Even when expected, and especially when not, death is a shock.

Everyone experiences it in different ways.
However, I believe what everyone does feel is a desire to reflect on their relationship with the deceased, and moving forward, how they may wish to improve – according to their own perception – their relationships with those still alive.

Although troubled in some ways, my sister-in-law Robin had the biggest heart and was a very kind and caring person.
Our children felt especially badly for her sons losing their mother.
We felt sad for losing our sibling, and also for our mother, who had the unnatural experience of losing her child.

While holiday times can be stressful, especially depending upon your family circumstances and situations, I invite everyone to stay focused on love and appreciation of who each person is, rather than who they may not be.

Whether family of birth or chosen, may you treasure those still present in your life today, and let them know you love them.

We often want someone else to make us happy or make us feel better…And good friends can absolutely help us feel better in times of need.  However, only we can actually make ourselves feel whatever it is we want to feel.  We set ourselves up for disappointment when we think someone else can or should do this for us.

While we are here to experience the gamut of emotions available to us, both positive and negative, only we can fill ourselves up in that dark empty space in the depths of our being.  We may want to be saved by someone else’s love, yet we are the only ones who can reach this space, and it is only our self-love that can fill it with light.

The more you fill yourself up deep within, the easier it is to ride out the waves of emotionality that flavor our days.