So as we prepare for this time of meditation,
I invite you to put aside anything that you might be holding,
Anything that might be a distraction.
If you're comfortable doing so,
You can close your eyes and just pay attention to everything that you're experiencing in your body and where in your body you're experiencing it.
Pay particular attention to your chest.
According to Chinese medicine,
We tend to hold our grief in our lungs so this may inhibit the ability to breathe deeply.
Just notice and do your best.
Where is your pain anchored?
In the solar plexus,
In the tightening of your chest,
In a band around your forehead,
Tightening at the back of the neck,
Is it locked in the base of your spine,
Rooted in your hips,
Swirling in your belly?
As you exhale your next breath,
Imagine that you are breathing out to that place now as an invitation to let go and feel that area loosen or soften.
Feel the relaxation take hold as your shoulders glide from around your ears,
Indicating that you are relaxing even more.
And breathe deeply.
Any sense of overwhelm,
Any sense of loneliness,
Confusion,
Fear,
The idea that the tears will never stop flowing.
All of this recedes now into the background and you are left with another overwhelming sense,
Overwhelming feeling.
But this is the presence of the divine.
You feel the energy of palpable,
Healing,
Unconditional love cloaking you now,
Reassuring you that you are not alone.
Feeling the comfort of God's presence.
Feeling life even in the midst of death.
Only a veil,
A thin veil separating you from your loved one.
And you sense it keenly now that their life continues in another way.
Yet there is no separation.
Resist the urge to grasp this idea at the intellectual level.
Allow your imagination to come into full force.
Imagine in their presence,
Your loved one's smile,
Their scent,
The tone of their voice.
And hear them say,
I am here.
I am with you.
All is well.
Our love continues even through the trail of tears.
If you have anything you'd like to say,
To share,
Imagine doing so silently now.
Imagine them hearing you,
Embracing the words and responding.
If there are words that you are finding a challenge expressing,
Formulating,
Do not be perturbed.
This is a conversation beyond words.
It's energetic.
And so every idea,
All feelings,
The truth is revealed and received in both directions.
Take another deep,
Conscious,
Deliberate breath and tap into the stillness of your being.
Deep,
Deep at the center of your being is a place of peace,
Consolation,
Calm.
It's the very presence of God within you,
Supporting you,
Guiding you,
Strengthening and upholding you,
Allowing you to take each next step in each next moment,
Each next day,
Allowing you to be gentle with yourself as you navigate your way through this time of change.
Light within you,
Light strewn on the path ahead of you,
Light warm in your very being and evolve in your consciousness.
So this time of pain and grief will eventually be transformed and transmuted into its spiritual equivalent and you will feel joy again.
It will express through you once more.
So smile and laugh.
Remember,
Speak your loved one's name and shed your tears,
Proof that you loved and feel the presence of God in this still moment.
As we gently bring our attention back to this time and place,
That light,
That sense of peace returns with you,
Is available to you at all times,
To be tapped into when you feel overwhelmed,
Invisible or grief stricken.
Love and joy is present,
For God is everywhere present.
And you remember this.
You breathe into the moment and you feel the support and presence of the divine.
Become aware again of the sounds around you,
The temperature of the air as it touches your skin,
The feelings and sensations you're experiencing and where in your body you're experiencing them.
Become aware of the breath and this moment.
God in you is greater than your grief,
More present than your tears.
And we are grateful and so it is.
Amen.
Amen.
