Massive Amount of Maternal Energy

     When I awoke yesterday morning, I knew it was going to be a good day. For my belated birthday gift, I would be spending time with my oldest daughter and my granddaughter at a mother/daughter brunch and attending a performance of The Nutcracker ballet. The day began with an unexpected early morning phone call from my aunt in Germany, my mother's only sibling and my last remaining close relative on my mother's side. She still lives on the property where she and my mother were born and where their mother had lived from the time she married until she died. Our infrequent communication consists of a card and perhaps one letter a year, with an occasional phone call every year or two. She was calling with Christmas greetings and to catch up on the goings on of our family.
     An hour after I hung up, I left the house, adorned with the ring and gold bracelet I had inherited from my mother (both of which had been her mother's before that). I had consciously chosen these two pieces to emphasize the multi-generational maternal connection for this particular outing. When I arrived at my daughter's home to pick up the two of them, she told me that I'd never believe what she just found and handed me my mother's drivers license! She had noticed it earlier that morning on the floor amongst the shoes in her closet (around the time I was on the phone with my aunt). It had not been there when she had sorted through the shoe area a short time ago, but now there it was - lying in wait and in full sight. She couldn't even recall ever having it in her possession and thought the only connection might have been that after my mother's death, she may have taken it with her after looking through her Oma's personal items. My mother died in 2002 and my daughter has moved at least a half dozen times since then - uncanny.
     After settling in at the restaurant, while awaiting our meal, I pulled out a tiny notebook enclosed in cello wrapping from my purse, entitled "Great Games: classic pen and pencil games for two players". I had no idea what the inside of the book looked like but the title and cover was promising. I had purchased it early last summer, thinking it might come in handy with the grandchildren while awaiting a ferry or a meal in a restaurant and had been carrying it around unopened in my purse since then. After tearing off the cello wrap, I flipped through the wordless booklet and found it was filled with three versions of patterned pages: 1) graph paper, 2) evenly spaced dots arranged vertically and horizontally, and 3) miniature hexagons. Upon seeing the dotted sheets, I instantly thought of my mother - she used to play the game of Dots and Boxes on this kind of paper with my young children but I had completely forgotten about it until now. I then showed the page to my daughter, asked her who this reminded her of, and she instantly replied, "Oma".
     After enjoying the highly entertaining Nutcracker Ballet, we made our way down to the lobby where I decided to check the time and saw it was 3:15pm. In Germany, which is nine hours ahead, it was already quarter after midnight on December 10th - my Oma's birthday!
     A massive amount of maternal energy appearing over the course of a few hours, connecting my maternal grandmother, my mother, myself, my daughter, and my granddaughter.  A truly unforgettable day in this blessed life of mine.
www.diaryofanintuitive.com

Om with Oma

     My three-year-old granddaughter has heard the word 'yoga' often enough, and knows that I practice it, but when she overheard me talking to someone about an upcoming class, she asked, "Oma, what's yoga?" I described it simply as a relaxing form of exercise, then asked if she would like me to show her some yoga poses. She certainly did. So after her nap, we each carried a mat out into the backyard, then placed them side by side on the grass, in the shade of a maple. Settling into seated Easy pose, I encouraged her to gaze at the trees and the clouds. Together, we then flowed through Cat, Downward Dog, Child, Sphinx, Butterfly and Happy Baby, before returning to Easy pose, to finish off by chanting Om several times.  She did not miss a beat during the entire process - effortless, yet engaged, she was fully in it.  Glancing over at her occasionally during our practice, and seeing the earnest expression on her sweet face, I was tempted to take a photo, but of course, that would have taken us both out of the experience. 
     After we finished, she spontaneously wrapped herself up in her mat and informed me that she was a newborn baby. Feeling reborn through yoga - she certainly picked up on that concept.
www.diaryofanintuitive.com

First Birthday

Dearest Granddaughter,
Later today we will be celebrating your first birthday, which falls tomorrow.  I have baked you a carrot cake; I cannot remember the last time I made one.  What I do know is that it was an obvious choice given that I had baked this same kind for your mother on her first birthday too.
What you have shown me about yourself thus far:
You give freely of your kisses - to stuffed animals, pictures in books, friends and family.
Your entertaining facial expressions are an ongoing source of joy and laughter.
You enjoy eating, moving your body to music, and reading "Pat the Bunny".
You are not keen on cats nor the feel of grass under your feet.
You are confident and curious, partnered with a healthy dose of cautiousness.
You have a wonderful sense of humour.
You are beautiful.

As you grow older, there may be times when you forget how fabulous you are.  I hope not.  However, if you do, you can read this birthday letter to help remind you of your inherent beauty and worth.  During this first year you have brought a great gift to our entire family, just by being you.

Thank you for being born.

Love and kisses,
Oma

Gift of Happiness

Taking advantage of the dry weather yesterday afternoon, my daughters, granddaughter, and I, headed over to the outdoor German Christmas Market.  Bundled up against the cold, warm beverages in hand, we wandered from stall to stall, appreciating the European wares, festive decorations, and delicious fare.  While holding the baby, I watched my daughters conferring with each other over possible stocking stuffers for their husbands, and felt deeply connected to my maternal lineage, both present and past.  Many years ago, as a young mother, I had visited a similar market in Germany, with my mother and her sister.  Here, as the Oma, out with my daughters and granddaughter, I recognized that the cultural and hereditary connections of women in my family were very much alive.  After saying our goodbyes, I arrived home, and while unpacking the white dove I had purchased for my tree, I was aware that every cell in my body felt fully activated.  It had been quite some time since I felt this way, and as I searched for the word to best describe this state, it eventually dawned on me: Happiness.  A simple outing, resulting in a cherished gift, that serves to sustain me today.    

Inspired Writing

Writing these daily entries for exactly one year now.  Accepting the challenge my Oma's spirit lovingly presented.  Never imagining how meaningful this endeavour would become.  Certainly not creating this all on my own.  Continuing to receive inspiration from the unseen. Enabling me to receive support and encouragement from caring individuals in over seventy countries.  Grateful to each and every one. 

Gathering at the Tree

This coming Sunday.  Our daughters, son-in-laws, my husband and I meeting up.  Decorating a mini Christmas tree together.  Starting this annual tradition at Oma's graveside ten Christmases ago.  Symbolically sharing the holidays with someone we loved.  Lighting candles clipped to the branches.  Singing German carols.  Recounting memories. Moving the occasion to Boal Memorial this year.  Using the same tree Michael helped decorate last December.  Adding some new ornaments for our brother and son.  Kelly and Diesel too.  Knowing my mother will happily meet us there.  All gathering together. 

Wondering Where You Are

Browsing through my niece's old photos on Facebook.  Coming upon one with the caption reading, "Christmas at the Grandparents". Showing the four young girl cousins posing in front of Oma's fireplace on Christmas Eve.  My daughters and my brother's two.  Taken in the mid 80's.  Posted in 2007.  Michael writing the very first comment.  Three simple words.  Asking, "where am I?" He being the fifth and last born of the grandchildren on this side. The fact is that photo was taken in December 1985, two weeks before he was born.  This coming Christmas Eve, it will once again be the four girls together.  Celebrating here at our home.  Now all married women building families of their own.  And Mikey, we will all indeed be wondering where you are. 

Spiritual Smorgasbord

Reflecting on various spiritual concepts and activities my children were exposed to.  A smorgasbord of experiences.  As infants, each one being celebrated with a personal Dedication ceremony facilitated by the Unitarian church.  A few years later, all singing in the local United church choir.  During that same period, participating in a sacred event at a nearby Buddhist temple.  Receiving Dao, involving the awakening of ones third eye.  Then as a young teen, each daughter experiencing a unique celebration marking her transition from girl to woman. Throughout the years, all three spending cherished time with their Oma, a practising Catholic.  Diverse experiences amassed from numerous sources.  All stimulating their spiritual awareness.

Kelly's and Michael's Spirits Give Thanks

Attending an evening of mediumship always leaves me feeling deeply connected to spirit, but last night was extraordinary as one of my daughters and I experienced very powerful connections.  Words are woefully inadequate when trying to describe such encounters as it is something one must personally experience in order to fully comprehend, but I will share some of the highlights.  Not long into the session, Kelly came through to speak to me.  Information the medium shared so that we would know it was her included: a young person who wore her heart on her sleeve, endured some challenging relationships, was full of love,  a caregiver for the group, didn't like discord, and put much effort into trying to ensure everyone around her was happy but that it didn't always work out that way.  The medium saw many stuffed animals around her and let us know that she had been a very compassionate person who loved animals. Kelly then shared that she was continuing on with her growth on a different level now, was very happy (reiterating what she had communicated last time she came through), and pleased that she was able to come through again.  Her message to me was to thank me for being a mother figure in her life.  A short time later, Michael came through to communicate with his sister there.  The medium described the exact challenges Michael had struggled with for so long, and shared that even though he always had the best intentions in life and really wanted to do better, he could not stay the course, but that he had been okay with the consequences for his actions along the way. He also described feeling so alone much of the time. The message from Michael was that he recognized how much effort his sister had always put into trying to help him and that he wanted to thank her for that.  We were shown that my mother, his Oma, had been praying for him during those difficult years as she tried to help him from the other side, with the expression, "Mercy on your soul" coming through . The words Brother and January were also communicated ( the month of Michael and this sister's birthdays).   Kelly and Michael shared many other details with us, and we were both so very thankful that they made the effort to come through with more evidence of their continued existence.  

Unforgettable Phone Calls

It was a winter afternoon in late January 1966, when the telephone rang.  My nine year old self was in our kitchen showing my mother some of the 'treasures' I had purchased earlier that day at my school's White Elephant Sale.  As I was walking into the living room to answer it, I told my mother that this was going to be someone calling to tell us that Canada Oma had died.  ( My two German grandmothers were distinguished by the country they lived in, with my paternal grandmother here, and Deutschland Oma still in Germany).  Sure enough, it was my uncle calling from Peace River, to inform us that his mother had passed away there in her sleep.  She had not been seriously ill and was only 62 years of age so this was not something we had been expecting.  That is my first memory of connection to spirit and I believe that it is from her that I inherited my ability to 'see' and know the other.  Fast forward to the call I received a few weeks ago, just before 2pm on March 7th.  My husband called me on my cell and without any preamble asked me where I was. I told him I was at home and all he said was, "Wait there, I'll be home in ten minutes," and hung up. In that moment I knew that my son was dead.  I walked out into the backyard, stood in the sunshine with my eyes closed and from deep within I asked the Universe to please give me the strength to endure what lay before me.