#lovetheonesyourwith

[wakingeve]

Shabbat Shalom! #LovetheOnesYourWith #shabbatshalom #sabbath #foodie #peace #rest #eat #pray #love https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo2yKjFF17R/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=9vi269zly6ne

[floridamgm11]

#saturdaymotivation #lovetheonesyourwith #loveeveryone #noneedforhatred (at Laureat) https://www.instagram.com/p/CMpH5hMDlNS/?igshid=o3549kmv626x

[klubkell]

#happybirthday to #me . . . . #birthday #birthdaygirl #birthdaycake #onemoreyear #givingthanks #gratefuleveryday #blessed #heart #thankful for my #friends #family and all I #have #working to #make the #world a better #place one #step at a time. #lovetheonesyourwith (at Klubkell) https://www.instagram.com/p/CB-fh5vB5dV/?igshid=mo62vct0n1to

[skystrengthofficial]

Happy VALENTINE 🥰. . #valentinesdaygift #valentinstag #valentina #valentinesday2020 #bemyvalentine #lovetheonesyourwith #engelhochhundert #nostereotypes #massemöpse #massepo #nicoleskitty #sheboss https://www.instagram.com/p/B8ibVIYC-S2/?igshid=1qziyi4chnuoo

[amynovack]

Day 25 #tarotforwhatis with @wildsoulhealing A message from my inner child. #3ofpentacles I need to get back to my trust that I had as a child. Interesting this card came up reversed on the day that looked at our messages from our wounding (see the highlight above if interested). There has been a lot of wounding around finances and family in the last 15 or so years. Someone dear to me my whole life turned on me and shook my ground. But I have worked on this. With the help of friends and my hubby and I can move on from it and re find that smiling girl in the photo (yup that’s me). Remember my friends we can’t take it personally. I had thought life would be cooperative and abundant and it so is. It’s wonderful. Just turned out very different from what little Amy thought. With different people in my community too. But all good. All love. All sweetness and abundance is here in many forms. Thank you my social medical family for being part of it! What did your little inner child think life would be like now? #innerchild #innerchildhealing #taroteverydamnday #lovetheonesyourwith https://www.instagram.com/p/B1llTlQnV9K/?igshid=v8ac3gpj42er

[thejoshuascott]

Merry Christmas Eve! #merrychristmaseve #lovetheonesyourwith #getoffthecouchandgooutside https://www.instagram.com/p/BrxtYF2gx5i/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1h4tawgecenql

[cholatoaloha]

FLASHBACK💜💗THANKFUL FOR IRMA #leisbyleilani #leiai #leiwili #leimaker #leis #irmadahlin #lovetheonesyourwith #love #wwfa #loveher #mymomsfriend #bekind #hardestworkerintheroom #domore #fbf #alohafriday #inspirationiseverywhere . . This is Irma, she is the hardest working woman I know who does whatever it takes to accomplish her and her families goals. Thankful for her, loved this photo of her in her soon to be new yard and I’m so proud of all she does for her(our) community. Remember to cherish the moments, enjoy the small stuff and be kind to one another. 💙Love Leilani (at Redondo Beach, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqiWbPPgdQu/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1do2w7ypyei5u

[krystumbl-blog]

Family Night 🎰#boardgames #familytime #lovetheonesyourwith #funnyfaces

[monicaguyrocks-blog]

A little smile makes everyone happy! #lovetheonesyourwith #qualitytime

[mikeythevillain-blog]

A special lunch for some special friends....I let the haters hate coz I know im great😉 #lovetheonesyourwith #onelove #italianboy #menwhocook (at Central LA, Los Angeles, California)

[wakingeve]

Our #RelicTour is officially concluded, well, at least until we stumble upon some more 😃 This time we got to bring the Mr. and share this night of Heaven Touching Earth with a few friends who were excited to catch a taste of our trip without the 3,500 miles in a car. The experience of holding in one’s hands such things as pieces of the Veil of Mary, the Holy Lance that pierced our Savior’s side, and the Cloak of his foster father Joseph is priceless. But even more of a treasure is watching two young souls see that Heaven is full of saints who are rooting for them and offering their friendship to help them get there one day too. Friends like Saint Nicholas and Joan of Arc, Saint Claire and Saint Frances, the Little Flower and Bernadette, Maria Gorretti, Faustina, the 12 Apostles and even Saint Michael the Archangel and hundreds more! It’s so much easier to make Heaven real when surrounded by a room of friends you can touch and hold. Not only is Heaven for real but so is our sanctification. The Saints remind us there is a pathway to holiness. And they offer their friendship to all who will receive it and the grace from God which allows us to become saints ourselves with each measure of forgiveness we give to others in their footsteps. Not only is Heaven for Real but it’s much bigger than we suspected and it comes down to us in its entirety through the blood of Jesus and the blood of the martyrs and saints. We not only have a cloud of witnesses but a cloud of friends who are praying for us to be strengthened by God’s Grace. Every single one of them has prayed for you to be in Heaven with them one day. There are no non-saints in Heaven. Only Holy Saints. Put down your pride and sinfulness and pick up the cross of forgiveness and mercy. We need Grace to choose to be saints. Let nothing hinder you from being full of Grace. May the grace of our Lord and the wisdom of the saints guide you Home to meet them face to face. ❤️💛💙 These two made sure every single relic touched my belly. This baby is gonna be 🔥🔥🔥!!! #LoveTheOnesYourWith #ShowThemTheWaytoLife #ThankYouJesus #RaisingSaints (at Sacred Heart Catholic Church Lake Worth) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8IdnOqgcOc/?igshid=icr26y0ktadp

[starora5sos]

@ginwigmore Yay!! No 🦃 🦃🦃 were harmed in the making of this thanksgiving soirée! 👯 #happythanksgiving #lovetheonesyourwith #tofurkey 🙌to @amy_feldmann @johnfeldy for showing little Ivory how to celebrate 💯for his first thanksgiving. 😘

[brettlark]

Birthday dinner at The Loaded Bowl with my daughter and mother! Throw in a little Jenga and it made for one of the best birthday celebrations I have ever had! #bestbirthdayever #itsthesimplethings #lovetheonesyourwith #praisethelord #godisgoodallthetime #familymakesusstrong (at The Loaded Bowl) https://www.instagram.com/p/BooeD_2n63W/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=17l89v32flk9d

[cholatoaloha]

TAKE TIME TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER My thoughts and Prayers go out to everyone affected in Las Vegas. I cannot imagine, what a way to wake up and see the tragedy on tv. These beautiful white soft plumerias, remind me how pure and beautiful life can be when we love our environment and our neighbors. 🌺Love Leilani #myneighborRobert #plumerias #leimaker #mekealoha #lovetheonesyourwith #1john678 #loveoneanother (at Palos Verdes Hills)

[wakingeve]

Today, I’m THANKFUL for the PRESENT. No longer anticipating anxiously a future yet to come, nor mourning my past, just SIMPLY CONTENT to BE🐝Loved. 💛💛💛 • • Practice PRESENCE and you will receive it. • • Learn to simply be the BeLOVED. Because you are. • • You’re NEVER alone. 🍁 • God is with you – wherever you may go and no matter what life brings.” {Joshua 1:9} • You are loved more than you will ever know by someone who died to know you." {Romans 5:6} #practicePresence #LovetheOnesYourWith #THANKSgiving #praise #honor #glory #totheOne #whoLOVEDus #first #sothat #wecould #🐝Loved https://www.instagram.com/p/BqfV355nt2Q/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=nlq8yztcxx87

[moringakayaandi-blog]

Death

Death is part of the circle of life. It’s significant because it happens in everyone’s lives, everywhere. I am putting emphasis on the word CIRCLE. A circle—in the physical form—is a line, a figure, or an object that does not have edges and continues around, and around, and around. To me this is a metaphor for life…and death. As human beings we cannot live forever in our physical form and we must die at some point. Yet, this does not mean all life ceases to exist. As something dies another is born. I can see this in most things in my life. Physically I can see it in the environment around—as plants grow, fruit, and die others grow from their seeds. This too happens with each of us. During our life time, many things are birthed—ideas, jobs, relationships, children—and these can stay for our entire lives or they too can die. Even if they die, its usually not over for us. New ideas, jobs, and people enter our lives and something is birthed again and the cycle continues. In saying all of this, it does not take away from the pain felt as things perish in our lives. We must allow ourselves to feel these emotions. They are real and important.

The other day I heard about two deaths in less than 12 hours. One was a woman near and dear to my heart, Mary Cline (my grandmother’s best friend and another grandmother to me—a completely eccentric woman). She was 95 and lived a long and prosperous life. The other was a young girl, only 5 years old. She was a relative to Christabel, the woman I work with. I just saw her on Saturday morning. Additionally, there have been many deaths here in Oku over the past few weeks. I am not certain if this is regular or if it’s that we live in a village and word gets around that someone has passed. Whichever the case, death is real and a part of life.

Last Wednesday was the actual burial for the child. It was a difficult ceremony for me and Kaya too. She was a schoolmate of Kaya’s; therefore, the whole school was present and part of the ceremony. For anyone who is reading this and has buried a child of any age, my thoughts and prayers go out to you. It touched my heart deeply and I cannot imagine how those extremely close to the child are feeling. I am also sensing the deaths of my elders who were near and dear to my heart. I am appreciative of every second I have with my daughter, every second being a daughter to my parents, and embracing the time I have with all the loved ones in my life. We have no idea when our time of death will come. Reflecting on this, I feel it is important to take time and breathe. To remember that it’s the people and experiences that create the moments. It’s these moments that enrichen our lives.  And it’s this enrichment that leads us through our journeys. These journeys are not always easy. However, that too is part of life. I think we have the good to even out the hard, celebrations to even out the sorrows, and love to even out the pain.

As death, again is a part of life, it is also supported by our culture. There are different cultural ceremonies surrounding major events in life—births, deaths, marriages, and coming of age ceremonies to name a few. In Oku, I have noticed there is a mourning time after deaths occur. During this bereavement period, people come and cry for the deceased member. Over the next few days, certain individuals come to the compound to pay their respect or bring offerings to the family. The burials can be conducted at a church, like at the Catholic Church where the child’s service took place, or it can be a more traditional service where the body is taken to its compound where it is buried. I have seen one burial of a notable member who was part of the Oku traditional society; therefore, his body was visited by members of the secret traditional society and Juju’s, as well as provided offerings.

Regardless of which type of burial it is, people always gather at the compound after to share food and time together. This is similar to what my family has done in the past.  However, something unique here, is that there is an additional celebration the day after the burial. On this day, more food is cooked and shared and Juju’s visit. The Juju’s leave from the palace and travel through the village to an area close to the house if not in it. These Juju’s are bad and so when seen, people must run. Yet, this is part of the culture and many people, especially younger ones, come out to see the Juju. When I see the Juju’s or hear about a death in this community, I feel it is a moment that I can offer up an appreciation for life. I realize this can just be my personality, but when I sense a death, here or even passing one on the road in the US, I take a moment and breath…for the individual’s life, those who have lost, and for the circle.

Death again, is something we ALL experience and live through. I believe it’s important to allow ourselves to share in both good and hard times. It is important to see how others experience and express grief. For today, I merely wish to say, “I see you, for everything that you are, and I appreciate you for being on this planet with me.” Maybe give someone you love an extra special hug today and allow yourself to be hugged back.