  Spiritual
This week: New Beginnings Edited by: Sophy  
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Hi, I'm Sophy ~ your editor for this edition of the Spiritual Newsletter.
The Rev. Scotty McLennan, author of the book Finding Your Religion, compares humanity's innate need for spiritual searching to climbing a mountain. In his view, we are all endeavoring to climb the same figurative mountain in our search for the divine, we just may take different ways to get there. In other words, there is one "God," but many paths. I honor whatever path or paths you have chosen to climb that mountain in your quest for the Sacred.  |
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New Beginnings
As I've grown older and more enlightened on my own spiritual journey, I have discovered that losses and death of any kind, while painful, often are the impetus for new beginnings and new life that might not have occurred otherwise. "They" say that when one door closes, another opens - and I believe this is true in a variety of ways, especially if we are open to seeing that new door and don't stay mired in our grief. I suppose that's why this sort of life experience is such a core theme in writing.
Almost a year ago my mother died rather unexpectedly and suddenly at the age of 84. While we knew she wouldn't live many more years given her age, her death came as a shock and surprise to my siblings and me. Our father died 10 years earlier, which while devastating to all of us (even though we were adults), came at the end of a six month cancer battle, during which time we had the opportunity to say our goodbyes and have a sense of closure with our relationship with him.
After the loss of my father I became closer to my mother in many ways, namely because she ended up living with Mr. Sophy and me for about half of each year. We experienced new aspects of our relationship which were unexpected to me since she was and always had been my mother. Now she was a widow who was grieving her own loss while at the same time seeking to comfort her children in theirs. And in that way our relationship changed and deepened, and because Dad was gone, we became closer through those ten years in ways that wouldn't have been possible before. A new beginning to our relationship was forged in the midst of our loss and grief.
Now once again with the loss of my mother, I am discovering new beginnings in my life in the midst of the pain of her death. Because we didn't have the opportunity for closure and goodbyes with Mom as we had with Dad, I have become closer to my brother and sister as we not only sort through and deal with her estate, but also as we deal with our grief and the sense of sadness we have at not being able to give her a "proper" goodbye.
Mom always worried that after she died, we siblings would drift apart, since she was the anchor that kept us in each other's lives. This especially concerned her because while my sister and brother live 30 miles from each other, I am 2000 miles away. So in her wisdom (and sense of humor), Mom made my sister, brother, and I all co-trustees of her estate trust. Which means we have to work together on all issues related to her trust account, sale of the house, etc. And while the trust itself is not a difficult issue, getting her house ready to sell has proven to be because of everything she accumulated in her home of 53 years (plus the things she brought from her own mother's home).
So not only am I in very regular phone contact with my siblings, especially my sister with whom I've always been closer to anyway, I have also made two trips to CA to help with the long process of going through the house and figuring out what to keep, give away, sell, and pass on to grandchildren and special friends. In the process we've experienced some profoundly tender moments together as we share stories about Mom, Dad, and fond family memories. We've laughed about some of those same memories and shared experiences, and found comfort from each other when the tears flow.
Mom needn't have worried that we'd drift apart - she and Dad created the foundation of our family with their own nurturing, and we have managed to pick up where they left off. While our relationships are new and different than they were before, we have experienced new beginnings with each other in their absence - and though we live far apart still, I am confident that they will remain important parts of my life, and I theirs, for the rest of our lives.
I do realize that not everyone has this experience with family when a death occurs - some are forever estranged after the touchstone that kept them together is gone. That said, there can still be life from death, new beginnings from endings, just as the observance of Easter for Christians last weekend exemplifies. I look forward to hearing from you about times when you've experienced a new beginning from a loss or ending - share your writing with me in the comments section and I'll feature them next month.
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Now for a few comments about my last newsletter "Spiritual Newsletter (March 6, 2013)" about losing time:
From Quick-Quill 
AHH UMM (hesitate) I read this newsletter with trepidation as it seemed very wordy. I was disappointed in this Newsletter. The thoughts were good, retrospective, but when I was done I didn't feel the desire to write or add some snippet. This just wasn't very Spiritual or inspirational. Maybe next time.
Sorry you were disappointed by my newsletter and didn't enjoy it. There were some who did enjoy it, as you can see below. Maybe next time it will be more your cup of tea? 
     
From ANN Counselor, Lesbian & Happy 
Wonderful piece about losing time. The single regret I have as I write at age 74 is that I wish I had followed my intention at age 30: "I'm going to write a book one day." If only I had begun to write at 30 instead of 69. Do it now, whatever you intend to do tomorrow! ANN
Excellent point - DO IT NOW! Don't wait for tomorrow or all of those tomorrows add up and become countless yesterdays.
From Incurable Romantic
Sophy, your newsletter on Losing Time was right on target. It may be hard to get ourselves to change those habits we already have about dealing with time, myself included therein, but if we can manage that, your advice will certainly be able to enrich our lives in the present. Great newsletter. Keep up the good work!
Thanks so much for your kind words, glad the newsletter was helpful.
From WriteWords 
Really enjoyed your article. Everything you said about time is so true. We spend too much time everywhere except where we are-in the present. Now faith is....
Well said.
From Seamus Leo
The thing is the only place you can escape time is outside of the longitude and latitude of this sphere we call earth. As soon as we leave the atmosphere and the circulation around the sun our time becomes obsolete. Our condition of time is only relevant while we reside on this marble landscape.
So true - and mind boggling!
And one from my February newsletter about water ...
From Seamus Leo
Water is replenishment and an active organic entity.
Water is alive right down to the cellular level.
Water brings us peace because we come from the water. I enjoyed your article with great happiness and spiritual joy. thank you.
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful thoughts.
Please keep your comments and suggestions coming! Until next time! Sophy |
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Spiritual: April 03, 2013 Issue [#5598]
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