We’ve received some wonderful feedback over the last two months from people addressing their personal issues of forgiveness and facing their fears. This month, we are going to shift to addressing grief through consciousness.

Grief has been described as the normal process of reacting to a loss. The strongest sense of grief occurs when we experience physical loss, such as the death of a loved one or a pet. If you are currently feeling strong emotions of grief, please accept our heartfelt condolences.

As most of you know, we lost Fosdick, the star cat of Sanctuary last month. He died as the result of consuming hundreds of kitty treats containing Corn Gluten Melamine, a toxic cyanide derivative that causes Kidney failure in cats. Fosdick had been my constant companion for twelve years and the intense grief I felt when he died was nearly overwhelming. In order to move through the grief, I had to shift from focussing on the loss to focussing on gratitude. Everyday, I make it a point to focus on intense gratitude for the joy and love that Fosdick had shown me.

It is as simple and fundamental as this: “Is your glass half empty or is it half full?” You can dwell on your loss and grief, or you can focus on all the joy and love you have been given and how much that has contributed to your life. Consider this: How would you like to be remembered? Would you prefer to be the source of warmth and gratitude, or would you like the memory of you to elicit misery and despair? Obviously the more love and joy you were given, the more gratitude you need to express. It’s a no-brainer, particularly when you consider that everyone’s consciousness is still here.

Perhaps you lost a spouse, a parent, a child or friend, your situation may be much different than mine, and yet the solution is the same. You must elect to move through grief by way of gratitude. While AIM is a wonderful tool, it can not keep a loved one here forever. In order to heal we must stop living “back there” and instead move to the “here and now”. Gratitude can assist us in doing just that. We can remember fondly the memories we shared, and at the same time, step boldly into the present moment and create new experiences with the people and pets who are living.


In Love and Light,
 

Stephen Lewis

www.aimprogram.com

www.stephenlewis.org