Clearing the Path.
Shortly after I moved into my home, I totally redesigned the entry. The previous owners had erected a fence that blocked access to the yard. From the moment I first saw my house, this struck me as off. Once I removed the fence and rerouted the walkway, I carefully chose landscaping that would create a sense of being welcomed. I wanted guests to feel drawn in, then enveloped in comfort.
Over the winter, several of my boxwoods were killed by the harsh weather. Nothing says, “Welcome!’ quite like a bunch of woody, dead bushes bordering your entry. (Ha!) The work involved in removing the bushes is ridiculous. I spent over an hour and a half on just one! As I hacked and dug away the gnarled root system, I couldn’t help but to think about how hard it can be to start over.
There is so much to clear away before we can even begin to plant again.
I hope you are enjoying the official start of summer. It’s still chilly here in Wisconsin by the lake. The temperature was only in the 40s when I woke up this morning. The cool weather has given me a chance to tackle an ambitious gardening project, the removal of some older, struggling bushes near my front entrance.
Shortly after I moved into my home, I totally redesigned the entry. The previous owners had erected a fence that blocked access to the yard. From the moment I first saw my house, this struck me as off. Once I removed the fence and rerouted the walkway, I carefully chose landscaping that would create a sense of being welcomed. I wanted guests to feel drawn in, then enveloped in comfort.
Over the winter, several of my boxwoods were killed by the harsh weather. Nothing says, “Welcome!’ quite like a bunch of woody, dead bushes bordering your entry. (Ha!) The work involved in removing the bushes is ridiculous. I spent over an hour and a half on just one! As I hacked and dug away the gnarled root system, I couldn’t help but to think about how hard it can be to start over.
There is so much to clear away before we can even begin to plant again.
It’s just like loss. Whether the loss comes from the passing of a loved one, a relationship that ends, a job that is terminated, or a harsh winter, we still have to go through the process of cleaning up the old before we can truly begin again.
It’s hard for me. I’m impatient: I wanted it all to be perfect yesterday. I was warned when I planted those bushes ten years ago that I wasn’t giving them enough space. I didn’t care— I wanted them to look full and perfect RIGHT THEN.
Having patience with ourselves as we clear the path to rebuilding our lives is a key element in thriving after loss. I don’t have the strength to remove those bushes in one day, but I know can get it done within 2 weeks.
As I honor the Summer Solstice and longest day of the year, I’m going to sit out front and ponder what landscape I will next create so I can welcome guests to my home.
- Take a minute and think about what you need to clear up so you can take the next step forward.
- Where is your energy so thickly tangled up that new life cannot take hold?
- What difficult situation needs to be sifted through so seeds of love can be planted in its place?
Ideas are great, but it is ultimately action that creates change. The Summer Solstice is a wonderful time that supports the energy of change.
©Mollie Morning Star 2014 Short excerpts of this article may be shared on the internet provided a live link back to this original source is used. Reproduction in print is prohibited.
Learning to Trust the Signs
I'm sharing this story again in honor of my brother Bill's 50th birthday today. I've been telling him for weeks I want to find $50 as a sign from him--so far I have found 2 pennies and 4 quarters. (The beginning of a fortune!) Enjoy the story!
The very best communication a person can have with a loved one in Spirit is the one that happens on it's own, without the help of a medium. I simply validate the connected presence of a loved one, but I don't make it happen. Because a Soul who is no longer present in a body can't simply show up and talk to you, we have to learn how to trust the synchronicity and coincidences that display their love for us.
This was originally posted on March 18th 2014. I'm sharing it again today, June 9th, in honor of my brother Bill's 50th birthday today. I've been telling him for weeks I want to find $50 as a sign from him--so far I have found 2 pennies and 4 quarters. (The beginning of a fortune!) Enjoy the story!
The very best communication a person can have with a loved one in Spirit is the one that happens on it's own, without the help of a medium. I simply validate the connected presence of a loved one, but I don't make it happen. Because a Soul who is no longer present in a body can't simply show up and talk to you, we have to learn how to trust the synchronicity and coincidences that display their love for us.
My ability to communicate with Spirit works at it's best when I am completely objective of the connection. This is why I insist on anonymity prior to a session. If I know your story, it's hard for me to know what information is already in my consciousness and what information I am mentally receiving from your loved one. Because of this, when I want to connect with my own loved ones, I'm in the same boat you are. I have to rely on the signs I receive to get my "hello" from Heaven. Last year, I realized how I was missing one of the clearest signs I regularly receive.
I went to a lecture in Chicago to see the medium, John Holland. During the presentation, he spoke about how many people receive coins as signs from loved ones passed. In my mind I laughed and thought, "Ah! Too bad for them, I always find bills!" It's true, last Spring I found a $5 bill nestled into the first green tips of the daffodils in my garden coming up. I have stepped out of my car in an empty parking lot on to a pile of a few hundred dollars. It's like paper money FINDS ME, it's been happening for years. After the event, I walked out with my friends and as I stepped onto the street, I said, "Hey, is that money?" I bent over and obscured by the snow and salt was a five dollar bill. I picked it up and told my friends that during the lecture I was silently laughing since I always seem to find paper money. I held in my hand the proof.
Once we were in the car, we began talking about the readings that day, and like everyone else in the room, I had asked my special loved one in Heaven to say hello if he could. It suddenly dawned on me....and I CAN NOT believe I missed this all these years....my brother in Heaven is named BILL. I can't believe I missed that one! I took that bill around to my group readings for quite a while, until I met a woman in Minneapolis who also had a brother in Spirit named Bill, I gave it to her as a reminder of his ongoing connection. I trust I'll find another one when the time is right.
Bill is the blonde on the right, and I am the cutie second to the left. Bill passed away at age 30, almost 20 years ago.
©Mollie Morning Star 2014 Short excerpts of this article may be shared on the internet provided a live link back to this original source is used. Reproduction in print is prohibited.
The Importance of Doing Nothing.
Last week in Chicago, during the final group session on my Spring Tour, I delivered a message that is still dancing in my head. There was a young woman in the audience whose close friend had recently passed from cancer. The friend came through loud and clear to me. There was no doubt it was her, communicating from a higher realm. Her message was simple: “Thank you for doing nothing.”
Last week in Chicago, during the final group session on my Spring Tour, I delivered a message that is still dancing in my head. There was a young woman in the audience whose close friend had recently passed from cancer. The friend came through loud and clear to me. There was no doubt it was her, communicating from a higher realm. Her message was simple: “Thank you for doing nothing.”
The woman in the audience was deeply touched. “I would go to her house and lie in bed with her while she was sick,” she said, “and we’d do nothing.”
“She says thank you, thank you so much.” I continued. “You gave her a gift she was able to take with her.” It was all I could do to not burst into tears on the spot.
Over lunch that afternoon, I discussed this message with my daughter. I was still fighting back tears, remembering that scene. A few days earlier, I had done some nothing myself. A friend of mine had back surgery, so I took a day off to visit with him. We spent the day sitting, playing cards, drinking tea, and I led him out for walks around the block. A whole lotta nada, really.
My time to do nothing has arrived. I travel like a crazy woman in the spring because it gives me the freedom to take extended time off in the summer. The spring travel and work obligations are just go-go-go! I’m very ready for slow-slow-slow.
So, if you need me, I’ll be in my garden dividing plants and pulling weeds.
Or you might find me on the bike path, sitting on a bench, still as stone trying to get a good look at an indigo bunting. This could take hours.
Or I’ll be in front of my easel, working on a pair of crane paintings that I just started. It may take me all summer to finish, because if a friend stops over, we’ll have to go sit in the garden and count the violets. I’ll still be available for private sessions, but at a more relaxed pace. This is my season for recharging myself-and my connection with Spirit.
As much “get up and go” as we have (or don’t have), there is lasting value in doing nothing. It’s a gift we give the people we love, as well as ourselves. A break from rushing, doing and producing. A chance to allow your mind to get reacquainted with your soul space. Make a trip into the inner parts of your heart to see what’s up within yourself.
©Mollie Morning Star 2015 Short excerpts of this article may be shared on the internet provided a live link back to this original source is used. Reproduction in print is prohibited.
VIDEO BLOG: Do Children Grow in Heaven?
Evidential Psychic Medium, Mollie Morning Star answers a question from a viewer who's granddaughter passed at 7 weeks of age, 15 years ago. Mollie's shares her experiences in connecting parents with children that have passed and the different ages they may present themselves at during a session. There is also discussion on the difference between the growth of a physical body and a soul.
Evidential Psychic Medium, Mollie Morning Star, answers a question from a viewer who's granddaughter passed at 7 weeks of age, 15 years ago. Mollie shares her experiences in connecting parents with children that have passed and the different ages they may present themselves at during a session. There is also discussion on the difference between the growth of a physical body and a soul.
©Mollie Morning Star 2015 Short excerpts of this article may be shared on the internet provided a live link back to this original source is used. Reproduction in print is prohibited.
Mother's and Father's Day for the Bereaved Parent
With Mother’s Day just behind us, and Father’s Day coming up soon, I’ve been reflecting on what a bittersweet job parenting can be.
A parent creates life, and then at some point has to release their most precious creation to the will of the Universe. In the toughest scenario, parents have to endure the death of their child. I remembered how I struggled when my two children hit their 20s and moved out of our home to permanent residences in their college town. It took me three months to stop crying and readjust my life. But no matter how sad I might be that my children have moved on with their adult life, they can still come back, fill my house with noise, and be a part of my physical reality. A bereaved parent’s options are far fewer.
With Mother’s Day just behind us, and Father’s Day coming up soon, I’ve been reflecting on what a bittersweet job parenting can be.
A parent creates life, and then at some point has to release their most precious creation to the will of the Universe. In the toughest scenario, parents have to endure the death of their child. I remembered how I struggled when my two children hit their 20s and moved out of our home to permanent residences in their college town. It took me three months to stop crying and readjust my life. But no matter how sad I might be that my children have moved on with their adult life, they can still come back, fill my house with noise, and be a part of my physical reality. A bereaved parent’s options are far fewer.
Metaphorically, they can either learn to swim or drown.
While interacting with a diverse section of bereaved parents, I’ve found there is no time frame for healing. It’s not something that can be gotten over, like an illness. It has to be incorporated into your life. As a medium, I deal mostly with spiritual people, or at least those who are open to the idea of the afterlife. One common thread I see with parents who are thriving after a loss is their dedication to helping others. You might expect that it’s those parents who realize their child is still with them spiritually who move through grief most easily. But in all honesty, it’s those who reach out to others whom I see thriving instead of merely surviving. They haven’t necessarily changed their lives or careers, but they do take the time to help others. And in doing so, they inspire hope.
I liken this phenomenon to what I’ve seen in New York City. Folks from Manhattan get a bad rap as being tough, yet my experiences with groups there have been the exact opposite. Nowhere have I seen people come together in community as closely as I have in NYC. Whenever someone receives a message, every person in the room is just as thrilled as if he or she had received one. It’s a beautiful solidarity. My feeling is that the recent tragedies of 9-11 and Hurricane Sandy have helped create this bond between neighbors. And bereaved parents understand each other. The comfort one bereaved parent can offer to another is woven through with a deep empathy that someone who has not experienced this loss cannot comprehend.
Helping others get through the grief of losing a child can be a temporary thing you do for a few years as a part of your healing. Or it can be something to which you dedicate the rest of your life. The loss of a child creates a particular void, different from any other, and parents need an outlet for the nurturing energy they previously devoted to their child. Being an active parent to a deceased child is an arduous task! I always say, “A bereaved parent’s work is never done.” Instead of cooking, laundry and baseball games, the grieving parent’s work becomes spiritual growth, lessons in patience and faith, and often a dedication of personal time to helping others.
I asked a few bereaved parents what comforts them on days like Mother’s and Father’s Day.
Susie shares: “I think of earth as a school for learning love lessons. Our son "graduated" early and is home, in the loving arms of our Father, where we will all be reunited some day.”
Jan shares: "Almost every Mother’s Day, my departed son finds a way to give me a gift—if only I pay attention! This past Saturday, I visited my four-year-old niece Caroline, whom I hadn’t seen in a year and a half. She’s normally very shy. But as soon as I saw her, Caroline gave me a big hug and insisted on spending every minute by my side. I went away feeling cherished and loved. Later I realized that our son was whispering in Caroline’s ear, urging her to give me some loving. It worked—and completely changed my Mother’s Day weekend."
Marsha shares: “It’s been five years since my daughter, Molly, departed, and I truly think there is no way a mother’s heart ever returns to normal after such an unexpected loss. I believe a mother’s love for her child is immeasurably fierce and is matched only by God’s unlimited love for us. In my quest to find my daughter, I think SHE found me and has been wrapping her spiritual arms around me, encouraging me to take that love and do positive things with it. Like our children who have departed and still send us their love, it can be very comforting to find a way to plant something good where something so infinitely precious was taken."
©Mollie Morning Star 2015 Short excerpts of this article may be shared on the internet provided a live link back to this original source is used. Reproduction in print is prohibited.
VIDEO BLOG: Dream Visits
In today's video blog I answer a popular question about dream visits from loved ones passed. Not only are these visits real, they can prove to be deeply healing gifts. I discuss the differences between spiritual visits and typical dreams, frequency, and why a loved one may choose to pass a message to you through someone else's dream.
In today's video blog I answer a popular question about dream visits from loved ones passed. Not only are these visits real, they can prove to be deeply healing gifts. I discuss the differences between spiritual visits and typical dreams, frequency, and why a loved one may choose to pass a message to you through someone else's dream.
©Mollie Morning Star 2015 Short excerpts of this article may be shared on the internet provided a live link back to this original source is used. Reproduction in print is prohibited.