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Spirit Matters: Life goes on in mysterious ways · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Spirit matters. Life goes on in mysterious ways. Written by Gerilyn Zavata
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  Novak and Spirit Matters. This article is being read by an automated
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  voice brought to you by Everlet. In November, heaven and earth sometimes
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  seem to overlap. November has traditionally been a month the church remembers
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  those who have gone before us. On November 1st, we celebrate All
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  Saints Day, which honors those who have passed into the arms of
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  God. On November 2nd, we celebrate All Souls Day, which honors all
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  souls living or dead. Informally, November is known as the month where
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  the veil that separates the living and the dead grows thinner. For
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  many of us, that can mean an increased sense that our deceased
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  loved ones indeed live on and are only a breath away. This
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  sense can manifest in many ways. They often appear in our dreams.
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  We might randomly hear their long and know it is not a
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  coincidence. We might suddenly be reminded of one of their quirks and
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  bust out laughing, or we might come across something hidden for a
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  long time, with their unique imprint on it. One example that reminds
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  me of my dad is the song We Built This City by
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  Starship. At my dad funeral, I was in a car
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  with my mom, two younger brothers and niece. We pulled up behind
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  the hearse at the church and this song was playing on the
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  radio. My youngest brother told us that my dad told him one
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  time long ago that he liked the song. Had my brother not
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  been in the car with us at that particular moment, we would
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  never have known that nugget of trivia about my dad Not only
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  did it feel like my dad’s was comforting us in that moment,
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  but in the months following his death, I'd hear that song playing
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  at Strangest Times, including when we were travelling to Wisconsin for a
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  family vacation, and it came on shortly before we arrived. In that
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  moment I felt reassured that my dad was near in spirit. Since
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  that moment at my Dad's funeral, this song is one of the
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  ways I sense my Dad's presence as I am going about my
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  days. The song Let It Be the Beatles has acted in a
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  similar way for me, for a friend who died too young. Ah
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  there are countless ways memories of our loved ones manifest, and the
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  can do so at any time. Many times the memories are highly
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  unique to the individual who has died. During this time of the
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  year, if we develop a listening heart, we can often recognize them
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  more frequently. This year I watched the Disney Pixar movie Coco for
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  the first time. Actually I've watched it twice already. It was that
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  good. The storyline is centered around They celebration of Dia de los
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  Muertos in Mexican culture and the conviction that our relationships with our
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  loved ones do not end when we die. I
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  I will not give away details, but the ending was personally meaningful
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  to me and the life of my maternal grandmother. Several family members
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  who also seen them, movie said the sobbed in recognition at the
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  parallels with my grandmother's life. This past year, several of my aunts
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  and uncles have experienced health issues. They are in their seventies and
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  eighties, and the issues are not uncommon for people their age. But
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  has reminded me of how quickly time passes. Since I was a
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  child, my mom's family has often gathered for holidays, birthdays, and other
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  random events. We have spent a lot of time over the years
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  with them, and experienced the celebrations and losses that are part of
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  life together. Next to my parents, they have played they longest and
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  most influential role in my life. And as it is with our
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  parents, somewhere in my mind, I have expected the to always be
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  here too. The reality is that in they next ten, fifteen or
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  twenty years they will depart this earth. I'd I'd rather they didn't,
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  and I don't want to imagine a world without them in it.
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  But that is a reality I cannot alter. Still, having already lost
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  relatives on both sides of my family, I know that when they
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  die the only thing that will change is they will no longer
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  be present in their bodies. I know all the memories and all
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  the life our family has shared together will continue with them wherever
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  them go, and from that state of being, they will be present
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  to those of us still here, in ways we cannot comprehend. This
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  November, I hope you will take a moment or more to reflect
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  upon your family and friends that are no longer here, and even
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  those random people who you briefly encountered in this life. Consider the
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  ways their lives impacted yours while they walked this earth, and then
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  think about how their lives continue to influence yours in ways you
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  never would have expected. Our memories of them are just one little
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  way their lives go on. Sprit Matters is a weekly column by
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  Gerilyn Zavada Novak that examines experiences common to the human spirit. Contact
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  her at jayzblue33 at yahoo.com.