Your Grief Path

Your grief path is unique to you. There is no prescribed path to ease everyone’s grief. Your grief may be from any type of loss. It could be the passing of a loved one, the loss of one’s own health, or the loss of a relationship or even a former way of life. First, let’s explore how you may discover your own personal path.

There is pleasure in the pathless woods. Lord Byron

Part of how to find your path through grief is to discover or perhaps rediscover what brings you pleasure. Do you enjoy active or passive pursuits? Are you the creative type? Read EMPOWERED LIVING or ERASE GRIEF . Do you like exploring new things? Are you attracted to nature? Check out THINK LIKE WATER . Do you tend to be an extrovert or an introvert? Try to recall what brought you pleasure through different seasons of your life, whether in childhood, as a young adult or as an older one.

Once you’ve analyzed your tendencies, you are ready to map your own path. Recall those pleasant experiences and engage in some of them! Then, take notice how any of these activities or relaxations change your grieving.

Is Your Grief Path Complicated?

Next, it is important to consider the severity of your grief. Sometimes if grief seems to be unmanageable, we need to evaluate where we are on this journey. Here is a brief quiz to help you determine if you need to seek help from a licensed doctor in order to cope: https://www.psycom.net/complicated-grief-quiz . If you feel incapacitated in life, medical professionals can assist us to get back on the path to feeling like a fully functioning human.

Ease Your Grief Path

Another strategy which may help to ease your grief path involves your sense of smell. Essential oils have this potential. These oils may be diffused into the air, worn on jewelry or applied topically with a carrier oil. In reviewing several sites on essential oils, relaxing oils such as lavender or chamomile or rose are frequently mentioned. These oils can help to release emotions associated with grief. There must be something about the scent of rose. At times I’ve noticed that funeral homes have a faint scent of rose, presumably for that very reason. In fact, one time during my teaching career, I was wearing rose scented perfume or lotion at school. One of my former students turned up her nose and told me I smelled like the funeral home. (I couldn’t bring myself to wear that rose scent again…at least not around school children!)

Another consideration is using water to wash away those negative things. Toxins, in particular, may collect in our bodies. Check out WASH AWAY NEGATIVITY! I know I certainly feel much better and relaxed when I focus on these issues. Unquestionably, grief can be affected by clearing those toxins.

When I have gone for a massage during an active grieving stage, the massage is likely to trigger tears. There are certain parts of our bodies where we hold on to grief. Licensed Massage Therapists (LMT) know how to help release these stressors. It is a normal, natural and necessary process to cry.

Gratitude can undeniably affect our disposition as well as our grief process. Feeling thankful is likely to give us a more positive frame of mind, regardless of what is happening in our world. Here is Gratitude for Hard Times as a concluding post.

There is no right way to grieve; there is only your way to grieve and that is different for everyone.

Nathalie Himmelrich

Finally, may you find your path in the pathless woods to enable you to be your best self. While it may feel like a long and winding road, you will thank yourself for the journey.

Signs from Our Loved Ones

Once we lose someone, we may long for signs from our loved ones. Just a few days ago, I was driving to town and trying to find a good song on the radio. Just as I approached a stop sign, a phrase caught my attention and started the tears. It was the John Denver song, Back Home Again. The phrase was “It’s the little things that make a house a home.” You see, the poem I wrote in a previous post, Mother Tribute, stated, “Much more than house, she made our place a home.” This definitely felt like a sign from my mom! Here is the song.

Signs from Nature

Not only can a random radio song be one of many signs from our loved ones, but there are also many other ways we may receive a sign. Nature is wonderful at giving us a “wink” from our loved ones. My very first Mother’s Day without our son was one such example. See My Mother’s Day Guest. Another time during a Christmas without our son, nature came through big time! Click on OUR VISITOR.

Loved Ones: Signs in Our Dreams

I have had a few (but not nearly enough) dreams with our son. My very favorite dream was the best dream I’ve ever had in my entire life (thus far). In fact, from reading this article, it sounds as if it could be classified as a visitation dream: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/dream-catcher/201110/visitation-dreams. My dream was amazing with little introductory parts, then my awakening several times before the huge finale! All the awakenings enabled me to arise and record my dreams so that I could more easily recall and analyze the series of dreams. It was very nearly like a large orchestral piece with a number of separate movements, each complete within itself. See MIRACLES AND DUETS.

Signs from Memories

Sometimes we may feel as if we receive a sign when we engage in mining our memories. Stars brought this very feeling to me from exploring memories of our son. It tied the past to the present in a remarkable way.

Signs from Our Loved Ones Conclusion

With some of my examples, I felt no question as to whether they were a sign as they were absolutely extraordinary. Initially, I questioned whether some of the simpler things were actually a sign. Then I realized, what is the harm of accepting all of them as a sign? I have found that by whole heartedly accepting everything as a sign from one of our loved ones, it comforts me. Goodness knows that when we are grieving, we need to feel comforted and remembered.

P.S. I also love the refrain of Denver’s song with the words, “Hey, it’s good to be back home again,” also reminding me our son, as well as my mom, dad, brother and many other family and friends, are with one another and truly “back home again”.

Chronic Pain Relief

Could chronic pain relief be offered by complementary medical practices? Coping with lingering and debilitating pain can be quite a challenge. What if there were treatments which could ease some of this difficult health condition?

I first became aware of complementary ways to improve health through our son. When he was a teenager, he built a large and elaborate (translation: loud) sound system in his car. At that time, he was experiencing asthma. Even though he was on the typical inhalers, he discovered further relief by leaning against his beefy speakers. The booming bass sounds apparently helped to clear his lungs.

Later, when he was in his thirties and dealing with pancreatic cancer, he would sit in his self-designed surround-sound living room and crank the tunes. Following surgeries or chemotherapy sessions, we would find him snuggled in his recliner allowing the bass to induce pain relief.

This site supports the use of low frequency sound for pain as well as other conditions: https://www.healthandbass.com/. Here is a fibromyalgia study which suggests low frequency sound healing “serves to ‘close the gate’ to the transmission of pain”. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4325896/

Other Pain Relief

Binaural beats are a unique healing method. It involves wearing headphones which direct a different frequency into each ear. For example, one ear may receive a frequency of 4 hertz while the other could be 6 hertz. The brain would combine them to 5 hertz. When I have listened to binaural beats, it gave me the relaxing sensation of sitting in a gently rocking boat on the water. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03160300

One time, I was using my tuning forks for a family member. After I finished working on her, I noticed her scrolling through her phone. I had the aha moment to request her to search YouTube for videos of certain frequencies. She found some! The videos give a more continuous sound experience compared to repeatedly having to strike a tuning fork. That led to the resources in the next paragraph!

Another source of relief is a certain single frequency: 174 hertz. This particular one gave me immediate relief for a level 5 pain! Check out it out: Pain Blessings When It Hertz!. Here is another one with that same hertz: PAIN: KNOCK IT DOWN – 174 HZ .

Energy Healing for Chronic Pain Relief

While I was searching for ways to help our son during his seven years of pancreatic cancer (from diagnosis to his passing), I found Spring Forest Qigong (SFQ): https://www.springforestqigong.com/ or perhaps I could say it found me! I was in a group which practiced it for a time. Intriguingly, for those group members who were not able to do the standing exercises, benefits were derived by IMAGINING they were doing the exercises while lying down! Here is a study by the world renowned Mayo Clinic on SFQ results on chronic pain: https://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/09/prweb4477844.htm

Through ordering a number of SFQ books and CD’s, my priority at the time was to find something involving energy healing at a distance. I would send this energy to our son every evening before I fell asleep. He felt it helped his longevity. I now practice this for myself each day. Whenever I skip a day, I can tell. However, doing SFQ on a daily basis, I feel better than I did over thirty years ago!

Nature and Arts Healing

Chronic pain relief may be eased by discovering what creates relaxation for us, personally. The ease derived from finding what gives one a sense of awe can be quite healing for our bodies. The important thing is discovering what creates this feeling. Awe and Wonder explores some possibilities, including nature. Whether our pain is from emotions such as grief or from physical pain, finding awe and wonder is essential. I would be remiss if I did not mention the positive effects of the arts on our wellbeing as in ARTS A Bridge To Life .

Old or New Knowledge?

Do we think these methods of chronic pain relief are old or new knowledge? From what I’ve read, I strongly suspect that healing with sound is age old knowledge. Many ancient structures were expertly built with strong acoustic properties. https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology-mysterious-phenomena/experts-unravel-sound-effects-malta-s-hypogeum-hal

As to the qigong, that is a practice dating back more than 4,000 years. There are many different forms of qigong, but all are connected by the way they work.

The arts are as old as the first person who grabbed a stick and drew a line in the sand; the first person to clap their hands in a rhythm; the first person to tell a story.

Our current science is saying that we have four natural states of matter: solid, liquid, gas and plasma (not to be confused with blood plasma). Even though plasma was first discovered by Sir William Crookes in 1879, it does not seem to be a prominent part of K-12 science curriculum. Now, in college level teaching, it is more common.

What is intriguing about plasma is it “glows in the form of stars, nebulas and even the auroras that sometimes ripple above the north and south poles. That branch of lightning that cracks the sky is plasma, so are the neon signs along our city streets. And so is our sun, the star that makes life on earth possible.” Plasma Science and Fusion Center of MIT

Relief at Last…

I mention this glowing and light because for those of us who practice energy healing, we can at times (especially while squinting in bright sunshine) see this faint light flowing from our fingertips. Heat in our hands also increases while working. This study shows scientific measurements of this heat and light generation: https://www.rhine.org/images/jp/v76Fall2012/dJPF2012Joines.pdf While I cannot definitively say that energy healing generates and/or works with plasma, it certainly shares some characteristics. Perhaps when plasma is fully recognized by the general public as a fourth natural state of matter, these old and ancient ways of healing our bodies will be more common place.

Maybe you or someone you know is suffering from chronic pain. If you desire to try any of these methods, please check with your medical professional to ascertain if any of these practices would be recommended. Just as with any medical intervention, results may vary from person to person. May you find comfort and value in your exploration of these new/old ways of healing!

Mother Tribute

Well, this week, I decided to share my mother tribute as nothing else is on my mind. She passed less than a week ago. I would venture to say that rare is the room in our home that does not have some of my mom’s handiwork in it. The doily pictured in this post is one such example.

OUR MOM

Across the years she was our mother dear.
She cooked and cleaned and soothed the fevered brows.
No matter what, her presence calmed our fear.
Her breakfasts featured milk fresh from the cows.
Her music filled the house on lovely days,
Much more than house, she made our place a home.
A tranquil being, measured in her ways,
yet stern and stubborn if our ways should roam.

Sometimes this life throws things we don't expect,
paralysis and limits to her speech.
Then ten and seven years, they slowly crept.
Her perseverance - so how could it teach?
It's this - that now she's where the lame will walk
and fly, the nearly mute with song can talk!

Love you, Mom
Linda

I just imagine her soul, fresh to the heavenly realms, greeting my Dad, my brother, and my son as well as numerous unmentioned loved ones. Such peace, comfort and joy welcomes her.

Grief Resources

Here are some wonderful resources if you have also lost a parent. I noticed in this particular list, https://www.healthline.com/health/losing-a-parent there are definitely some things I’ve experienced this week. This next site is geared toward loss of a mother: https://www.verywellmind.com/coping-with-death-of-mother-5208350 Just as this resource mentions, it is important to feel the feelings – I’ve certainly been there.

Here is an earlier tribute I wrote to my dad as well as my father-in-law: WATCHING THE RIVER RUN. My site typically speaks of child loss grief. Grief of any loved one can bring many types of challenges. If you find yourself needing extra support during any type of grief, including that which is addressed in my mother tribute, please acknowledge your sorrow and find the action or connection which will help to ease your pain. Remember your loved one lives on through us via our DNA (if we are blood related), as well as our memories. May you find comfort in whatever grief you may be experiencing.

P.S. Mother Tribute – A Sign!

P.S. Interestingly, this particular post gave me a few issues on word count. For a post to be properly searched on the internet, it needs to have at least 300 words. My initial draft, even though it had at least that many words, only counted the first paragraph! When I contacted tech support, they suggested I redo the verse in a paragraph block rather than a verse block. I really wanted it to be in a verse block, because with different devices doing the reading of my post, it more than likely would negatively affect line length and readability as a poem. So, I deleted the poem, then retyped the poem in verse block to fix the issue. Amazingly, it worked that time. This feels like the first sign from my mom. Strokes affected her speech. Just like this very post, the words were inside, but they didn’t count…

Grief and Growth Mindset

Grief and growth mindset could be a good pairing. I first became acquainted with the term ‘growth mindset’ while substitute teaching in a middle school guidance class. The concept of growth mindset was contrasted to a fixed mindset.

Here is a video of Carol Dweck who developed this guidance model. While it is geared toward education and children, I feel it could have general application to life and grief practices. Perhaps because my entire career was in teaching (art), I believe growth does not stop at the attainment of a graduation diploma. Nor do I feel that grief – even for one’s own child – must end one’s hope and satisfaction with life.

A fixed mindset avoids challenges and gives up easily. This leads to negative thinking. Dweck in her 2006 book, Mindset, proposes that changing our beliefs from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset can have profound effects.

Just this morning, I came across a friend’s term EGR, standing for Extra Grace Required. Her thoughts on EGR are in regards to dealing with others who are a challenge. What if we applied EGR to ourselves while we are grieving? Could we extend a bit of extra grace and tender loving care to ourselves during periods of grief?

Choosing Growth

Here are some strategies for choosing growth while one is grieving. A number of my posts are geared toward a concept of growth. When we are grieving, we all desire a sign from our dearly departed loved one. If this is one’s hope, we must focus and be aware of details. It could be a song on the radio, a random sighting of something significant connected to your loved one or an unusual occurrence. Here is one of my sign stories: My Mother’s Day Guest.

The arts are a prime way to ease and cope with our grief. Here is an art history journey to help comfort and ERASE GRIEF. Another arts example: BROKEN compares the Japanese art of Kintsugi, to feeling broken when grieving. Kintsugi involves rejoining the pieces of a broken pot with golden joinery and savoring the beauty of the journey. The golden joinery does not camouflage the damage, but honors it.

Sometimes sound therapy can be soothing to an aching heart. I have found it helps me. This post, Tuning into Healing: Grief, gives you the tools to do so, via a video.

Gratitude may not be the first practice one would think of while grieving. However, this post shows how it can be transformative: Gratitude for Hard Times.

Several posts deal with grief models, one of which is GRIEF RELIEF. Approaching Grief also includes how some other cultures work with grief. Wait Grief Weight addresses different grieving styles we may have due to personality and/or gender.

How Can Nature Help Grief and Growth?

Being in nature is a very healing place while grieving. Not only do many receive signs from loved ones while outdoors, but it is also simply a gorgeous place to relax and find peace. We can find lessons. (Sorry, yes, this teacher is always on the lookout for lessons!) During a nature hike, I contemplated what we could learn from water: THINK LIKE WATER. There are truly many amazing things that water can teach us. All of nature is an apt model for answers to what we may apply to our lives. Just look at flowers, for example.

For a flower to bloom it must push through the dirt!

Dealing with grief isn’t always easy, but if we work with it rather than against it, we can improve in order to live our best lives. I’m quite certain that our loved ones would want us to more fully demonstrate our love for them by continuing to live, to learn, to create our lives. Having a growth mindset can help our grief. In this way, we may honor them.

Awe and Wonder

Have you ever thought about what gives you a sense of awe and wonder? It is actually a healthy practice to feel this state. What gives you this feeling?

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. Albert Einstein

My Wonderful Awe

Here are a few things which bring me to that beautiful state of being.

  • Just the other day, I felt my breath deepen as I gazed up at the gorgeously white thunderheads, mushrooming larger against the backdrop of the intense blue sky. As the clouds built upward right before my eyes, I heard the breeze begin to intensify. All at once, a majestic turkey vulture – this black bird with a six foot wing span – began circling and riding the thermals. Higher and higher it soared. It was as if it was peering into the bright heavens themselves. I imagined the winged wonder observing our loved ones smiling, waving and cheering us on. As I tasted this sweetness of longing, I savored the beauty.
  • Many times art and music have moved me to the awe and wonder frame of mind. I’ve been in an art museum where a piece overwhelmingly moved me so that I was drawn to sit in front of it to fully absorb and contemplate the wonder of the artistry. Years ago while performing in college band, there were pieces which could bring tears to my eyes, it was so movingly beautiful. Sometimes while practicing piano, there are pieces which will induce goosebumps because I love the music so much!
  • There are probably not many people who can resist ogling over an adorable infant. Recently we were at our local pharmacy. A young mother was there with her cherub on the counter. I just couldn’t resist a comment. I remarked, “Are babies now the latest in perscription medicine, if so, I’d like one, too!”

Awe and Wonder Study

One of the more recent topics currently under study is this sense of awe and wonder. In order to be a healthily functioning human, it is important to gift ourselves experiences which may invite the feeling. This article by Dacher Keltner encourages us to move beyond the mundane into the marvelous in order to expand what it means to be human: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_do_we_feel_awe Here are benefits from practicing this mindset: https://www.mindful.org/eight-ways-awe-boosts-your-well-being/.

These are a few of my posts which focus upon the awe and wonder of nature: Ten Musings On Beauty, The Mirror Tree, OUR VISITOR and THINK LIKE WATER. I have also found that making a habit of exploring my sense of wonder seems to be beneficial to transforming my grief. Practicing any of the arts has been noted to ease grief as well. Deep involvement with nature as well as the arts are effective research based methods of finding comfort during the grieving process.

When I think of awe and wonder, this theme song comes to my mind. It explores the wonder of nature which we as humans have been gifted to explore. Just imagine that this realm of nature in which we live is as alive as Julie Andrews expresses! Perhaps you will even be moved to harmonize with her!

May you be inspired to focus your awareness on what brings you to your sense of awe and wonder!

Softer Side of Grief

Dear James,

It has now been six years since you’ve crossed the threshold of the heavenly realms. I miss you ever so much. Even though there is never a day when I don’t think of you with longing, I feel I’ve touched the softer side of grief.

I first started grieving for you when you were initially diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at age 31. What is fascinating to me, however, is that you welcomed the diagnosis! I do understand why. It was very frustrating to have been darting from doctor to doctor for two years to figure out why your body felt as it did. This knowing gave direction for treatment.

In your early thirties’ wisdom, you expressed gratitude, yes, even after this bombshell of news. You felt as if you’d been given another twelve years of life. The excruciating episode of having asthma pop a hole in your lung at age 19 could have easily pulled you from this life.

Softer Side of Grief: Gratitude

If you were grateful for a pancreatic cancer diagnosis as well as another twelve years of life, couldn’t I be grateful now in grief? I did, after all, do a gratitude journal while you were in hospice. It was quite a challenge to find anything for which to be thankful during that time. However, I did. This practice can really change a person’s outlook to encourage looking for what is good. It made me understand there is really much we are given that I take for granted. (Here is a post on establishing a gratitude practice: Gratitude for Hard Times.)

Teaching Moments

When I look back, I see there were many moments you were my teacher. As a toddler, you at least once told me, “Oh, poo-bah, don’t worry about it!” Wow, just to think that my little child got it – why should I worry?

One of the more painful times was when you were in the midst of dealing with pancreatic cancer. You had tremendous issues with the slogan for the pancreatic cancer organization. It was “Know It, Fight It, End It”. For that reason, you did not want to be a spokesman for them. Now, I totally understand why. The problematic part of the slogan was “Fight It”. Your experience taught you that portion should be “Accept It“. You found that your body could not be in a relaxed healing mode if you made yourself to feel you were in an ever vigilant battle. However, when you were accepting of all the parts of your body, including any ill parts, your body felt better with relaxation. It must have worked well as you lived nearly seven years past your p.c. diagnosis.

Softer Side of Grief: Acceptance

Just as you taught me it was beneficial to be accepting of your illness, I learned it can be helpful to be accepting of my grief. When we accept our grief and “baby” it, it can soften. Allowing ourselves to cry or to have a day of reminiscing our loved ones can be healing. Searching for ways to ease grief can help. For me, I allow tears to wash, memories to refresh and creativity to heal. The key is that each person has their own unique ways to find comfort in grief. (Here is my post on GRIEF RELIEF. This site also includes help for grief: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/grieving-dont-overlook-potential-side-effects-2019010415722.)

Look for the Light

  • Don’t fight the darkness – bring the light, and darkness will disappear. Maharishi Mahest Yogi
  • Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness. Anne Frank
  • Without the dark, we’d never see the stars. Martin Luther King Jr.

Rather than worry about what if, we can accept and be grateful for what is. Thank-you, James, for being one of my lights, my candles, my stars! You have helped me to find the softer side of grief!

Love, Mom

Predictions: Problems or Positives?

How do you predict?

Are your predictions typically problems or positives? What if you had a gathering of one hundred of something much as the above picture? Would you say, “Shoo, go away”? How about, “Come closer so I could get to know you better”?

Let’s try a bit of a closer look.

Oh my, now we know they are turkey vultures! If you were not curious, you might just assume the worst about this unique looking creature. Did you know if you were up close and personal to this bird that if you looked straight into one nostril, you’d also be looking straight through the other nostril? Perhaps if we investigated our assumptions more thoroughly, we’d be more positive with our predictions.

Did you know that these birds never kill their food, but only eat critters that were already dead? Those finely honed nostrils are able to detect the scent of their food over a mile away within 12 to 24 hours of the death.

The turkey vulture name means cleansing breeze! Maybe it is because they are the carrion cleaning crew! If it weren’t for these birds working in community to rid the area of rotting, deceased animal carcasses, it would not be quite as pleasant.

Prediction: Who is related to them?

With more than twenty guesses, I would have never predicted the bird most closely related to the turkey vulture. I find it fascinating that the very bird who represents birth, the stork, is related to a bird so closely connected with death.

The T.V. is typically two and a half foot tall with a six foot wing span, however its body weighs only three pounds. Their life span can be up to twenty-four years. They are actually evolutionary marvels as their featherless head is a benefit when eating their messy feasts. In the midwestern United States they are known as a harbinger to spring as they find their way back north. Here are a couple of sites to learn more on turkey vultures: https://www.cmnh.org/the-great-(and-gross)-turkey-vulture and https://www.chattnaturecenter.org/visit/experience/wildlife/animal-facts/turkey-vulture/

How could knowing this help me with problems or positives?

We could broaden ourselves, much as the majestic turkey vulture does when it spreads its wings to warm in the morning sun. Our broadening, however, would be in educating ourselves. The more I learned regarding this bird, the less I feared it. I gained a new appreciation for another creature. The same is true of any culture or belief that is foreign to us. Once we learn more, we may find there are some commonalities and characteristics to change our perspective to a more appreciative one. It could allow talking points to compromise with others. We can bridge from judging and jumping to conclusions by striving to understand. It is possible to change our predictions from problems to positives!

If you enjoyed this journey through nature, here is another of my posts on nature: THINK LIKE WATER. Learning about nature can actually help us to be better humans.

P.S. If you are attracted to these articles, you are welcome to follow me by scrolling to the top or bottom of this page. Simply click follow and enter your email so you will be certain to receive my future posts! Thanks for reading!

Sweetest Antidotes

Allow me to tell you about some of the sweetest antidotes. Just the other day, a dear friend called to ask if I knew what home care to do for her granddaughter’s bee sting. Of course, all sorts of information can be found with a few keystrokes on the internet. This site gives initial actions to take as well as potential emergency situations to know. https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-to-treat-a-bee-sting-1298219

What amazed me was one of the suggested antidotes. It was honey! I just found it so amazing that the very same creature who inflicted the injury could be capable of calming it! This is like providing a huge apology for inflicting the sting! Speaking of these seemingly contradictory pairings, here is one of my posts to Learn from Opposites.

Interestingly, honey acts as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial. What a remarkable design of nature to have one creature which both strikes with a sting and provides a poultice.

Sweetest Antidotes – Not As Sweet

In essence, the bee also reminds me of the snake. When a person suffers a snake bite, the antidote involves something sourced from the snake. The treatment involves a small bit of the venom made into something called antivenom. This site describes the process: https://www.aaas.org/sites/default/files/sw-091613-bitingback.pdf. Although the snake’s antidote is not nearly so sweet as a bee’s, it is certainly life saving.

Nature Sweetest Antidote!

Nature in her infinite design is many times an apt model. Here is another post on the topic of optimistic views of nature: ROOM FOR MIRACLES? The antidote situation made me think about all the issues and troubles in the world. When the world is out of balance could we apply this wisdom of opposites? Just as nature illustrates, especially with the bee, perhaps there is a lesson for us. Think of war versus peace, hunger versus gluttony, homelessness versus multiple mansions. Then, there is inequality with human rights, health care and other resources, etc. Where should we look for the honey to solve the world’s problems?

The same could be true of personal problems. By far my biggest sting was losing our son. The sweetest of my antidotes became writing. If reading of my child loss experiences may sooth another person’s path, it then becomes a salve to my soul. When nature is a model, our sweetest antidote answers will originate from the source of the sting. Wouldn’t it be a “bee-utiful” world?

Summer Senses

With the beginning of summer, our senses are treated to a smorgasbord of delights! Focusing on nature can be a direct way to inner peace. Concentrating on each of our senses while out in nature can also be a healthy way to slow down and quiet one’s grief. Enjoy a variety of quotes and photos on summer senses!

Sense of Summer Touch

I just love the feel of sun on my skin in the summer! All the different textures of plants as well as the feel of soil in my hands while working in the garden are special summer treats. Add to that, feeling the gentle breeze while in the yard swing – could summer be any more perfect? Feel the fresh air easing away any tension!

  • Yellow is my favorite summer color – it makes me feel like a sunflower! Bria Vinaite
  • Keep your face to the sunshine and you will never see the shadows. Helen Keller

Smells of Summer

Summer has scents unique to the season. While the following photo is not roses, pre-summer is the beginning of the end of the fragrance of lovely red peonies. Perhaps the grill may be another fixture of summertime aromas! Later in the summer, the enticing smell of tomato vines invites my mouth to water! Can you sniff the summertime scent of joy?

  • It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside. Maud Hart Lovelace from Betsy-Tacy and Tib
  • There are new smells on the wind, the healthy scent of green and growing things, the way a summer day can smell, or a greenhouse, sugarsmooth aroma of budding trees and water flowing free across coarse and sparkling sand. Caitlin R. Kiernan
Red Peonies

Summer’s Tastes

  • Summer has a flavor like no other. Always fresh and simmered in sunshine. Oprah Winfrey
  • What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness. John Steinbeck

Those contrasting flavors between summer and all the other seasons are part of what makes it so special. What are some comforting tastes you associate with summer?

Sights of Summer

In the summer, the colors may intensify or fade, depending upon the current rainfall. We may even spy folks enjoying kayaking on a local pond. Perhaps sighting a special bird or butterfly may help you realize your departed loved one may be near!

  • In early June the world of leaf and blade and flowers explode, and every sunset is different. John Steinbeck
  • Oh, the summer night, has a smile of light, and she sits on a sapphire throne. Bryan Procter
Summer Kayaking

Summer Sounds

  • Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. John Lubbock
  • Summer afternoon – summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language. Henry James

If you’d like some ideas on other ways to appreciate the outdoors summer weather, check out this website: https://indyschild.com/100-things-to-do-outside-this-summer-at-home/. Following all of this summer talk, perhaps you need to cool down a little! Here is a post on Call of the Winter!

May you enjoy a balance of work and rest as you enjoy your summer senses – wherever you are in the Northern Hemisphere on the third planet from the sun!

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