Did you know that within you exists a special, yet often underused, tool for healing? It’s just waiting for you to discover it and harness its capacity to help you on your journey to wellness. 

Years ago, an older friend said to me, “Time wounds all heels.” It's a tongue-in-cheek play on the phrase “Time heals all wounds,” but it did make me think.  As the years roll by, the chance of experiencing a profound loss increases, and as we learn to integrate these losses into our overall life experience, we mature.

On today's blog I am sharing thoughts from two experts on how to gently handle yourself and move forward when the unanswerable question of "Why did my loved one have to die?"comes up.  Author Mark Ireland, Co-Founder of Helping Parents Heal, and Ronnie Susan Walker, Founder and Executive Director of the Alliance of Hope for Suicide Loss Survivors share their knowledge here. 

In the last six weeks I have been inundated with questions from people who are driving themselves crazy, thinking their beloved Souls in Spirit must still be reacting to the bumps and jolts of life like humans do.

Why would that be? They’ve transitioned to a different realm, and believe, me, they’re different themselves.

Have you ever wondered why we romanticize the past? Here's how a clogged drain and a deceased bootlegger brought the shady past into the light of the present moment. 

How well is your “trust” muscle working these days? 

Feeling kind of weak from a lack of use? Or maybe it’s feeling strong from all that heavy lifting you’ve been doing?

Last week on my Facebook page I shared a picture with the words, “Every Soul has a unique plan and energy.” To me, that means that while our time on this Earth is deeply interconnected with others, we still have our own mission to fulfill and we must bring a one-of-a-kind energy (aka Soul) to accomplish that mission. 

Dealing with personal regret after the passing of a loved one can sometimes cause crippling emotional pain.  We all deal with self doubt, but a deep loss can take our minds into an abyss of despair as we question every action we took (or didn’t take) on behalf of the deceased. This is a common theme in the emails and private sessions I conduct with clients. But here is what I want you to know: Your deceased loved ones want to help you move past your pain.

One of the most profound lessons I have learned working with the Souls in the hereafter is that the true gift of our human lives is finding love and joy in the present moment, while looking forward with hope. 

We cannot escape loss and hardship while on this Earthly journey, but somehow adversity is followed by opportunity. 

Looking forward with hope is a great challenge after a deep loss. Losses can take many forms in the passing of a loved one, a job, a relationship

Like it or not, the holidays are upon us! With a few days off this past weekend, I was able to spend time catching up with friends. There was a recurring theme of “holiday unrest” with many of my favorite people this year: families fighting over meaningless things, choosing to sit around and drink instead of help with dishes, and bringing up memories from 20 years ago that definitely should have been left alone. You know, the kind of family that puts the “fun" in dysfunction! 

 I went to bed feeling heavy-hearted last night. Everywhere I turn messages of unrest, poverty and suffering are being shared. They are true reports, and as just one person, I feel a bit helpless in making a difference.

I saw this deeply moving photo journal of where children refugees are sleeping and it made me ache. (http://www.cnn.com/…/cnnphotos-syrian-children-refugees-sl…/) It reminded me of a book I read a few months ago called, "The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah. The story profiles some of the suffering that the women and children in Europe experienced during World War Two. The refugee crisis we are facing now is not so different from the horrors Jewish children experienced during the Holocaust.

While I was in Manchester, NH for a group reading, I received a message for bereaved parents Jon and Lois Kesty.

It went something like this:

I began to sense a young woman with me who indicated that she passed of an overdose. One of her messages was that her parents were using their voices to communicate help and hope to others.

Jon and Lois raised their hands, and said they recognized this communicator as their daughter, Sumner. I wouldn’t find out just how much good they are doing until after the group, when we sat down to talk. 

One of my favorite topics to dive into is this: During a connection with Spirit, what information provides solid evidence of the afterlife?

It gets kind of technical and qualifies as "shoptalk amongst mediums." But hey-this is good for you to know. If you are sitting for a reading by a medium who knows nothing about you, and you have a teenage son who passed, a validating message could be as simple as this: "I sense a young man in Spirit who loves you very dearly." Take it for what it is. For a professional medium, however, it is not enough. 

You might remember me mentioning that my ceiling collapsed last year due to a roof leak that went unnoticed while I was on a West Coast tour. After getting a new roof this summer, I am finally repairing the interior damage. 

The entry and kitchen are getting some new drywall, fresh paint, a window, and I figured while everything is ripped to shreds, I might as well replace my ailing tile countertops. (click through to read on)