Tag Archives: love

Tree of Life

There are times we yearn to forget, and times we must learn from, and on occasion they are inextricably intertwined. I have faced a gut wrenching reality, one that shook me to my core. Mustering up the courage to pick myself up off the proverbial floor, I found dignity and strength in my roots and encouragement from my family. To honour my strength and my learning, I gifted myself a reminder with a beautiful Celtic Dara Tree Tattoo on my back.

Crann Bethadh, in Celtic, also known to many as the The Tree of Life. A giant oak tree, woven intricately, highlighting its connection to its roots, the earth while also reaching to the sun, the embodiment of the circle of life. Celts built their settlements around a strong and sturdy oak tree. The settlers saw this tree as the soul of their tribe, and spent their days revelling in what the tree brought to them. The tree created life, it fed, gave shelter and its roots were anchoring.

My Crann Bethadh is grounded by incredible roots. These roots consist of my babes, my husband, my family and most importantly me. In dara form, my ink has a more circular pattern that amplifies the circle of life. Each knot twisting around the other reaching outward and inward and both to the sun and the earth. The knot pattern emphasizing, harmony and balance.

My tattoo, my beautiful Tree of Life, signifies for me that within us we all have roots, that we should honour. These roots, be it our family, our heritage, our own being, give us strength when we need them. I found inner strength by reaching into my roots, strength I never knew I had. These roots are always there, they keep us grounded. Sometimes we just need a reminder to look within, for what it is that we seek.

It also exemplifies the need to reach for more, to the sky. Our being must find harmony in both understanding what grounds us and what makes us whole. But also the need for continued learning and an open mind. Ultimately reaching for the sky while remaining cognizant of who you are.

I hope in longevity, my tree of life resonates with my babes. And when I am only but a memory, I hope my teachings leave a lasting impression on them. And when they look back they understand where to find strength within their roots. I hope they are always grounded and aware of who they are. That they reach beyond what is conceivable and find balance in their thirst for greater knowledge.

Longevity, wisdom and strength, my tree of life.

Cathartic Release

Do you ever have one of those days, where you just want to hit the pause button? To have the chance to sit back and embrace all that you have and all that you are? How do you focus?

So many days are filled with self doubt, uncertainty and unnecessary distractions. Truly finding the time to focus on the good, can sometimes seem a fleeting task. I remind myself that even within our darkest moments we can unearth our truth, our purpose and our strength. How we choose to embrace and utilize our discovered truth is what defines our next step, be it forwards, backwards or frozen in time.

Everyone has a story, everyone has or is going through something that has rocked them to their core. How do we all cope? What is it that pushes the human spirit forward, to march forth with determination? Is it love? Is it hope for a brighter tomorrow?

Somewhere ingrained in all of us is a survival instinct that drives us with carnal inclination to endure. Endure the worst days, endure the sad, endure a loss, because we all believe there is more and there are better days ahead. It is in those moments that our spirit grows.

When I hit my lowest and darkest moment, the world around me as I knew it, had crumbled and I found myself and my two wee babes in another country isolated from everything familiar. My parents dove in without question to take us in their arms and bring us home. Their unwavering love allowed us time to reset and heal. In my darkest hours I revelled in my babes. I poured myself into being the best mom I could be. I endured because of love.

For me, now when I find myself in a place of uncertainty, when my mind is quite nebulous, when in doubt, putting pen to paper has calmed me. Love, my enduring determination. Each thought its own volume in a series that is my life. To share these words, is uplifting and writing them sets me free, allowing me to find order in my thoughts and quieting my busy mind. A cathartic release.

Grief Never Dies

For anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one, they know this all too well, your grief for that special someone never ever goes away.

I can still recall so clearly the day my family received the call that my Grandma had passed. I was 15. My Mom came into my room early one morning and plugged her blow dryer in beside my bed and started to dry her hair. I rose up quickly knowing something was very wrong. My Mom’s face held the sad truth behind her weary red eyes. She explained to me that Grandma had suffered a heart attack and that we had to go to Grandma and Grandad’s house right away. I recall getting ready hastily, throwing on my Lenny Kravitz t-shirt and some jeans. Not really grasping the gravity of what had just happened.

We arrived a short time later to walk in on my Grandma being zipped up into a body bag. I recall being confused, perhaps when my Mom told me she had suffered a heart attack, in my mind, it was not final. She would be taken to the hospital and everything would be okay in the end. Or perhaps, it was because this was my first real experience with the loss of a loved one and my mind was having difficulty comprehending the finality of it all.

My Grandad sat quietly in the kitchen, tears running down his cheeks. I recall him saying quietly to my Dad, “I always thought I would be the first to go, not Mom”. My Aunt, who had a strong emotional bond with my Grandma, was downstairs sitting on the back porch by herself, sobbing. I quietly went outside and sat with her. Trying to console her, with my words and hugs. Hoping that showing her how much I loved her might help, even if just a little.

I knew life would never be the same for my Aunt after that point. I think of all of my family during that time, and how my Grandma’s death hit my Aunt the hardest. I don’t believe it was because she was weak, not even for a moment. I believe she never really felt whole again after the loss of her Mom. My Dad had us, my Mom and my brother and I, distractions and daily reminders that he was not alone. My Aunt was literally alone, she had no one to go home to, to comfort her at the end of the day, or to distract her. In retrospect, my Aunt’s grief morphed into a new form, when she made it her mission to take care of my Grandad. My Aunt spent her days fretting over my Grandad and did this for many years until his passing.

My Aunt never really was herself following my Grandma’s death. The grief carried a heavy burden on her. She lost her zest for her own life and focused on taking care of everyone but herself to pass her time.

Grief is a fitful thing, that holds you to your very core. The pieces of our loved ones that we hold in our hearts and memories are always there. Sometimes the memory of them is so vivid that their loss hits you again, as though fresh and for the first time. The pain never really goes away, it subsides from time to time, some of the periods of time between painful memories are longer than others, but the grief never dies.

After my Aunt passed, I read a quote at her memorial, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. – Dr. Seuss. To this day, I hold that quote in my memory for days when I need that reminder, and there are many days that I do.