The other day, Jussara, Javi, Jonisah, Phoebe, and Keanu (5 of our 14 Grandkids) came running up the stairs and burst through my door. “Do you have any videos of Papa John?” Javi asked.
“We know lots about Papa John from your stories but we were all so little when he died that Jussara is the only one who is old enough to really REMEMBER him. She says he is really kind and funny. If we can watch some videos, then we can really REMEMBER him too.”
With the help of a few of Papa John’s kind and often funny videos, our Grandkids spent the next half hour or so really REMEMBERING him. In the process of continuing our loving bonds with John we were cultivated our loving bonds with each other.
Whenever the Grandkids come to visit, we spend some time remembering Papa John by sharing stories and singing together. Every night, with the help of these stories, I lull myself to sleep with fond memories.
Every morning, I wake up ready to fill myself to the brim with the purposeful, radiant life I was born to live. Although everything—absolutely everything—is now so very different, Papa John is still with me. By learning to continue our loving bonds beyond his death, we are cultivating and continuing our loving bonds with our descendants in ways that bring me so much joy.
I hope you will join me on Mondays beginning, May 5 to share more stories about Continuing Loving Bonds. Since the beginning of time, story sharing circles have been a wise way of learning to live the lives we were born to live.
There are two times to choose from: 9 to 11 am PT (12-2 ET) or 4 to 6 pm PT (7 to 9 ET). Come once, occasionally or as often as you want. Click on this link for more information and to register.
Continuing our loving bonds with our spouses, best friends, parents, siblings, children and other loved ones who have died is a healthy way of resolving grief. The healing outcomes are spiritual growth, resilience, strength, forgiveness, and eventual transformation of grief and suffering into peace, purpose, hope, confidence and joy.
CONTINUING LOVING BONDS 