Holidays can be a magical time when we can look inside ourselves for the magic. I look forward to the snow, the scent of pine and cinnamon and the sound of holiday music, especially Kenny G’s Classic Christmas CD. These senses trigger memories, of the holidays of the past, when we shared these special times with our loved ones.These treasured memories and traditions make you feel closer to those who have crossed over, yet you may find as these holidays approach sadness fills your heart. How do you get through the holidays with peace, while embracing social obligations even family functions with discord, without feeling despair? How do you embrace the magic and love of the season? After years of speaking to your loved ones in the spirit world, who now have the advantage of looking back on their earthly lives with understanding. I was able to get these words of wisdom.

Be kind
Help someone who is less fortunate with a small act of kindness. Let everyone in your life know how much you care. Take time to write a personal note when sending holiday cards, or use social media to send out messages of love and gratitude for the people who have inspired you or even a small note of kindness to someone who has not been so thoughtful to you. Each time you are good to someone, every encouraging word you speak, and every time you go out of your way to help someone who has never said thank you is important. These acts of kindness will not go unnoticed. When you perform an arbitrary act of kindness for someone without expecting anything in return, you have not only affected the life of someone else, but you also unknowingly helped to raise your own vibration. Before you incarnated here, you were surrounded in unconditional love. This love is your true spiritual reality. When you practice unconditional love, you are bringing yourself more in balance and in harmony with your spiritual reality. You incarnated here to learn these lessons while fulfilling your soul’s contract.

Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is when you focus on the task you are doing instead of rushing from one chore to another. Engage your mind to really experience your moment. The secret to a mindful life is to quiet your mind and appreciate the present moment. Create a list for your holiday that is meaningful to you and make priorities. You can still reflect on the remembrance of your loved ones when these memories are triggered. I am going to try to bake cookies that my mother made every year for Christmas. This will awaken many memories for me, but as I bake I will also be present and I will create new memories. Find new traditions that will honor your loved ones, but have new meaning and joy for you.

Meditate and Communicate
Take time to meditate, Give yourself permission to sit for a few minutes and connect with spirit. Winter is the time of year to be still and reflect. The short days and the long nights create a wonderful time to meditate. The Winter Solstice marks a central part of nature’s cycle. It is a time of new growth, rebirth and renewal. It is a reminder that in order to begin anew, the old must end. Within the dark night comes the rebirth of the sun which brings a new spark of hope and the light of the world. It is so important, while in your meditation to send positive energy and prayers for the Planet. When you meditate you are also taking the time with your loved one, which brings such peace in knowing that you are still connected.

Many years ago I read a book that profoundly touched my life, “A Year To Live” by Stephen Levine. In the book the author documents a one-year experiment as if he had one year to live. He starts to live each day as if it was his last. The concept of the book is to live consciously and mindfully, every single day, hour, each moment, as if it were our last. Throughout the year he lives moment by moment and enjoys life from a deeper level. Why worry about tomorrow because tomorrow my never come, so then the focus becomes on the present.
If we think about it, it is really funny. What is the use of continually thinking about where we are going next week? If we are so busy planning where we are going we cannot fully enjoy where we are now. We will be in the same predicament when next week becomes a now. If our happiness consists of reviewing memories and expectations we become dimly aware of the present. We have formed a habit of looking behind and ahead, making it difficult to appreciate the present. If our awareness of the past and future makes us less aware of the present, we must not actually be living in the real world.
When you train your mind to be continually in the moment your awareness becomes heightened. You can actually savor the taste of your food, the joy when the shower washes over your body and you can feel each day as the seasons change. There is a new clarity and your path on Earth becomes clearer and the stillness of your mind opens up to your dreams. Steve Jobs said, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” He was a man who followed his words and made the impossible come true. As he lay in bed waiting for death to approach he looked beyond his family and his finial words were, “Oh wow, Oh wow, Oh wow.” Steve Jobs created many amazing things in his life and if he said “Oh wow” it must be great.
With each client I talk too, in some way it is confirmed to me how wonderful death and the afterlife is when life is completed. I am now in the body to experience life on Earth. Do I worry about tomorrow or long for the past? No, I make the most of today.
I wanted to speak to the spirit of my mother. In my meditation I visualized going to my home that I lived in as a child, longing to be there with my mother again. I heard her voice say to me, “Don’t look back, live for today and make new memories.”
About 20 years ago I joined an Adopt a Whale program and they randomly gave me a whale name Granny. At that time I was hopeful to one day meet Granny. For anyone who knows me, they know how passionate I am about Orcas and the policies concerning them. So, if I was going to live today as it was my last I must fulfill my dream. I decided to go to the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington State to visit the Orca Whales. Each day that I spent there I was in awe of these beautiful creatures. On the first day, while watching we saw a pod of Orcas looking for food. Two young males, Cookie and his brother Doublestuff were swimming next to their pod. Telepathically Cookie knew how I longed to see these Orcas. He left his brother and disappeared under the water. The next thing I knew his amazing presence was next to our boat. I reached out to him and thanked him for fulfilling my dream. On the last day of my trip, it was a very quiet day out on the water. There were very few whales but as we were heading back two whales came from out of the distance and one tipped her fluke. It was Granny. She is now 103 years old and as beautiful as she was in her picture 20 years ago.
I know my mother was happy that I was creating new memories. Our loved ones want us to move forward in life, enjoy each day until it is our last. The end as we know it will come, we will be together again but for now, no more “could, should or would have”, but instead find your happiness living your dreams in the here and now.

Imagine watching someone you love cry. You can feel her pain, but as you reach out to comfort her there is no response. You hug her, say words of comfort, and gently touch her face but she looks right through you as if you are invisible. All of a sudden you see a smile, you telepathically hear your name and you know you have made a connection. Now all you want is for her to take a minute to quiet her mind and connect with you. Your energy sends a surge of light or you drop a feather from the sky, you want to be acknowledged and let her know you are not gone. Yet you hear her say, “I lost my husband” and you shout, “I am not lost. I am here.” This is what the spirit of your loved one feels as he or she watches you grieve. Death is moving into another dimension after the physical body dies, there is still a connection to be made.

I hear from my clients over and over again, “I am not getting a sign from my loved one.” I guarantee you that there are indications, beside the little signs moving around us. There is a more intense connection waiting to happen, but you have to put effort into this bond to make it grow. It is no different from learning a new language. It would take me years to be able to connect with someone from a foreign country. But with diligent work and practice I would be fluent in that language.

Spirits have asked me to teach their loved ones their new language so they can continue to communicate and build their relationship. Yet as I have tried to teach my clients how to communicate they get discouraged and drop back into their loss. It saddens me to say, that in this life we will experience sorrow but spirit has taught me that we have choices. We can fall into the darkness of grief or reach to the light. Reaching to the light is the difficult choice but for the growth of your soul the most rewarding. With practice, commitment and a belief you can communicate with spirit.

I teach a monthly class to facilitate communication. On the day of the class, I can feel the disappointment from the spirits when their loved ones don’t make the effort to come to class. Do I tell the spirit that his mother is too busy tonight with his sister or grandkids to come and learn to hear him? I would hear back, “My sister has our mother every day, and I only have her one day a month at this class to send my thoughts and love.” It is hard for him to understand when he sees his mother crying because she cannot hear him. Yet we are offering a new way to make this happen but we get no commitment.

I can also feel the joy of the spirits. Last month, hours before I left to teach my class, I felt such joy run through my body. I knew it was from a spirit of a young man whose happiness was wonderful. Within that hour I received a phone call from a client who asked me if he could bring a young woman to class. He told me she was a very important girl in his son’s life before he died. I did not realize what was happening until class and felt this young man’s delight to see this girl.

This situation made me realize how important it is for us to take the time for spirit. Is it that humans have a belief that death takes someone very far away and we cannot cross the vale until we die? That is not true. Our soul is alive and wants to connect. Is it that humans are not ready to give of themselves when they are not getting immediate satisfaction, or we think that we can only love in physical form.

What many of my clients don’t realize is that it took me years of practice. I came to class each week with no expectation and left with the most amazing gift. My secret is that I came to class and dedicated my life to spirit.

I hope each of you who are grieving will seek out a group and dedicate yourself to learning how to communicate with your loved ones. I know they are anxious to share their new existence with you.

For those who are not followers of the TV show The Walking Dead, forgive my comparison in this blog, but for those like myself who are fans, the first mid-season episode blew my mind. Yes the series was full of zombie violence but the writers went beyond that last night. One of my favorite characters Tyreese, was bitten by a zombie. Noah runs for help. Much of the episode takes place as Tyreese experiences the onset of long, protracted hallucination. Even if the writers meant for it to be hallucinations only, there had to be some thought that you are not alone when you die. As Tyreese held his wound, to try to stop the bleeding the camera would show the expression in his eyes, and you could see confusion, fear and yet a glimmer of comfort and hope. His friends who had died came to comfort him, but what was also very interesting is that two men with whom had a difficult time in life, came to sort out his wrongs. As the show went on the others came and did what they could do to save him and as they were transporting him in the car, Tyreese looked at Rick driving the car but instead of Rick he saw Beth (who had previously died) driving. She turned to him and said, “it’s better now.” As he looked at the seat next to him, he saw his two friends (two little girls) who had also died. They also said “it’s better now.”

I believed them. I felt comfort. I felt that he was now at peace. The camera pulled back, Tyreese was taken out of the car and the next scene was at his funeral.
I know he wasn’t hallucinating I know his friends were there to meet him. I am just so pleased that a top rated TV show would write it in such a surreal episode that the viewers got a glimpse of crossing over.

Years ago I went to the bedside of a man, named Bill, who was dying. He could not speak, but the spirit of his mother told me that both she and his father were waiting for him. She explained to me that she and Bill had a very difficult relationship and she was not a very kind mother. She came to help him cross over to show her remorse, yet Bill was having a hard time excepting her apologies. This process was very important, as enabled Bill’s soul to let go of his anger towards his mother so he could cross over in peace.

Vic told me that even with his twin brother waiting for him his will to live was strong. After he realized that his body was braking down more each day and that he could never be the strong man he once was, then crossing over became apparent. Vic also explained that when he took his last breath the journey was much easier because of his brother.

When my mother died she called out “Momma,” and then “Sam”. I knew my dad was waiting for her and for years she longed to see her mother again, I felt pleased for her that her mother was there to walk with her on her journey.

As I medium I know you are not alone when you die. More and more TV and films are describing what it is like to die, the same way I am told by spirit. The words I hear over and over again from spirit is “I’m ok now” or “It’s better now.” Is it a coincidence that www.thewalkingdead.com writers used the words “It’s better now”? I don’t think so; remember I don’t believe in coincidences.

In each blog we will explore the afterlife, transitioning, energy and communication. To put it simply, what do we do when we die?
You may contact me if you have any questions or comments. Looking forward to hearing from you. Life is a journey and it makes it a little easier when we can do it together.

In my blogs I want to help those who are in grief and I also want to teach those who are curious about the world we call death. I will not be doing this alone, two spirits Joe and Vic will help me bring their interpretation to the unknown.

Vic was 80 when he left the earth plane. He had been quite ill for a long time, but for months he fought the angel of death. He loved his wife his son Joe, his home, his horses, his car, tractor and motorcycle.
He had many friends and was teased as being the John Wayne of Pennsylvania. Death for him was a failure. He had been a Green Beret for years, and was taught that the weak die. For months he laid in a semiconscious state, even with his twin brother waiting on the other side, to take him home, he still wasn’t ready to leave. After death, there was still a part of Vic that wanted to resume his place on Earth. He loved his wife and son so much that he wanted to be home with them. He also knew that his wife was soon going to be faced with a horrific situation. Knowing this made his separation even harder. But as his wife grew stronger so did he and he knew he would have to support her from the other side. As time went on he prepared for the events that would happen within his family. He learned how to use his energy, the power of his mind, how to travel throughout the dimensions and how to communicate and send signs to his wife. He was in a group of souls, souls that he knew in the war, as they were finding understanding of the tragedies of war and why their souls were a part of it. One day an immense sadness came upon his soul, within seconds he saw his son Joe touch a lump under his arm, he knew he was feeling the sadness that was to come upon his wife.
Sweet Joe was 35 when he crossed into spirit. He was very gentle and had a very different personality from is dad. Even though he had a strong attachment to his family he transitioned into the spirit world quickly. In life he did not always fit in and he did not always try hard to accomplish material things, but instead he lived life in the moment. Joe did not count how many friends he had, but his friends could always count on him. He struggled for many, many months fighting for a cure, but when his body could not fight the disease any longer, he knew it was time to let go. As he laid in the dark of the night, his mother heard him talking to his guides; he asked if he could have a little more time. A little more time to be in his home that he loved so much, to feel his mother’s love, a little more time to feel all that is familiar to him, before he walked into the unknown. But as his time came to an end, the light wrapped around him and in the distance he heard his mother say “Joe it is ok to go” as he held on to her words he moved out of his sick physical body and into his healthy strong spiritual body. In the distance he saw his dad, Vic reaching out to him and his little gray cat running beside him. Years have passed and both of their spirits have grown strong and are willing to help me teach spiritual life on the other side.

In each blog we will explore the afterlife, transitioning, energy and communication. To put it simply, what do we do when we die?
You may contact me if you have any questions or comments. Looking forward to hearing from you. Life is a journey and it makes it a little easier when we can do it together.

For many of us the holidays are bittersweet. We try to show joy for those we share the holidays with, but it is not always easy. Especially when you are grieving, the sadness can be over powering. We want the holidays to be the way they were in the past, but sadly to say, we can’t go back. How do we move forward?

December 24th was my mother’s birthday. Far back as I can remember Christmas Eve was always a big celebration in my home. My family would gather, open gifts, share stories, and there would be much laughter and joy. There was never a Christmas Eve that I missed. My mother was the matriarch of the family, she kept the family together even after my father died. Since my mother has died, my family has separated and Christmas Eve will never be the same.

My children are also having a difficult time: they miss their grandmother. I must start my own traditions. I want it to be a tradition that I can share with my children, but I want to still include my mother. I sat in a meditation and asked what can I do different on this day. At first it was hard to get an answer because spirit doesn’t select special days of the year. For them we should treat every day as a holiday. But as I sat there, the answer came to me; we will go to the shrine of Padre Pio in Barto, PA. My mother loved Padre Pio and would enjoy spending time at his shrine. She spent time in the prayer garden, saying prayers and lighting candles for all who have crossed over, and now it is her turn. We will light a candle in her honor, and send her prayers. Later, we will go to the movies and afterwards we will have a pizza. In the evening I will spend time in gratitude.

I want to share a story about one of my clients because I admire her willingness to change. Her son died this year and this will be he family’s first Christmas without him. She told me how her son loved the holidays, because he loved to give gifts to others. She and her son would shop together and buy thoughtful gifts for those in need. She could not bear the thought of Christmas without him. My client knew she had to change the holiday routines this year. She will be flying to California with her husband and daughter to visit her daughter who lives in California, instead of her daughter coming east as she always had in the past. This is a major change in everyone’s life and a huge step toward healing.

Personally, I feel the holidays are overrated because we put so much pressure on these man made days. Why do we have to wait for a holiday to see people we care about? Why are we too busy during the year to invite our friends and family over for dinner? Why do we need a special day to send a card, buy a gift or to tell someone you love them?

The new year is a wonderful time for new beginnings, to let go of resentments and regrets. Please take some time to take care of yourself. Find time to be with nature, look up at the sky, listen to the birds and feel the cool air touching your face. Go within and follow your breath. Know that your loved one’s spirit is with you and as you take time to honor yourself you will feel the love and the joy from above filling your heart.

Warmest wishes of love and peace through out this new year.