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Dearest Elizabeth,

As I write this letter to you today, I cannot help but reflect back to sixteen years ago. It was sunny and beautiful, with the hints of Fall beginning to make their appearance. I cannot help but be overwhelmed with a surge of so many different emotions. I could write on and on about how I wish things could have been different, or how one learns to live in joy again when someone you love so deeply leaves you so quickly. But these are all topics for another day.

Today, my heart and soul are overwhelmingly and unequivocally filled with LOVE and GRATITUDE for YOU. Your physical presence has been absent for 16 years now, and we all miss that so much. As I heard from so many people, you always knew how to have fun Liz — even when there seemed to be no fun to be had.

I will always remember our last Thanksgiving — after a wonderful meal we played a game — it was charades of sorts. You chose the word thimble and your task was to get us to say it. Only problem, you had no idea what a thimble was used for — so you described it as only you could — as a “finger condom” — much to my chagrin and embarrassment as your grandmother and great aunt sat nearby! There isn’t a Thanksgiving that goes by that we don’t talk about you and remember and laugh about your “finger condom.”

I will be forever grateful to my family, my friends, and all of your friends, Liz. They all continue to boldly speak your name at every opportunity and we all remember and smile and sometimes we just laugh. Your friends have gone on to live wonderful, productive lives. They are husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, teachers, business people, psychologists, doctors, nurses, interpreters, and many other things. And it is good, it is all so good!

You taught us all so many things through your death. You taught me most of all that love never dies, even if people do. There are no words to adequately thank you for reaching out so quickly in those first days, weeks and months, to let me know — to let us all know — that you were fine — you were living a wonderful, new marvelous life — and you continue to make your presence known — even today — and I am SO GRATEFUL.

Roger, Anna and I REALIZE that because of YOU, we are better people — and it is so true Liz. You opened up new possibilities in each of our lives that were completely foreign and even scary to us, and you walked with each of us every step of the way. Because of YOU we each do what we can to make this world a better place — and WE ARE GRATEFUL because of YOU.

We continue to be a family of four, we continue to live in love each and every day because of YOU.

So on this day, I say THANK YOU Liz. YOU have made a difference — in our lives and in the lives of many others.

Well done, good and faithful servant — until we meet again.

Love Always,

Mom

2 Timothy 4:7^{: “}I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

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Categories After Death Communication, Life After Death, Life Experiences, Making a Difference, Momentous Days In History, Spirituality, synchronicities, Uncategorized

Dearest Elizabeth,

20 Sep

As I write this letter to you today, I cannot help but reflect back to fifteen years ago. It was sunny and beautiful, with the hints of Fall beginning to make their appearance. I cannot help but be overwhelmed with a surge of so many different emotions. I could write on and on about how I wish things could have been different, or how one learns to live in joy again when someone you love so deeply leaves you so quickly. But these are all topics for another day.

Today, my heart and soul are overwhelmingly and unequivocally filled with LOVE and GRATITUDE for YOU. Your physical presence has been absent for 15 years now, and we all miss that so much. As I heard from so many people, you always knew how to have fun Liz — even when there seemed to be no fun to be had.

We continue to be a family of four, we continue to live in love each and every day because of YOU.

So on this day, I say THANK YOU Liz. YOU have made a difference — in our lives and in the lives of many others.

Well done, good and faithful servant — until we meet again.

Love Always,

Mom

2 Timothy 4:7^{: “}I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

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Categories After Death Communication, Life After Death, Life Experiences, Making a Difference, Momentous Days In History, Spirituality, synchronicities, Uncategorized

Happy 84th Birthday Dad!

6 Feb

It seems fitting that today, on the occasion of my Dad’s 84th birthday, that I revisit the amazing experience my family and I shared four years ago when we gathered together to mark Dad’s 80th birthday. Time always marches on, and we tend to let important events slip into the recesses of memory … until something happens to trigger then. I think that is why I have done so much writing in the past 12 years. Once you write something down, you can let it take a back seat to every day life. But, on those occasions when you want to bring back the memories, all you need do is look back on what was written and the feelings come rushing back.

GIFT FOR GRANDPA

I was excited as I awoke early that Sunday morning. Today all of my plans and preparations would come full circle. In a short while we would begin to celebrate my Dad’s 80^th birthday. Dad doesn’t like a lot of fuss, but he good-naturedly went along with all of our plans.

I had managed to get his birthday celebration on our local 10 pm news. I had slept right through it, but many people let Dad know that they had seen it. A picture of Dad was in today’s paper announcing his milestone birthday. And there were flowers on the altar at church …. all in honor of Dad.

Our family would gather at a restaurant later in the day to celebrate Dad and honor the role he plays in so many lives. I had hoped to secure a private room at the restaurant, but when I checked early in the week, nothing was available. I was disappointed, but I knew the party would still be the grand celebration I wanted it to be.

We arrived at the restaurant and followed the hostess to our table. Much to my surprise and amazement we had somehow managed to get our own private room after all. We were free to talk and laugh and carry on without disturbing anyone. Two of my favorite cousins – Dawn and Beth, were also joining us. They loved my Dad and were very close to him.

As we finished our meal with an extravagant chocolate dessert we all raised our glasses and toasted Dad. He smiled from ear to ear and got a little teary as he told us how proud he was of his family and how much he loved us.

Beth worked for a photographer and she busily snapped photos throughout our time at the restaurant. As we got ready to leave, we all stood proudly around Dad and took a family photo — something we had not done for a very long time.

Despite the happiness of the day, I couldn’t help but be sad. If only Elizabeth were here I thought to myself – then this day would be perfect. Our 20-year old Elizabeth, our first-born daughter and granddaughter, had died in a fire while attending college in 2003. Even though almost nine years had passed there would always be an empty chair at our family table that no one but Elizabeth could fill. And, it was especially difficult today when we were celebrating such a happy occasion.

The next day I received an email from Beth thanking me for inviting her, and she included some of the photos she had taken. She told me she was concerned when she downloaded the photos and brought the first one up, only to see a large white spot just above my head and on my husband’s arm.

Beth was dismayed and she wondered how this could have happened – would this spot ruin all of the pictures?

As she slowly viewed each picture, she was relieved to see that the white spot was found only on that first photo of our family. As Beth stared at the photo, suddenly it dawned on her – if Elizabeth had been here she would have been standing in the exact place where that white spot had been. Could it be she wondered?

I didn’t have to wonder — I knew. What a wonderful gift Elizabeth had given to her family, especially her Grandpa. I printed off the photo and excitedly asked my Dad to stop over, “I have one last gift for you I told him.”

He came into my kitchen and gently scolded me – “Kimmie, he said, I don’t need any more birthday presents! Everything you gave me yesterday was wonderful.” “Oh, I think you’ll want this one Dad, I said, – but you’d better sit down first.”

He sat down at the table with a quizzical look on his face. I laid Beth’s email in front of him, which said:

Here are 2 pictures from yesterday, I have to correct the lighting on some of the others and then will send more. Can you BELIEVE the first one? I’m not kidding when I tell you that I have NEVER had a white spot show up like that before. Dawn was with me when I downloaded them and we were looking through them. When I first saw it I said “darn it look at that spot on there”, totally expecting it to be on a whole bunch of them….then i go to the next one and it’s gone and it didn’t show up again. Dawn and I looked at each other in disbelief and said “Liz was there too!!”

I quietly laid the photo down and Dad stared at it for a few minutes and then was overcome with emotion, as he realized the significance of the white spot. We both shed tears of joy at the thought that our beloved Elizabeth had been with us yesterday on such a special day. Love never dies, and the bond we all share with those we love is never broken …. not even by death!

Tags: ADC, After Death Communication, celebration of life, Intuitive Living, Life Experiences, love, Spirituality, synchronicities

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Categories After Death Communication, Life Experiences, Momentous Days In History, synchronicities

I Am So Grateful ….

1 Nov

Here is my latest piece on Gratitude, written for THE EDGE magazine ….

There are many things I am grateful for but what I want to focus on here is the gratitude that I have for my oldest daughter Elizabeth. Our relationship has weathered so many emotional experiences for both of us – from total elation on the day of her birth, complete awe and exhilaration during her growing up years, to anxiousness and outright fear and complete despair during her teenage years, to absolute shock and total sadness at her sudden departure, and finally the learning and growth we have both experienced as we sought to establish and maintain our present relationship on both sides of the veil. I often wonder which one of us has learned the most through our experiences of the last 29 years.

I have come to believe that Elizabeth and I made a soul contract before we both came into this lifetime. We each agreed upon the scenario that was put before us, always with the understanding that we were each free to exercise our own free will to change the agreed upon learning scenarios that we had set up in Spirit.

What also brings me to my knees many times over is my deep gratitude and appreciation for the role that The Divine has played in our lives. Spirit truly has been the third person behind the scenes in so many ways. God opened the doors for both of us and presented us with many opportunities to learn, grow and love. What more can one ask for on a return visit to this earth plane? It has always been our own choice as to whether we would accept the challenge put before us, or to decide that no, this is something I’m not willing to do. And saying no is never right nor is it wrong– it is merely a different choice.

The times when I doubted myself, doubted Liz and even doubted the Divine were all learning experiences. When I said, “Yes, I’m in” and I prepared in earnest and was able to complete the divine task given me, I was rewarded by a complete sense of love, validation and confirmation that what I see and feel is real. The feeling that you have pleased The Divine is a feeling of exhilaration like no other; it is as close to pure joy as one can achieve on this earth …. I can scarcely comprehend how wonderful this feeling must be in Spirit.

Gratitude appears in many forms. Once a task has been completed, I anxiously await my next assignment. However, my next assignment may not present itself for some time. Continuous communication through prayer and meditation with The Divine is reward in itself when it becomes a daily practice. You no longer feel alone – but you are guided every minute of every day by a force more powerful than any other – Love. When you learn to live in love, view the world and everyone in it in love, life becomes a joyous adventure.

To check out more from THE EDGE – click this link: http://edgemagazine.net/2012/11/i-am-so-grateful-2/

Tags: gratitude, love, Spirit, The Divine

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Categories After Death Communication, Intuitive Living, Life Experiences, Making a Difference, Spirituality, synchronicities

The Blessed Gift of Liz’s Presence

1 Oct

I have been very blessed during 2012 to have the opportunity to write several articles for Minnesota’s leading Holistic/Metaphysical Magazine called THE EDGE. Here is my latest piece … The Blessed Gift of Liz’s Presence.

** ** ** ** ** **

Many extraordinary experiences have come my way since my daughter’s sudden and tragic death nine years ago. Very early on, when I needed it most, I was shown unequivocally that Elizabeth was alive in spirit and living a new life filled with joy and happiness. These signs and experiences brought me the peace and validation I so desperately needed in order to go on with life again.

However, there came a point when I no longer needed any validation that Liz was still very much a part of my life and always would be. Gone were the days when I would wake up each morning and ask for a sign that day. It was no longer necessary. Liz didn’t need to prove her continued existence to me — she had done so many times over, and I was confident in that reality.

I also worried that I might somehow hold her back if I continued to need constant affirmation of our connection. It took time, but eventually I was ready to completely let her go. We were both in good places…we were always aware of the strong bond of love that would always unite us. We knew where to find each other if we really needed to. So, one morning as I meditated, I took a deep breath and told Elizabeth that I was setting her free. I no longer wanted her to cling so closely to me. She was free to go and do whatever heavenly tasks awaited her.

Life went on and each day brought new joys. Family has always played a very important role in my life. As the oldest of four children and living only one block from my parents for the past thirty years, life has always been about family — celebrating our triumphs, achievements and milestones and supporting each other in our failures, disappointments and losses.

My father’s 80th birthday was just a few months away and I planned a gathering of our family at a local restaurant. I secretly hoped we’d have a private room, but after a couple of calls, it didn’t look very promising. I was disappointed, but I knew the party would still be special — but I sure was hoping for our own room!

The day of the party dawned and we all headed to the restaurant. As the waitress led us to our table, I was pleasantly surprised when we were directed into this large, beautiful room set with a beautiful table and a roaring fireplace. We had our own space after all! I was overjoyed, and it wasn’t until much later that I really began to wonder just how that had come to be.

My cousin, also named Elizabeth, joined us, and she brought along her camera. In addition to working for a photographer, Beth is also an avid picture taker on her own. She took many candid shots during dinner. As the celebration came to an end, we all gathered around the fireplace for one last group photo.

The next day, I received an urgent email from Beth. “You have to see this picture” she told me. “You are not going to believe it!” I opened the photos and perused them all. They were wonderful and really captured the joy we all had as we helped Dad celebrate his special day.

“There’s just one more you need to see,” Beth wrote. I opened the last photo and there was the group picture we had taken in front of the fireplace, just before we left. I slowly scanned the page and was happy to see that we all looked really good! But my eyes stopped abruptly and my breath caught in my throat — and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

Just above my head, next to my husband, was a huge orb. It literally took my breath away as the realization of what it meant hit me. Beth realized it, too.

“Liz was with us, too,” she told me, and I absolutely knew that was true. It was Liz’s sister, Anna, who reminded me that if Liz had been physically with us, she probably would have been standing right where the orb had been.

“Can you believe it, Mom?” Anna excitedly asked me.

“Yes, Anna, I can believe it.”

Even though I had vowed to let Liz go, she still chose to join us for this special time. As I showed the photo to my father, tears filled his eyes.

“This is the best birthday gift I could ever have been given,” he told me, as he hugged me tight.

As I thought about everything that happened that day, so many things came together. My cousin Elizabeth joined us. If she hadn’t been there, no pictures would have been taken. The private room — how had we mysteriously ended up with it? How could this have happened? We each now have a reprint of this picture in our homes, and as I look at that beautiful picture each day, I smile — because I know the answer — it is love.

http://edgemagazine.net/2012/10

Tags: After Death Communication, Life Experiences, orbs, spirit communication, Spirituality, the power of love

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Categories After Death Communication, Intuitive Living, Life After Death, Life Experiences

The New Me is Someone I Never Expected!

5 Sep

My latest article written for THE EDGE http://edgemagazine.net/2012/09/the-new-me-is-someone-i-never-expected/

In a few weeks my 40^th high school class reunion will take place. Those who haven’t seen me in 40 years will be shocked and a bit surprised when they meet “the new me.”

In high school I was extremely shy and a complete introvert. I felt awkward and didn’t feel like I fit in anywhere. Of course, looking back now, I know that wasn’t true – but at that point in my young life it was definitely my perception.

Very early on I made some decisions that were in my book, non-negotiable. Public speaking was at the very top of my list. I can remember giving speeches in high school and my knees would shake and my hands would quiver, and I was so nervous I couldn’t even think straight.

Things have changed dramatically for me through the years. I am more outgoing now and open to meeting new people and creating new experiences; which is what time and living life bring about.

There is a saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks … and sometimes I guess that is true. But what I’ve come to realize is that if the old dog is willing … anything is possible.

Never in a million years could I ever have imagined that I would bury my 20-year old daughter. It was not the right order of things, and it still isn’t. It was non-negotiable … but it happened and suddenly I had to incorporate it into my life, make peace with it, and work through all of the painful emotions to find joy again and a life worth living.

Once I accepted the reality of my daughter’s death, it was easier for other things that I had once considered non-negotiable to be held up for change. Because of the strong connection that I still shared with Elizabeth I had an extreme sense of gratitude to God and The Universe at large. I was no longer a stiff board of do’s and do not’s. My life became malleable and I was molded into something far greater than I could have ever imagined. There is a saying that God can dream a dream bigger than you can ever dream for yourself. I can see this so clearly in my life since that fateful day in September, 2003.

Public speaking has now become something that I do at every opportunity. And my topic is always the same – the most painful experience of my life – the death of my daughter, my journey through it and coming out the other side and back to embracing and loving life again.

The first time I spoke I had practiced for months and questioned my sanity daily. How can I possibly speak in front of strangers about the most painful time of my life? In truth, I didn’t know. All l knew was that my story was important and sharing it could be the catalyst for others to view their own life situations in a different way. I also was confident that if I did everything I could to prepare, The Divine would step in to help me.

This certainly was the case. In fact, when I finished that first talk, I felt the strongest sense of accomplishment I have ever felt … it was a complete sense of euphoria. Spirit had asked me to step up and I had done so. Not without some fear and trepidation — but with the knowing that I would receive help whenever I needed it. The strong presence of my daughter permeates my very being whenever I share our story. In a sense we have become a team and we work together from both sides of the veil to help others. For me, there is no greater calling.

What will the next 40 years bring? I don’t know, but I look forward to whatever adventures Spirit sends my way! Life is JOYOUS!

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Categories After Death Communication, Intuitive Living, Life After Death, Life Experiences, Making a Difference, Spirituality, synchronicities

Life Lessons

2 May

Please welcome guest blogger, Dave Roberts!

I don’t know if I can point to the one most important lesson that I have learned in my life, thus far. Since my daughter Jeannine died on 3/1/03 at the age of 18 of a rare and aggressive form of cancer, many teachings /lessons have made themselves known to me. All of these lessons/teachings have helped me progress from the raw pain of my early grief to adjusting to a world without the physical presence of my daughter. These teachings have redefined me and in the process allowed me to develop a relationship with Jeannine based on pure, unconditional love. I have also been blessed with a supportive group of family and friends who have supported the expression of my experience as I see fit. They don’t view it as good or bad and neither do I. One of the lessons that I have learned in my journey following Jeannine’s death is that labeling an experience prevents us from appreciating fully the lessons inherent in that experience. Labeling someone’s grief experience as good or bad does not allow us to fully appreciate and learn from the challenges that they have encountered along the way.
I have been an addiction professional for 27 years and have also observed the impact of diagnostic labels on how we view clients/patients that we encounter. If we buy into the stigmas associated with labeling, our resulting biases will never allow us to get a complete picture of how the client sees the world and the inherent strengths that they bring to therapy.

Here are some other lessons that I have learned in the years since Jeannine’s death

Doing what we perceive to be the right thing does not guarantee a life that is pain free: Before Jeannine’s illness and death, I always thought that if I worked hard and did the right thing, that God would protect me and my family from harm. However, as God and my experience as a bereaved parent has taught me there are no guarantees in life. Life isn’t about being fair and unfair; it is about learning to negotiate the many challenges that are presented along the way. If we can successfully negotiate these challenges, we develop resiliency and a renewed sense of purpose. We learn to get stronger at the broken places.

There is a difference between entitlement and gratitude: In the early part of my grief journey, I regularly questioned God as to why He chose me and my family to bear the burden of burying one of our family members at such a young age. After all, we had always done the right thing in our lives; because of that we were entitled not to bear this burden of grief. I soon discovered that there were many more parents whose children predeceased them. Connecting with them helped me learn gratitude for having them in my life and gratitude for the present moment.
There is spirit in everything and in everything there is spirit: Many parents that I know have been graced with signs from their children (as have I). Let the signs that you experience not only validate that our children are with us in a different from of energy, but allow you to see yourself as a truly spiritual being. If we can commit to this way of life, it allows us to see life and death differently. We can change our perspective on life and death, if we choose to do so.

All of these lessons have changed how I view the world. I am not the person I was before Jeannine’s death and frankly I don’t know if I could identify with that person. I have become a more loving, spiritual and centered individual as a result of the struggle with Jeannine’s death. Does it mean that I miss her physical presence any less or that I have achieved closure (a process that doesn’t apply to our journeys after the death of our children)? Absolutely not! My journey as a parent who has experienced the death of a child will be life long. I know that I can revisit the emotional pain of Jeannine’s death at anytime. Today, I don’t have the same dread about re-experiencing it. I am, however, more conscious of it and try to discover what my pain is trying to teach me. We can learn from everything, if we are open to it.

David J. Roberts, LMSW, CASAC, became a bereaved parent after his daughter Jeannine died of cancer on 3/1/03 at the age of 18. He has been employed in the addictions field for 27 years and is also an adjunct professor in the psychology and psychology-child life departments at Utica College, Utica, New York. Mr. Roberts also developed a topics course on Parental Bereavement issues, and teaches a Death, Dying and Bereavement course for Utica College. He is a volunteer for Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc, in New Hartford, New York and a member of the All Inclusive Care for Children Coalition.

Be sure to check out Dave’s website: http://bootsyandangel.blogspot.com/

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Categories After Death Communication, Blogs I Read, Intuitive Living, Life After Death, Life Experiences, Making a Difference, Spirituality, synchronicities

A Wonderful Birthday Celebration

7 Feb

Elizabeth Helps Grandpa Celebrate His 80th Birthday!

Yesterday was my Dad’s 80th birthday. I had so much fun planning a little party with our family on Sunday. As time went on new ideas to honor him popped up. I put flowers on the altar at church in his honor. We put his picture in our local paper, and he even made the 10 pm news last Friday night!

We had a wonderful time on Sunday celebrating and honoring Dad. Yesterday we all received a gift that we will all honor and cherish forever. My cousins, Dawn and Beth (Elizabeth) and their husbands, joined us in the celebration. Beth works for a photographer and loves to take photos. All throughout the afternoon she was taking them.

Yesterday I received a note from her about one of the family pics. There was a huge white spot right above my head and close to my husband Roger and my daughter Anna. When Beth first noticed it she was alarmed that something had gone wrong with her camera and perhaps all the photos would be ruined.

Not the case – the white spot, otherwise known as an “orb” was only on one picture.

Excitedly I printed the photo out and called my Dad over. He came into my kitchen, and I told him I had one final birthday gift for him but he’d better sit down first. I explained what an orb was and the significance of it, and then laid the photo down in front of him. He studied the photo from one side to the other and suddenly the realization hit him. His precious first-born granddaughter, Elizabeth, had made her presence known on a very special day in his life.

We both shed tears of joy, and now we really do have a photo of the entire family!

The power of love cannot be broken — not even by death!