Brave Hearts in Birth and Death

Hello Fellow Travelers,

Today marks two anniversaries of great importance. The anniversaries mark new life and death. Both. Together. Today. 

Today the anniversary of Birth and Death. Love and life. Both/And. What do I do with such waves of emotion and the accompanying heart expansion? Write about it, share the experience and make way for the birth of potent love messages that come through such extreme heart-full experiences. New life through words, heart expanding and Life nourishing. 

Ten years ago on this day, I became a grandmother for the very first time. Grand-Mother. My first child, my daughter, gave birth to her first child. What a cause for celebration. A new life, hope, and so very much love. Lots of firsts of the most positive kind. 

Yes, I will be present and celebrate and welcome in my first grandchild. Yes I will spend the most amazing two weeks with my daughter as she prepares to become a Mother. This was occurring right in the heart of Washington DC no less, during President Obama's first inauguration. Yes, I will be in that hopeful energy.  Yes, I will expand my heart to include a child who will name me as I enter into Grand-mother-hood. 

Two years ago on this day, I held the sacred space and led a service in celebration of my youngest son's Life. My son was 24 years old and was killed suddenly in a car accident a week prior. He was full of life, hope and love, my youngest son and fifth child. He came into life full of gusto and ready to experience this place of many challenges and much love. And he did so throughout his short life. 

Yes, I will begin the bereavement time and figure out how to live as a Mother with a child on the other side. Yes I will do what my heart is calling me to do. Yes I will, figure out how to walk my sacred path through healing, yes, I will go there. Yes. I will let the loss and grief grow my heart. 

I have not publicly written directly to this experience of the death of my child, as of yet, although it has been the ever present foundation for how I now live and work. I chose to speak today from the deepest wells of my heart. I write to you about these anniversaries,  in hopes that my words will create a deeper well within your own heart and that you will feel the importance of this sacred life you are living, and in some way you will begin to mark the passing of life in a way that is truly and potently meaningful to you.

I do so because I think we (as in many) often times don't understand that life is incredibly challenging and suffering happens to all of us. I want to eradicate the shame, blame and punishment mentality that oftentimes shadows our very real, very open and vulnerable paths to healing our broken hearts. I want you to be upheld on your path, and supported by the deep well of your own broken heart. I also hope the well is filled with love. Love is the healing balm for all the pain you carry, as well as the pain of the world. Love's wisdom wants to express for you and through you.

I also hope, no I insist that my words will inspire you to take action to love, in easy ways, and difficult ways, so that your actions spread love like a raging wildfire through your own heart, and world, so in need of loving, respectful, actions, thoughts and deeds at this time. I share so that you will become a vessel for the wisdom of love and a voice for love, and an activist of the Heart.

The kind of love actions I speak of, and insist upon, are those that create connection through compassion and cause reverence, and respect for all of life. Your life first. 

Each action you take must be based in the truth that you are inherently worthy of love and belonging. You are valuable and sacred. That requires activism. It requires a voice and it requires actions based in wisdom.

Being Inherently worthy of love is the key and the reason I took action to share with you today. 

You and every person on this planet where born worthy of love. You also were born knowing how to give and receive love. It is still there, in your heart, alive and awaiting your acknowledgment. Acknowledge your own worthiness and love receptors. And know that this is not easy, for it often requires you to say no to what society, relationships, religions, and most institutions have fed you. It requires you to bravely create a new relationship with yourself and life based on the real truth and real love. No longer are you able to believe in love that is based in the conditions of a world (inner and outer) that weakens your heart through acts of acquiescing your power, undermining your worth or trying to overthrow your knowing. You are a brave heart, in your own beautiful and unique way. Your struggles are a way for your heart to expand it's reach. 

I was able to stand before a crowd of hundreds of mourners and hold the space for the community of people grieving the loss of my child. A giant piece of my heart was missing. Yet, I knew without a doubt, because of the actions of LOVE that my son took part in during his short life, that the piece of my heart that was no longer standing next to me, or helping out another, or smiling and goofing around, was indeed there with us, alive in the hearts of each person there, stranger and family alike. I knew it so, because he acted upon his unconditional love for others throughout his short life. He remembered and he shared this knowing often, he also reminded me that I taught him to do so. Often. He left me with instructions that my heart would now expand so large, that it would meet his, where he now is. Pure Heart.

I also knew that I, as Mother must honor myself and my heart by doing the most difficult and necessary task of holding the space in love and receiving the love present. This would help heal me. It was the start of the journey of the deepest and widest heart expansion imaginable. I had to become a heart leader in that moment so that in years to come, all who knew him (and most especially me) would always keep alive the loving energy and spirit that my son exhibited. That meant keeping it alive by actions, words, deeds, of love, and healing.

Two years later, his legacy is stronger than ever. Hopefully it is touching you now and inspiring you to love.

Heart's expand to meet the love that is being offered. In life and in death. This force field is impenetrable and eternal and makes healing changes on all it touches. 

Leave your sacred mark on this life through actions based in real, live, brave love. 

I am counting on you. 

Love,

Mary

Brave Hearts