My sister Mary Danz passed away on Thursday, December 15. She was a beautiful soul with a generous laugh and wonderful smile that lit up a room.
You were a Christmas baby, born on December 25, thus our parents named you Mary. Compassionate, caring, generous and loving, you embodied Christmas year round, sharing your many beautiful gifts with all. You loved to craft and make unique presents for family and friends, but your true gift, one you gave so freely, was your heart.
You were my big sister. We shared a bed when we were children, snuggling together, whispering in the dark. Interesting how life always brings us full circle. I lay next to you those last few nights, sharing stories of our childhood. And I read to you, just as I did when we were children, me just learning to read, you helping me sound out the words. This time you were quiet, but I knew you were listening. It was a beautiful book, a parable about the journey of life; you understood far better than I.
Having had no children of your own, you embraced first my children and then my grandchildren. They called you Moonie and you were a wonderful aunt, always there for them, providing a safe, fun-filled space for them to just be, exactly and only who they were. Your gift of unconditional love helped to mold them into the wonderful people they grew to be.
When my daughter Kristi died, you were the first one there, making the phone calls, helping us navigate the thorny path of grief and loss. You were strong, a rock I could lean on, even though your own heart was breaking.
You had a steady stream of visitors at the hospital, testament to the many people you shared your light with. Like most of us, I don’t think you realized how many people you touched, how many people loved you. I could tell you were enjoying the attention, basking in the love of family and friends. I called you Queen Moonie, holding court one last time and you graced us with one beautiful final gift, the chance to say goodbye.
Thank you Mary, for allowing me to be with you as you took your last breath. I have been blessed by you, first in life and then in death. You gave me the most precious gift of all. Peace and joy be with you until we are together again.
I love you.
Donna
The tide recedes, but leaves behind, bright seashells on the sand
The sun goes down, but gentle warmth, still lingers on the land.
The music stops, and yet it echoes on in sweet refrain . . .
For every joy that passes, something beautiful remains.
- Author Unknown
I babysat my granddaughter this past weekend. We went bowling, ate pizza and shared jokes. She likes me to sleep with her when I am there, quite an adventure as she is all over the bed. I must like getting kicked in the stomach in the middle of the night!
Sunday morning we were laying in bed chatting and she asked if I wanted to play “I Spy.” If you don’t have little children, you might not be familiar with this game where one person picks out something in the room, something “blue” perhaps and the other person has to figure out what it is. Great for teaching children how to be observant and also for keeping them busy.
Hampton said “Moonie (that’s my sister who recently passed away) always plays with me.” I asked her when she played with Moonie and she replied “She sleeps with me every night. We play in the morning when we wake up.” I asked her how Moonie was doing and she told me that Moonie said she was very happy and was not in any pain any more.
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Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful. Buddha
I am writing this article as the snow falls in Colorado. It is late night and it is quiet; so very quiet one can almost hear the voice of heaven. The responsibilities and to do list are far away, and if only for a moment I am immersed in the stillness. And I am thankful; thankful for the quiet, for the much-needed opportunity to slow down for a moment, clear the clutter and quiet the never-ending cacophony in my brain.
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This morning I am sitting on the patio, a beautiful cool Colorado morning. The sun is shining and I am enjoying a cup of tea, a perfect time to reflect, connect with Spirit and as Dr. Joe Dispenza encourages, plan…
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What is Oneness? It is a belief that we are all connected, every living being and organism on the planet. It is a knowing that there is an unseen web that binds us all.
We Are All One is the one idea that truly changes everything. When we see that we are all connected, when we see ourselves in each other, we cannot help but nurture, love and support the other. When we understand our connection to nature, we can no longer destroy our planet.
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"Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should dance."
This little nugget showed up in my email the other day with perfect timing. I was lamenting over the state of my affairs and how nothing seemed to be going right: my husband’s car died and needed a new battery; my computer locked up and absolutely refused to cooperate; I lost my brand new I-Pod, it drop out of my purse when we were out with a group of friends.
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People often ask me why I chose to expand the Extraordinary People Series to Vancouver. This is one of my favorite stories of messages from the other side...
I was invited to lunch by two young women from Denver, Kat and Maru. This was our first meeting and we spent a lot of time learning about each other, our backgrounds, how we started on this path and where we saw ourselves going. It was the day before New Years Eve 2007. I said that BellaSpark was kicking off a new series in Seattle beginning in January 2008 and that I was considering adding another city in 2009, probably somewhere in the Midwest. The conversation continued like that for a while longer, when all of a sudden Maru pipes up and says “You know you’re going to Vancouver next. You might think you’re going to the Midwest, but you’re going to Vancouver.”
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Often when I look in the mirror, I am completely surprised at the reflection that looks back at me. “Who is that person?” I ask. “That can’t be me. I am tall and thin; not short and round.” I have to admit, my mirror is generally pretty kind to me; a sort of magic mirror, if you would. I am sure I look taller and thinner when I model my outfit for the day. Imagine my surprise when I catch my reflection in a window or see myself in a photo. “Where did that dumpy person come from?” (Let me tell you, if you could invent a camera that didn’t put 10 pounds on a person, you would give Bill Gates a run for his money!)
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This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake.
Life is no brief candle to me; it is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations. - -George Bernard Shaw
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We attended a concert a while back, Beatlemania with the Fort Collins Symphony. It was great fun, all of us Baby Boomers dancing and groovin’ away to all the songs we grew up with.
One thing really caught our attention though, aside from the beer bellies and blue jeans; we were delighted to see many in the audience opening their cell phones to shine light on the concert. You can tell it’s been a while since we’ve been to a rock concert, cell phones instead of cigarette lighters, amazing! It started with just a couple and then the lights multiplied one by one as more and more of us caught on. A single light here, another there, four more in that section, a whole row over across the way; eventually, the entire hall was filled with shining lights. Cool…..
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