or for the rest of our earthly lives if we choose to.
We can also learn from our pain, use it for good and reach out to help others.
We can choose to live our lives in love or in fear.
Make good choices — choose love!
Welcome to my blog about love, life and transformation!
Kim
