FOREVER YOUNG

When we lose someone from this life plane we are left to handle our memories and regrets in very intimate ways.  And when the loved one is young, we find ourselves crying out in protest over the injustice of it all.

In our human desires we want our children and friends to grow old, have children, grandchildren and age right along with us.  Somehow we believe this is how life is supposed to be and anything outside of our “norm” is unacceptable.

Handling the pain of loss and dealing with grief is challenging for all of us.  It is an individual process and does not impact two people quite the same way.  Most certainly, there are the steps of grieving that one experiences over time, but I am talking about the experience of our personal loss and how we cope.

During this time, our language may not include words others would prefer to hear.  We may behave in ways that seem unlike us as we struggle with the loss and the pain.  And unfortunately, we may even lash out at those we love, trying to make sense of it all.

This I know for sure; life is everlasting.  The very part of you that cannot be seen or touched – lives on forever.  You move on at some point.  Your being transitions to another reality, leaving this one behind. You existed before you became the physical being you are today.  Your soul entered your tiny body at birth as your spirit transitioned from some other reality into this one.  The same takes place when we leave here.  No one ceases to exist, life is eternal.

Yet for those of us left behind there is such deep sorrow and regret.  And when one leaves us at a youthful age, there is a huge alteration to the plans we may have had.  Too often we go through the steps of living life with plans of the future.  We get caught up in the idea of “tomorrow”, “next time” or “later”.  But life keeps teaching us to live in the moment and stop projecting into the future.  Life demonstrates every day that we only have the now and there is no guarantee what tomorrow may hold.

We can learn to live in the now, appreciate our loved ones – now.  We can stop waiting, and projecting into the future and live today as if it is the last day we have on this planet. As if this is the last time we will hug those we love and look into their eyes.

And as we reach out to one another in loving kindness we will find that forgiveness comes easier and acceptance becomes the mainstay of life.  Because when we love to the fullest, unconditionally, and live in the now there is no longer regret and anger over the past.  It is gone, it is done and we can release it.

And for all the loved ones who have gone on to another plane - - today is a good day to remember the love, the laugher and the light they brought into our lives.  Today is good day to celebrate and to acknowledge the fact that they are not gone, just gone from here.