Peace

Touch

by Leave a Comment

I was reading while lying on my back in bed. I had my computer propped up so that I didn’t have to hold it. My left hand rested gently on my chest while my right hand covered my left with my fingertips gently brushing my wrist as I breathed in and out.  I had been in this position for a while before I thought about it. I was self-soothing without thinking about it. In that moment, I recognized how much I missed being touched.

A memory returned to me of when I was working way too many hours.  I would come home exhausted and collapse on the couch. When I awakened, my husband had covered me with a blanket and sat next to me placing my head gently in his lap and resting his hand on my shoulder. I felt so close to him in that silent moment.  It’s been years since he died, yet I still recall those precious moments of his warm loving touch.

Oh, how I miss a loving embrace or a slow dance in the kitchen when I was fixing diner or holding hands as we went for a walk. I am grateful for the nights when he comes to me in a dream and we touch once again. It’s just not the same, though.  Sometimes I write in my journal and conger intimate times of skin touching skin, but that often just brings tears.

For now, I will relish the precious memories on the love transmuted though physical touch in the past remembering the electric charge that comes invisibly from one heart to another.

 

Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

Grief and Happiness Handbook

Grief and Happiness weekly Free Gatherings

[email protected]

Dream Builder Life Coach

Life Master Consultant

Change

by

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus, 540 B.C., is accredited with the quote “There is nothing permanent except change.” And the concept of a desire for change has been constant ever since, and probably before that too. When a U.S. presidential campaign occurs, it seems that once every four years the country focuses on changes the people see as essential at the time.

I remember when I was in high school, I wore a button on my jacket that said, “Make Love, Not War.” The friends I spent time with and I believed that if we all focused on ending war, that could happen. And look at the world now. That giant change we desired still hasn’t occurred.

When Obama won the election, his theme was, “CHANGE we can believe in.” That fostered so much hope. And positive changes were made, yet still not everyone believed in those changes.

I will never forget the discussion my husband Ron and I had when the winner was declared for the 2016 presidential election. He said for me to watch because that election was going to bring changes that time. At that point, I had no idea what that would mean. The changes that came at that time were the antithesis of the changes I longed for.

Now we are at the precipice of change yet again. There is so much on our ballots now beyond just the decision of who our next president will be. At this time, voting is essential for us to experience the change we desire.

Please vote to express the change you want to see.

 

 

The Grief and Happiness Alliance

Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

My email is [email protected]

Let me know if you’d like to receive my newsletters which have lots of good things!

You can listen to my podcast here.

You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance Gatherings which meet weekly on Sundays by clicking here

You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Handbook by clicking here.

You can order The Grief and Happiness Cards by clicking here.

You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here.

Ruminating

by

This week I needed to keep my foot up. There were so many things I wanted to do that weren’t possible without being able to get around. So instead of all the things on my to do list, I spent time reflecting on things I have done and memories I have.  I have lots of things to remember!  As I reflected, I realized something about me. Most of my life, I kept having the same thought. I always knew I could do better, yet now as I look back, I know I was doing the best I could for where I was in my life at any time.

I am choosing now to be aware that I still am doing the best that I can in all I do, and that feels really good. Now instead of saying things like “I wish I had spent more time on that project,” or “I know I should be eating better,” I know now that when I commit to do something that I have an agreement with myself to do what needs to be done. And now I am consciously choosing every item I choose to eat, and that is making a difference just by being aware of what I choose. Instead of putting things off and worrying about something I think I should be doing, when I choose to do something, I just do it, and that feels so much better!

I encourage you to ruminate a bit. What can you do to live in full integrity with yourself? Writing in my journal to explore this thought helped me to discover my answers to that question. How about you? How can you make a difference for yourself and find more happiness in the process?

I’d love to hear what you come up with!

 

Emily Thiroux Threatt [email protected]

The Grief and Happiness Alliance

Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking here

You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here

You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Handbook by clicking here.

You can order The Grief and Happiness Cards by clicking here.

You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here. https://a.co/d/eWNx3j1

You can sign up for our newsletter here

What’s Going On?

by

Last night a tornado warning came across our phones and tv telling us to find shelter. I was shocked. I hadn’t heard of tornados on Hawaii before, so I researched it and discovered that Hawaii ranks 48 out of 50 states in possibility of tornados. That’s pretty low odds, so I thought I was probably safe, but it sure made me think.

All over the world we are experiencing unprecedented happenings from the volcano eruption in Iceland, to the tornado swarm in the southeast area of the United States, to the wildfires on Maui, to the huge fires in many areas of the world, to the rising temperatures worldwide, to devastating wars, to protests and picket lines, and to political division.

That’s a lot.

I woke up this morning with Marvin Gay’s song “What’s Going On” running through my head.  Melody Russel wrote in American Songwriter “The song carries a profound meaning, delving into Gaye’s fervent social and environmental apprehensions…. It was a reflection, a mirror held up to a society in turmoil.… The masterwork captures the spirit of the early 1970s, highlighting a period marked by activism, civil unrest, and a passionate call for change.”

Over 50 years later, I still don’t see the answer to Marvin Gay’s question, “What’s going on.” I keep thinking that maybe we just are hearing lots more about what’s happening with the easy access to the internet we have now. While we can’t prevent most of the natural disasters, we can work together to care for each other and our world.

While we most often deal with the grief that comes from personal loss, we all are dealing with some form of a more universal loss. Just as we need to take care of ourselves as we deal with our personal loss, it’s critical that we recognize the collective grief of our friends, our community, our country, and our world. Consider how we can hold each other up and move forward with support and loving kindness.

We have learned that If we don’t learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it. There is so much we can do to that is positive and supporting. I encourage you to think about the loss that is going on around you and choose some ways that you can make a difference, then do something. You could commit to voting, recycling, driving less, using water wisely, eliminating flammable materials from your property, or participating in community organizations. There is so much to choose from that can make a difference. Just chose something and start making a difference.

Our collective grief is softened by caring what happens to people and the planet. When we believe that our loving can change the world, it will. Let’s do this.

 

 

“What’s Going On” listen here.

 

The Grief and Happiness Alliance website

Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief website

You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, by clicking here

You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here

You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Handbook by clicking here.

You can order The Grief and Happiness Cards by clicking here.

You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here. https://a.co/d/eWNx3j1

 

The Enduring Meaning Behind Marvin Gaye’s Signature Hit “What’s Going On?”

The Enduring Meaning Behind Marvin Gaye’s Signature Hit “What’s Going On?”

Peace on Earth

by

When I was in high school, the Vietnam War was raging. I lived in my small hometown of Porterville, California. Our town had more war deaths per capita than any other community in the country. When a model of the Vietnam Memorial was created to take around the country, that journey was started in Porterville.

My memories were of singing songs for peace, wearing flowers in our hair. I had a denim jacket covered with war protest buttons saying things like Make Love, Not War. When any of the guys were drafted, they married their girlfriends to be sure they would have been able to make love at least once in their lives and that they would have someone to focus on for a reason to come home.

My father was a veteran of World War 2, my husband was a veteran of the Korean War, my other husband was part of the Vietnam war as part of a special government program, and my son-in-law served in Dessert Storm. War has been a constant in my life. While we are not officially at war in the US, we have way too much political fighting going on. I was hoping when we pulled out of Afghanistan that maybe, finally we would live in peace. I think of Rodney King’s quote during the Riots after the acquittal of the police officers who had beaten and tased him. He said, “Can’t we all just get along?”

We seem to live in a society that can’t be happy. But life doesn’t have to be that way. As individuals, we can choose to focus on peace and love. The more people who start doing this, the move love and peace we can have in the world. In the past, studies have been done where people around the world set the intention for peace all at the same time, and during the time they focused together on peace, violence dropped significantly worldwide. Just think of how we could stop this current war if everyone focused on peace and love.

Much can be done by letting go of anger and blame and always and focusing on love. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robin Island for 18 of the 27 years of his imprisonment. In the early years he was frequently beaten and abused severely. Finally, he made the decision to love his jailers and not judge them. When he did this, the jailers gradually stopped beating him and withholding food. Eventually they started respecting him. He wasn’t telling him that he loved them.  He was demonstrating it through his love and expressing it in his prayers. When he became President of South Africa, many of these jailers became his bodyguards.

When I visited Robin island, my tour was led by one of his jailers. He told us how much he learned from Mandala’s example of peace and love. He told us that his life and the lives of the other jailers were permanently changed. Mandala didn’t raise a weapon. He didn’t fight back. He just loved them.

I encourage us all to stop criticizing what is happening. Just observe it, and in the process send love to all involved. This goes for all the government in our country too.  The more we focus on hate and controversy, the more hate and controversy we will continue to have.  The only way this situation can be improved is if we all, everybody, focus on peace and love.

At Unity Church at the end of their services they sing this song:

PEACE SONG

Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be.
With God as Creator, family all are we.
Let us walk with each other, in perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me, let this be the moment now.
With every step I take, let this be my joyous vow.
To take each moment, and live each moment in peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.

(https://www.unityonthebay.org/peace-song)

 

Let’s all sing this together. We can change the world.

 

 

 

You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here: https://www.griefandhappiness.com/offers/ytK7eLBa

You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon.

You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, here. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/loving-and-living-your-way-through-grief-with/id1509589686?i=1000535381763

I would be happy to put you on the reminder list for or Writing Together Through Grief occurring on Saturdays each week by sending an email to me to [email protected] and giving me your email address.

Join my Facebook group here.

The Music of Your Heart

by

When dealing with loss, we often find ourselves sitting alone. In this space, it is easy to start slipping down into sadness, missing the one we lost.

If I start to arrive at that spot, there are a couple of things I may do. First, in the silence of sitting alone, meditation can bring you peace. In this instance, I become still, close my eyes, and focus on my breath. Really concentrate on your breathing both in and out. Try slowing it down as you focus until you reach a place where you are still and your mind is clear. Maintain this clearness by that focus on your breath. This can bring a great sense of calm.

People have told me that their challenge in meditating comes from that voice in their head trying to convince them that they can’t meditate. Their minds are too busy. If this happens to you, find music that you can focus on to eliminate the space for that annoying voice to bother you. Many apps are available for your phone, or you can search on something like Pandora, Spotify, or Apple Music for music for meditation. I especially like crystal bowls and gongs, and I also love particular Baroque music like Bach’s Air in a G String.

I find such peace and beauty in music that it can calm me down and allow me to rest. I listen when a beautiful, peaceful song is played around me or finds its way into my mind. I feel it as a signal that I need to slow down, focus, and pay attention to what it is trying to tell me.  If it’s Bach, I feel close to Jacques. If it’s a beautiful, slow jazz number, I think of Ron.

I encourage you to put on the music that suits you best, sit, relax, clear your mind, and just experience that blissful peace for a while. You’ll be so glad you did.

 

Check of the meditation music on my YouTube Channel. I can listen to it all day!