What You’ve Taught Me

In this lifetime you taught many people invaluable lessons, and you were my teacher, too…

You’ve taught me…

To love all living entities
To appreciate nature and its complexities
To notice the uniqueness of each petal on every flower
To pause for a moment and admire the clouds in the sky, the sunset on the horizon
To admire the ocean

To treat people with respect, dignity and equality
To always find the good in each person
To see the positive in any situation
To live life to its fullest
To laugh and sing and feel the music fill our veins
To create art and admire all existing forms

To cherish each moment in the here and now
To tell people how you feel when you feel it, even if it’s uncomfortable and easier to be silent
To be caring and nurturing
To share love with others
To love my family, my husband, my son, my friends, and even those whom I have yet to meet
To love myself

To experience new things, visit unknown places and cultures, even those beyond my comfort zone
To learn
To teach
To share experiences with others
To be strong and independent while accepting and embracing the help and love of others
To follow my intuition
To help people in the physical, emotional and spiritual sense
To never, ever stop giving back to our community, our world, our earth, our universe

To become a mother and expand our family’s love that already felt so vast
To learn from life’s lessons, even the ones that can feel so unbearable
To hold one in the light
To forgive
To accept
To move beyond
To understand that each person’s belief in an afterlife, or lack thereof, is to be respected and honored, because our final destiny is in the power of the beholder.

And finally, you taught me to let go.
And so, on June 14th, since your teachings in your physical state were finished, I finally let you go… to fly with the doves on our patio who came to guide you on your journey.

These lessons from you were not simply taught through words, but rather through the actions of your virtuous life. I promise to share with others these gifts you left here with me, with us.

Your spirit is now within each of us who you have touched and love you so dearly. You are part of our son, your beloved grandson, Aidan, who woke up the morning after you passed with pure excitement as he exclaimed “butterfly garden, butterfly garden”. He has continued to treasure his daily garden adventures as you guide and teach him, along with the rest of us, in the days to come.

L'Chaim

With eternal love,
Jenn