All Soul's Day

Today is All Soul's Day.  Traditionally, it was created to pray for souls in purgatory, but I like to think of it as a lovely day to encourage us to remember our loved ones who have already transitioned.  When I do readings, I can't begin to express how much it means to them when we remember them here.  Your loved ones will tell me about the candles you light for them, the mention you gave of them in your wedding program, the flowers you bring to the grave, the picture of them you had restored.

One dad thanked his son for cleaning the guns he'd left to his son.  A grandfather was pleased that his Purple Heart had finally been framed in a shadow box.  A mom was thrilled that she was mentioned in the wedding program and a candle was lit for her on the altar. A brother thanked his sibling for taking such good care of his truck. A dad was glad that his son carried his funeral card with him always as a reminder of his beloved dad.  One mom loved the way her daughter kept favorite pictures of her mom in the family bible.

They see us, they visit us always and they love to see us remembering them.  Wouldn't you?  It's how we keep them alive here.  If you don't celebrate All Soul's Day, that's fine.  Just take a moment on your loved one's birthday to celebrate them.  On my mother-in-law's birthday, I make her favorite meal and a birthday cake.  And we all tell really fun stories about her.  We celebrate her life rather than mourn her departure.

Keep their pictures up and around, make a donation to a charity in their name, tell fun stories about them when appropriate, and pray for them.  Please don't misunderstand, I do not believe our loved ones are in purgatory.  But I do believe that many of our loved ones who may not have been stellar humans here on Earth are going through some difficult times over there.  Watching their life review and the pain they instilled on others is not easy.  Realizing that their missed opportunities, wasted chances and painful words and actions is very hard for them.  I've been told and shown in many ways that our prayers for them DO help.

My grandmother had a difficult life and was not the nicest person you could hope to meet.  When she died, I felt, heard and saw nothing of her for years and years.  I didn't think much of it.  But then one night she appeared to me and she didn't look well.  Her face was gray, her hair was disheveled, her skin wrinkled and her energy just felt so depleted.  She asked for my prayers.  So I called my mother and several members of her family and asked them all to pray for Grammy.  About three weeks later, my grandmother returned.  She was dressed in a beautiful Chanel suit, her hair was done and she radiated such a peaceful energy.  All she said was, "Thank you." And she was gone.

Now please understand faithful blog readers -- I am not saying that if you pray for your loved ones on the other side, they too can get designer clothing and a face lift.  Ha, ha!  I think both her appearances to me were symbolic to let me know how she was doing energetically.

So go ahead, give it a try.  Say a prayer for your loved ones, honor them, remember them, love them so that they will always have a home to call their own in our hearts.