Charlie,life and the White rose

In 1971, I met a special young family. Young mother with three daughters and her husband. Living around the corner from our family home, she was patient in putting up with a young 14-year-old girl who thought she was something else. I babysat for her and with my parents’ permission, the next year traveled with her and the girls to relocate in southern Texas for the next six months I lived in Texas before returning home. A time of growing which took me beyond still being content being a child. Over the next years I seen the family once when they relocated back to our hometown, before going on to another location. 

1982, my father has now passed and my mother relocated back to our home town, remarrying and moving to another home which I knew was within blocks of my friends sisters home. One afternoon while at my mother’s home, I decided to walk over to the home of her sister, hoping to gain some knowledge of where the family could be located. I was informed my friend was dying of cancer and no address was known. For the next 30 years, I did mourn the passing.

Advance to the digital age and My Space, while roaming My Space one evening, I put in the name of her children to see if any of the three could be connected with. Finding the page of her youngest daughter, I began looking at the photos, which had been uploaded. Imagine the feeling when I started coming across photos of a person I had mourned for leaving this world 30 years prior still alive and well in this world. The feeling was haunting and yet filled with a host of emotions – sad she had lived for decades which now passed and glad the information given so long ago, was false. 

Eventually, through her oldest daughter I was able to reconnect with her, only to find out how sick she was at the time. Having many talks which lasted hours at a time, I not only once again found a friend, mentor and new understanding of how humble and peaceful a person could be regardless of any physical affliction which now compromised health, life and existence in this world. Days filled with very little mobility, yet a soul search was on from within. Being very intuitive, she was open to spirit and welcomed connecting her knowledge from within with absorbing the knowledge of this world. At the time, she was still in southern Texas and before passing returned to her family farm of 150+ years in Indiana. 

She stayed in world and helped support her daughter through breast cancer and into remission. Being spiritual was her life and if asked, I doubt she would ever feel as being alone. She enjoyed watching all shows spiritual and Theresa Caputo, earlier this year her daughter obtained tickets and took her to a show when Theresa Caputo came to town. In the times, we talked, she would say, “Linda, get out on the corners and stores and do what Theresa does!” No thank you Charlie that is not me!” :-)

At midnight on 09/02/15, she left this world as her daughters sang her out with James Taylor “You’ve Got a Friend.” Having set herself free from anymore physical limitations too fly high in spirit. After her passing, I could see her blowing out a candle and her daughter told me a candle, which had been burning, and the flame went out the morning after her passing. I also saw a white rose. Her daughter asked if apiece I had written could be used at the service, I asked in exchange for a white rose to be given. Not really understanding the rose image, a single white rose was place on the alter for her celebration of life this past Saturday. Curious as to the meaning of the rose I looked for definition and found:

At the end of a life, a white rose symbolizes the promise of heaven and the purity of all that was innocent about that person's life. Used as a bouquet, spray or as a single, the white rose adorns church pews, is placed at the breastbone of the deceased, and given to mourners. It states condolence, remembrance, and hope. A metaphor of hope and new beginnings, the white rose is also given by mourners who cannot attend a funeral service but still want to show respect.

Perfect expression of who she was and what I would choose to convey now. I mourned her passing twice in my life, once with sorrow and once with celebration. Many times over the last many years, I found myself reconciling what was left undone and peace found in doing so. Healing a wounded imprint and finding the intervention in motion to make it possible. I was not able to attend her celebration of life in Indiana, though the placing of the white rose brought me right to her final services. No more to mourn, only to say goodbye to her physical existence and knowing once again, what flies beyond us – flies with us always! Bless you for coming into my life and knowing you have never left. Namaste’ friend.