The Gift of Death

I speak to dead people... 

...and so can you if you don't yet. 

Gramps with my dad (right), me (left), and my two boys
(top left)

This morning I spoke to my grandfather, Gramps, who passed away in the early morning hours. 

Only hours after he passed, you'd think his soul would be busy in "soul orientation" figuring out where he goes and what he does as a soul. 

I have to admit, though, before this amazing experience I'm about to share with you, I did have thoughts of grief and sadness about his death. 

He passed? So soon? He just drove cross-country from Pennsylvania to LA six months ago to visit my dad!   He was just diagnosed with cancer a short time after that....how'd he die so quickly? 

I was filled with sadness. 

Sadness that I hadn't lived in the same town, or state for that matter, as gramps in over 20 years and I had only seen him a couple of times in those 20 years. 

Sadness that I wasn't there for my family who took care of him during his last few days. 

Grief that I didn't express my love for him when I saw him a few weeks ago when he was still

This was the sun shining on the
beach the day Gramps passed.

"Gramps" in my book...laughing with us as we ate lunch, raving over Gram's homemade relish, and giggling as Gram had to yell in Gramp's ear 13 times because he couldn't hear a word she said...

...then wondering if he really did hear her, but chose not to. 

 As I sat quietly in my living room with a cup of tea, the house quiet now that my boys were in school, I cried, and then remembered the spiritual tools I have to turn to in order to come to peace with Gramp's passing. 

I said a prayer for my family who I know are in their own grieving process. 

Then, in a silent, grounded moment, I remembered that, although, Gramps in his physical body, was in Morgantown, Pennsylvania before he passed, he is now an infinite soul capable of  being anywhere, at anytime, with anyone. 

He could be with me, and Gram, and my aunt Polly, and my dad and all the rest of us who are grieving all at the same time. 

So, I decided to reach out to his soul. 

I simply said, Gramps, I love you.  I know you are experiencing the peace of being free. Your soul is available to do more work than you were able to do here on Earth and I have no doubts you are laughing with joy.  That said, I want to know you're with me in Spirit...I ask for a sign. 

Before I get to the juicy part, let me preface it by saying that, in my family, we each have a special symbol that represents a sign that we are getting a hug from the Universe.  

Mine is a rainbow, so when we see a rainbow in the sky, or on a t-shirt, or in a magazine, etc., we say, "Oh, look! I'm getting a hug!" 

 It's an awareness practice for my family to periodically be reminded that we are always loved.  It's a great little game and ALWAYS exciting when we see our different symbols in the forms we see them. 

Now, on to the good stuff... I went about my morning, and then had to leave the house a short time later for a meeting. I got into my car and, being a creature of habit, put on the Donovan Frankenreiter station on Pandora.  

It's one of my favorites. 

If you know anything about Pandora, when you listen to a station for any period of time, the songs repeat themselves and you hear many of the songs over time. 

But as I put the car in drive, the melody of a song came on that I did not recognize.  Mind you, this was the FIRST song I heard when I got into the car. 

I thought, Huh, that's a nice melody, but I don't recognize it.   

I looked at the screen on my car and guess what the name of the song was?!?!!? RAINBOW!

Holy, sh*t!  I thought, thanks, Gramps!   

But then the words started and I couldn't help but feel so peaceful because he not only chose a song named after my special symbol, but with a message that went much deeper:

Well, I woke up this morning, a rainbow filled the sky.

Yes, I woke up this morning, rainbow filled the sky.

That was God telling me, everything's gonna be alright.

Well, so long good friends, when will we meet again?

Said, so long good friends, when will we meet again?

Well, I don't know, I don't know, but I guess I'll see you then...

(here's a quick video of the artist, G Love singing it with Jack Johnson and Donovan Frankenreiter...)

There couldn't have been a better song to be blessed with.

I felt my grief lift, a big smile spread across my face and iTunes got my $1.29 because I purchased the song right away to remember this sacred moment forever.

Some will read this and think, "She's crazy....that's just a coincidence."

Is it?

We are allowed our own perceptions of what happens after death, but I believe that Gramps heard my request for a sign.

I believe his soul was giving me a hug with the rainbow, and telling me he was alright and he'd see me when it's my time to do my work as a soul.

What I realized as I drove was how awesome death can be when we choose to see it that way.

You see, physically living 3,000 miles away from Gramps made it hard for me to see him and speak to him.

But in death, he's closer to me than I could ever imagine.  He's right here with me as I write this post, he was there with me laughing as I realized his sign and yelled, "Thank you, Gramps!!!"

And, he'll be with me in times I need guidance or comfort and ask for his assistance.

It's my belief that souls are just as pivotal to our human existence as those who are alive and well.

They have abilities we don't have as humans and can deliver to us what we need that humans can't.  

Things like a sense of peace or love when we are in our darkest hours, or guidance on which way to turn if we are lost, or  simply someone to send us the perfect song at the perfect time.

When we ask for the assistance of those who have passed, and are open to how that assistance will come, we can "speak" to our loved ones long after their physical body dies.

I wanted to honor Gramps with my boys today.

So, after my experience, I knew what we'd do.

I picked my boys up from school, we painted six rocks, each with a color of the rainbow and wrote on

Our rainbow rocks marked with the
qualities of God that Gramps was in
his physical life and that he is
now as our soul angel.

them the qualities of God that Gramps embodied in his human life and now as our soulful angel:

Peace, Love, Joy, Beauty, Wisdom and Power.

It's a reminder of the infinite nature that is all of us in physical form and in our spirit form.

We took the rocks to the beach and mindfully and peacefully thought a happy thought and threw our rocks into the ocean.

I chose the ocean because it's the most infinite thing

Rainbow Rocks

I could think of in physical form....think of how many droplets make up our oceans, and that's about as close as I could get to infinite.

Knowing that Gramps is now infinite in his own power, we gave our honorary rocks to the infinite ocean in remembrance of Gramps.

If they are taken out to sea by the movement of the ocean, then they, too will live an infinite life like Gramps.

If they wash ashore for someone to find and receive a reminder of their own quality of God that they,

Each of us honored Gramps in our own way before
throwing our rocks. 

too, are imbued with, then Gramp's is still blessing someone with his presence in the rainbow rocks.

What started out as a sad day, turned into an amazing experience of what death is really all about.

It's about someone moving on to their next "assignment" from a soul level.  If today is any indication of Gramp's abilities as a soul on his first day of "work," then I think we are all blessed by his passing because he is teaching us what he can from where he is.

Gramps, you are SO loved, you will be missed, and I ask that you bless all your family with the blessing you gave to me today.  

You will always be a rainbow of joy in my mind.

Namaste.