circles of life, those we have lost are never truly gone

Circles are my favorite.

There is something about the fact that

it continues on and on without end.

I also love that for me,

if you are inside the circle

you are protected from what it outside of it.

I wear a pendant on a chain around my neck

that holds Ben's ashes.

that chain also holds a circle.

Many folks have asked me if it is this or that,

and my response is always the same.

No, it is simply a circle and I love circles.

The circle I wear, represents the never-ending bond

we have with those that have left this life before us.

Although there are many that left this life

sooner than I would have liked,

and there are many that no matter how long they are here

it will never be long enough;

my relationship with them has not ended.

The circle continues on in my heart and in my soul.

I FEEL them when I am reminded by a photo,

a shared story,

a sign or message I believe they have left for me.

I recently had a patient, a widower, who at 98 years old

said, "the older I get the more uncertain I am that there is an afterlife".

I generally do not share my religious beliefs unless I am asked,

however, it was easy to share my spiritual belief.

I told him that for me our energy if this life

is WAY too strong to simply no longer exist.

Your body is only the vessel that houses that energy.

He told me he liked that idea.

I asked him if it would give him comfort knowing

that his spirit would live on and he could be with

the spirit of his wife again.

He said yes, I reminded him that he could choose

what beliefs he wanted to hold onto.

He smiled and said, thank you I like that idea.

We all have choices and believe variations of

spirituality/religion

The choice is yours

For me, I see Ben's presence in our lives just as much today

as it was on this day two years ago when he was still

within the circle of this life.

Sometimes the sadness places a shroud of tears over my eyes,

however they are dried by a hawk, a penny from heaven, a photograph,

a Giants jersey, a smile from the boys who share a part of that spirit, the list goes on.

It is a circle.

This pouch was a gift from a patient who made yo-yo quilts,

they are made out of circles. She had one on her bed and as I admired it,

I told her that I too loved circles

and that it was beautiful. The next day she gave me this and said

I want you to have this because you love circles.

I will not explain the significance of all the varied circles on this pouch,

however suffice it to say that it is one of my most treasured possessions.

MORE CIRCLES!

For those who have lost a loved one

know that you too can share this belief.

I am sharing it because it gives me some peace and comfort

and my prayer is that it will do the same for you.

I am proud to share my circle with all of you

and I am honored to be a part of yours

Peace be with you

Kristyn