Tag: Grace

Connecting to the wonder we are, Spirituality

Your Glow is Still on My Life even after Death

Erin Keane

Touch me and I will follow in your afterglow
Heal me from all this sorrow
As I let you go I will find my way, I will sacrifice
Now I’m living in your afterglow  —INXS “Afterglow”  

Whenever I lost some amazing person at the hospital I would listen to this song, and savor his/her memory. I often feel a  glow upon my life after a special person has died. Sometimes when people I cared for died, and I wasn’t there, they have come to my thoughts (even those who have suffered greatly) and tell me, they are okay, with a smile on their face. (This has actually happened to me a number of times.)

In my work as a spiritual counselor, people will often tell me stories about encounters they had had with a deceased loved one. Frequently, they will say, “I don’t know if you’ll believe me but…” And of course, I tell them I believe them. The power of the spiritual world and individual connection to it is very personal. I deeply believe that connection with the deceased does happen. It is real.

How about you? Do you ever feel the presence of someone you love, or dream about him or her? What has this experience been like for you?

I was moved to share this story with you because of Memorial Day*, but also because many of the people I follow and share in conversation with here, have expressed the loss/death of someone they have loved.

I invite you to open your heart and hold all those who are grieving right now in your heart, and send to everyone of them, and even to yourself if you  need it, a prayer of love and compassion.

I open my hands to catch your tears, and hold the sacredness of who you are and who you have loved within my arms. I ask the benevolence of the earth and all of creation to touch you with a gentle presence of grace in ways that you can understand and feel.

Whenever you need to be near the ones you love who have died, open yourself and ask them to be near you, and when you are ready to receive them I imagine they will find a way to be near you or to let you know what you need to hear.

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
©Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life™ All rights reserved.

If you are interested in understanding connection or want to connect more, a wonderful blog to visit: Necole Stephens

Photo is from a wonderful Facebook Page called Heart Centered Rebalancing

*This Monday we celebrate Memorial Day. It is traditionally a day of remembering men and women in the Armed Forces who have given their lives for service. It is also a time when people visit the cemetery…and remember and celebrate life of those they love.

Connecting to the wonder we are

A Butterfly’s Unexpected Surprises

Erin Keane

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day here in the Northeast. The birds were singing, plants were growing, children were playing, dogs were running, and butterflies were dancing. I’ve never had the opportunity to photograph a butterfly up-close, but yesterday I did. It was a wonderful, unexpected surprise and completely brightened my day. 

The wonder of the experience wasn’t just that I saw a butterfly, but that the butterfly ( A Red Admiral) stayed around my yard for a good 25 minutes and let me come up close to photograph him (most likely a male).  In fact at one point he landed on my arm and sat there for a good minute. It was like he was saying to me, “I’m happy to see you. It’s my pleasure to be photographed by you.”

Butterflies are known for symbolism:

  • Resurrection
  • Transition
  • Celebration
  • Lightness
  • Time
  • Soul

While I was outside with the butterfly, I definitely felt a sense of “lightness;” it was as if my soul/the deeper part of me was feeling better and lighter just by being in the presence of this magnificent creature. I felt so utterly honored that this butterfly felt safe and comfortable around me, and my camera.  Have you ever been near an animal in the natural world, who just seemed to welcome your presence? What was that like for you?

As I watched this butterfly open his wings to the sun—soaking up the warmth and the light– it reminded me of how I too need to soak up the sunlight, and be renewed. It was as though this butterfly was affirming my human experience of needing light…and at the same time he was inspiring renewal/resurrection within my heart and my soul by being so welcoming of me.

As I was enjoying these moments, unexpectedly another Red Admiral Butterfly appeared, and I was blessed with the invitation to watch them dance around my yard, until they came to a place of rest upon the bark of a tree.

The butterfly left me with a wonderful gift: Because the butterfly welcomed me, I felt like someone knew I needed this. And it reminded me yesterday, today and always, that when we seek with our heart, our longings will be answered…maybe not always in the ways we expect, but in ways that we NEED. I needed this butterfly to come into my life: I needed to be reminded that I am never alone…and that when I really need an experience of grace it will be provided for me.

How about you, have you ever had something wonderful happen to you, that filled you with an unexpected experience of Grace?

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
©Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life™