Living Life Well Issue 3 | Page 2

I’M FREE It’s been a difficult month for me. My Mother passed away. It’s strange even writing those words and seeing them appear on the page. Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free, I’m following the path God laid for me. I took his hand when I heard his call, I turned my back and left it all. I could not stay another day, to laugh, to love, to work, to play. Tasks left undone must stay that way, I’ve found that peace at the end of the day. It’s something that I didn’t think would happen for many years to come. With her passing many questions have been raised within me, many challenges, much grief and sorrow. I miss her. If my parting has left a void, then fill it with remembered joy. A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss, Ah, yes, these things too I will miss. Be not burdened with times of sorrow, I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow. My Life’s been full, I savoured much, good friends, good times, a loved one’s touch. Perhaps my time seemed all too brief, don’t lengthen it now with undue grief. Lift up your heart and share with me, God wanted me now, He set me free. Janice M. Fair-Salters I know the closeness I have with my Mother will never end, it is simply a different journey we are on now. She is still with me, she is still offering her wisdom and her guidance, just in more gentle and subtle ways. As much as I know this, selfishly I still wish it were different. We rely so heavily on the physical don’t we. Perhaps even take for granted the touch of a loved one, the ease with which we can connect with each other through so many different medias; email, phone, facebook or the wonderful blessing to meet in person. It has opened a new dialogue for me in my life, a dialogue about life and death, the meaning of eternal relationships and soul contracts. Just a private dialogue that floats gently within my thoughts and these cold winter nights seem to lend themselves to this kind of thinking. 2 The gentle questioning of purpose, the gentle dialogue of Why. This month we look at the journey through winter, the coldness that we feel and the desire to hibernate. The grief we feel at the passing of a loved one can perhaps be likened to this journey through winter; we allow ourselves the space to hibernate, retract in order to nourish our raw needs. From this space we can gather our internal thoughts once more, take our time to reach out as the warmth of the sun begins to touch our physical and emotional aching, until we can stand once more, upright and alive in the glorious sunshine and be present, strong and whole once more. Warmest, Delyse 3