Last week I felt a strong sense of the presence of Grace in our lives. There is so much each of us hold: both pain and joy, sorrow and hope, loneliness and togetherness. There is also much beauty in our choice of how to open our hearts, to feel, to experience life. This is where Grace happens: in both the beautiful and difficult.
This prayer/poem is my gift to you. May there be openings in your life where you can feel and experience Grace. Grace is freely given always just because you are you. You are Beloved.
A Prayer for Grace
Grace is falling falling from the skies; it comes in thunderous waves of rain and bright rays of sun that embrace the land everyone and everything are within its reach and touch.
Grace is rising rising up from the earth it comes in the songs of the birds the beauty of the flowers and trees inviting you to come closer to see with your own eyes to touch with your own skin to feel within your own body.
Grace is speaking speaking from the Spirit of Creation from the tender mouth of God, that dwells inside every bud, every wave, every beam of light, every person, every creature, every particle of life.
Grace is LOVE birthing, resurrecting, opening, healing You.
Grace is MERCY accepting, embracing, forgiving, loving You.
Grace is yours: it is your gift of God’s great Love for you freely given, alive, everywhere, within you, and always upon you.
Amen.
Blessings of Grace upon you today and always, Erin
I want to share with you a beautiful experience I had this summer. We all need beauty in our lives, but experiencing beauty and awe, seem to be exceptionally important this year with all that is going on in our world both close and far from us. This August my family and I were blessed with the gift of raising a Monarch from our garden. We watched her hatch from an egg, eat her way to becoming a large plump caterpillar, change into a chrysalis, and then into a magnificent creature of flight.
Our beautiful Monarch stayed in our garden for 3 days drinking the succulent nectar of my flowers. She had previously been with us for 26 days as she began as an egg to her birthing into a butterfly. Spending almost a month together we become family to one another. My two year old cried when we had to say good-bye. Possibly she stayed because she wanted to ease his grief; she had love for us as we did her. Maybe she stayed because as she flew into the garden the flowers and milkweed seemed to be a familiar place of love and connection for her: it was where her mother danced and gave birth to her. The flowers also hold the memory of previous generations of Monarchs who drank from their nectar and thus the flowers also have a great love for her, knowing her as a parent knows their child. We, people, creatures, nature, all of creation are connected through this magical web of energy and love. When we see this, and believe this we become part of the great family of creation. This connection of love invites us and allows us to begin to heal and remember who we truly are.
September and October are the months of TheGreat Migration.
The Monarch we were blessed to raise is from the “Super Monarch Generation.” She lives about 7 to 8 months compared to the other Monarch’s who are born after her in the spring (March/April) through the beginning of August. (Each of those generations only live about a month at a time). Additionally, she is flying about 2,400 miles from my home in Massachusetts to the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico to live atop trees at elevations of 2,000-3,000 feet. These creatures with such tiny wings, flying such distance are truly magnificent. Can you imagine being in the mountains and witnessing the beauty of all of them together, all the vastness of the trees, sky and peaks? The lifespan, endurance, and flight of the Monarchs born in August are a mysterious, beautiful gift. These creatures are a symbol of what we are all capable of, but have yet to fully understand.
May we watch these beautiful creatures and learn from them: to have hope, to keep trying, and mostly to believe in the mysterious and wonderful. They have so much to teach us.
I hope you enjoy these photographs of her. And I hope you make the time in your life to notice the connection you have with nature, and that nature has with you.
Have you ever raised a butterfly at home before? Do you have a favorite kind of Butterfly?
I’ve thought of many things I want to write. Many things I want to share. I didn’t realize how tired my mind and body would become over these days of staying home with my family of five. So I haven’t written much lately…But I have still thought of you, and sent blessings to you…🦋
In the early days of March, when life suddenly changed, I think my body was running on adrenaline. And my mind was so alert, that all the words and emotions I felt came out freely upon the paper. Your welcome acceptance of receiving blessings and stories I’ve shared has been such a gift.
Thank you.🦋
I have many things I still want to share with you.
How have your days been? Where have your thoughts been taking you? Are you still allowing yourself to hope & dream?
The other day, my family and I walked along a beautiful hill by our home. I asked my daughter to run up the hill so I could take her picture. As I watched her run, I had an awareness of memory, a feeling of freedom, from my childhood: the wind blowing in my hair, the sense of leaping into the great wide sky, and imagining I could fly. Later that night, I sat for awhile and thought about how tired I’ve been. How I’ve lost my sense of feeling carefree. I actually, cried a deep ache I was feeling that night. I guess I was holding in too much grief. But the next day I looked back through my photos and saw the one I’m sharing with you. Something about the edge of the sky and my daughter running towards the top of the hill, opened my heart again. As I listened to my heart I heard my inner child whispering to me, whispering to the inner child inside each of us:
“Don’t be dismayed…
Remember when you were free, my child
and run with your dreams,
ready to soar into the arms of hope,
the light of possibility…
The world is still calling to you.”
So give yourself a simple gift today…Remember your dreams…and let them awaken something marvelous inside you…
…and, Rekindle the fire of hope in your soul.
I hope you keep dreaming. I hope you find ways to let your spirit soar!
Even in darkness LIGHT ALWAYS finds a way to shine through.
Just look up into the night sky see the light of the moon reflecting the sun’s love upon you.
May you feel this loving light upon you bringing Healing, Hope and Blessings to your mind, body and soul.
Blessings, Erin
**This is a photograph I took last night (April 7, 2020) of the Pink Moon in Massachusetts. Last night’s moon was also a supermoon. A supermoon is when the moon is closest to the earth in its orbit; and it is 100 percent illuminated. The Pink Moon spiritually signifies rebirth and renewal. Its presence in the night sky also reminds us that life has cycles of hibernation and rebirth.
Whether it is morning, daytime, sunset or nightfall, the air around us speaks to our bodies, it fills us, and touches us. It transforms us when we welcome its kindness and love. For it is always present. Always there. Just like divine love. Breathe today with a welcoming of air. Feel the way your soul awakens to the touch of its gentle presence upon your skin. Imagine each breath you take is awakening your mind, body and soul to healing.
Then..
Offer gratitude into the world for the gift of the air that you breathe… Be still and breathe.
Your breath is a blessing.
Blessings of healing in each breath you take today and always, Erin
I spend a lot of time thinking, and reflecting as many writers do. I offer up love into the world frequently: prayers for those who need them, prayers for all of us.
I wrote this prayer for the dying: maybe they are words that can be offered to the dying by the person who is with them. Maybe they are words you can offer from you heart into our world as so many are taking their last breaths from the Coronavirus. Maybe they are words that speak to you in another way.
Blessings upon the nurses, the doctors, the med students, the chaplains, all those who are at the bedside when when families can’t be there, especially these days with all that is happening in our world. And bless all of our families and friends, all of us, who are not able to be with Loved Ones when they die. May they know they are not alone in their grief. We are never alone in our grief. We are all here for each other in our pain. We all hold each other in our hearts.
It’s okay to let go, I’m right here with you, It’s okay to let go, You’ve done your very best, as you go beyond this place, You will find that Love will carry you to where you are going now. And light will come upon you filling you with peace. You will be here always with those you Love, you will be in the wind that blows in their hair, you will be in the light of the sun that shines upon their faces, you will be in the smell of their clothes, in their photographs of memories, you will always be with them, deep in their hearts they will always hear you, feel you, know you are there in the most special of ways that are yours to share. And know that you are deeply LOVED today, You are forever Loved, throughout all eternity, And forevermore. Amen
And as, Imagine Dragons sing in their song, Birds: “Love will never die….I hope to see you again…”
Blessings upon all you feel in your heart, Erin
****Copyright exception for this post, Prayers for the Dying: Prayer Words may be used if they are offered as a comfort to someone. If printed and distributed, please include my name, Erin Keane and website Bellableue.com. Photo may not be reproduced without prior written permission.*****See copyright notice below:
These days have filled me with lots of mixed feelings. I go from feeling tired to feeling okay, to feeling frustrated to feeling okay, to feeling okay and then tired again. I guess it’s this cycle of grief I feel. Do you find yourself grieving still too? During the days, my kids keep me busy, but I’m also filled with their emotions and energy that they are releasing about everything that seems out of place to them. So by night I am filled with my own feelings, plus all of their feelings. I notice that my body seems most agitated before I go to bed. Many of us probably feel this too. It seems to be the time that everything settles, and we become aware of how much our bodies are holding. Therefore, I’ve been doing my best to offer myself some healing before I close my eyes; to release the tension in my body; and to help my dreams be more peaceful. I realize I need to be compassionate with myself.
To heal during this time we each need to offer ourselves compassion. When you offer yourself compassion, you are allowing yourself to feel what you need to feel and understanding that feeling what you do is okay. Then you are able to allow yourself to begin to heal. You might do healthy things to alleviate your suffering or you may just need to be open and accepting of yourself by allowing yourself to feel and experience your emotions. This gift of compassion towards yourself, is a gift of Self-Love.
This is my blessing for you tonight. It is a ritual of Self-Love and Compassion that each of us can do any time during the day or right before bed.
What so many of us need to feel again. A deep internal calm. Right now the vibration around many of us is one of unsettled feelings. And this is not our norm, not the familiar. So how do you change your vibration?
Open your eyes.
You need to recharge your inner light. The spark within you that guides you towards yourself, towards Love again. It still burns inside you. Feel this spark inside you. Let it become bigger, brighter. Take yourself out into nature to recharge the calm in your nervous system. Look out into the light of the universe. Listen to the sounds of the ocean waves. Watch the awesomeness of the rising moon. Soak up the warm hues of the evening sky into your eyes, into your soul.
Then, let your soul fall into the feelings the earth calls forth within you. And as you do, fill your body with the calm and the love of the earth for you. Then open your arms wide and send your light into the world. You are the magic now. You are transforming the world’s vibration into Love.
And as each of us transform the earth’s vibration into love, our nervous systems will begin to calm. And as we calm, we we will begin to heal.
Bless you with gifts of calm. Thank you for this gift of you, Erin🦋
“Even though life may be really hard right now, remember there is a deep place of Hope that lies inside each of us. Surrender to the hope the lies within you let it lift you from the darkness just as the flower turns to the sun and opens itself to be held in the light.”
The last few days have been hard days. And I imagine there will be more challenging days ahead. My nervous system has been on high alert since the changes in our daily lives happened two weeks ago. Having more of an awareness of my own grief and the collective grief we all feel has helped me calm myself, as I realize more and more that we are all in this together. It has also helped me recognize how I need to be so much kinder to myself. We all need to be kinder to ourselves. We need to be intentional about caring for ourselves. We need to give ourselves the chance to heal day by day.
Self-care is not something I am always very good at. My three children keep me busy. And now that they are all home for the next couple months I am finding I need to be even more intentional about taking time for myself so that I am able to take on life’s storms without feeling completely overwhelmed. Today was a day I was able to have a moment of genuine self-kindness. The late morning sun was shining brightly. My children wanted to play outside, so I joined them. They ran to play in the dirt, digging with shovels. So I took this opportunity to enjoy the sun. I pulled a lawn chair out and sat down. I didn’t realize how much I needed the sun to warm my face, until I was able to be still for a few seconds. My husband and I enjoy superhero shows. We were watching Superman with my son the other night and got to talking about how Superman revitalizes his body and strength through the sun. As I sat outside I thought about this and let the sun soak into my being. This moment was short-lived: my 2 year old needed my help on the slide, but it was long enough to awaken some hopefulness inside me. As I reflect on this moment I realize that the earth, creation as it is in its wholeness, is still here happening all around us. The rising of the sun is constant. It has not left us in our darkest time. It continues to shine. It continues to awaken the earth into the birthing of spring. The melodies of the birds have not changed. They still sing with the sun’s rising and celebrate its light throughout the day. And even though each bud is hidden beneath the darkness of the soil, they still rise. They rise above the darkness and they follow the light.
This rising is a metaphor for us all. The sun is our gift right now. It is beckoning us to rise from our darkness, by shining its light upon us. It is giving us HOPE; it is telling us that being in ‘this darkness’ is not permanent. We too will rise again, different and better.
What do you hope for? What does hope feel like for you?
May your day be filled with something that brings about hope within you. Remember that your spirit is resilient. You have overcome difficulties in your life before. Remember these moments of your rising up from the darkness. You will overcome again.
Let HOPE grow inside you. Your hope awakens hope in others. We continue to change the vibration of the world with the energy of hope that we share.
My husband and I sat down to watch Netflix. Last Tuesday, our kids were finally in bed and we were having a chance to connect and talk about how we are feeling about all the things that are happening in our world, and in our personal life. We live in Massachusetts. The schools closed on Thursday March 12, 2020. As everything was happening I was feeling fearful, worried. I couldn’t get my mind around what was going on. I worried about my kids, and wanting to make sure they were safe. I worried about my parents and their well-being. I worried. Plain and simple I was laced in anxiety. I tried my best to keep myself busy and distracted. But my body kept holding the fear. And I got tired from it…
How have you been?
Days went by, and on this particular Tuesday night that my husband and I were talking we expressed how life felt completely unhinged, upside-down. He asked, “Are you still feeling fear?” And I said, “Not as much, I think I’m just really sad. But it’s more than sadness. I think what we are feeling is GRIEF.” And he said, “Yes, I think you are right.” Grief, hu? Yes, grief. Today my 10 year old son asked me why he feels this weird feeling inside himself? And I asked him to tell me about it. Then I said, “You are feeling grief.” We talked about how we felt when our Dog died unexpectedly from a heart attack this past summer. He said, “Well, it’s not exactly like that kind of hurt.” And I shared, well no it’s not. We loved him. That’s a different kind of grief. But what we felt then is still a bit like what we are feeling now. We are feeling an unxpected loss. We have lost what “feeling normal,” feels like. We miss our friends, our activities, our freedom to go about our town, and to travel and look forward to things. We miss the life that we used to have. I imagine we all do. In fact, if you are feeling grief, it might not just be coming from within you. It is also coming from the vibration of the world. Because we are all interconnected, we all feel each other’s grief; the world’s vibration carries grief right now. And since most of us have more time to sit and reflect and be aware of our thoughts our bodies are actually telling us what we are feeling and holding inside ourselves. So we notice our feelings even more.
How are you doing?
So now what? How do you tend to your grief? You recognize and give yourself permission to feel this grief; you feel the sadness, fear, discomfort, etc. Don’t dismiss it. You do what you need to do to love yourself through this. Imagine what you’d do for a grieving family member or best friend. And do this same thing for yourself. Offer yourself compassion: “It’s okay to be feeling this.” I’ve been sitting with my grief these days. And working at tending to myself. I find that writing has been a place for me to release some of the sadness I feel. Writing this post is helping me right now. It gives me a place to feel connected. All of us being here together is healing. I imagine many of you are finding ways to release your feelings too. If not, do something out of the ordinary for yourself and be creative. If you can, go outside and listen to birds singing or notice something you haven’t before.
What are you doing to tend to yourself?
Be gentle with yourself. Know that it is okay to feel what you do. It is okay to grieve. It is okay to be you. You are created with divine design. You are formed from LOVE.
And as you go about your day. Offer yourself love. Offer someone you care for some love. And let your love heal you, and as you do this your love will help change the vibration of the world…
And you will begin to heal. We will all begin to heal together.
Author’s Note: ***We all have different reactions of how to handle what we are feeling. And my professional experience as a hospital Chaplain, has taught me each of us grieve differently. So we each have to work at accepting our friends and family with love and being supportive to each other as we are grieving. Even if the way you grieve is different from your partner’s, parent’s, friend’s etc. way of grieving. We all need each other right now. So supporting one another is deeply important to our healing.
Calm.
bellableue.com 