Days 268-269 Love Holds

Thank you

for the many ways

you illumine

my universe…

Today,
many of us will gather to honor our colleague who unexpectedly died this past week.
Our presence will be a sign of support to her family and one another that we
share in their loss and stand in solidarity with them.

Even the
smallest gesture of love can illuminate the darkness. We find ourselves cracked
open; a veil lifts and Love informs our being. We awaken, if only for a brief moment, for we may not understand but we can heed Love’s call.

I dedicate this prayer by Rev. Ron Johnson to Celayoa Lacour

In our loss we grasp for answers and reasons, but in
the end, as St. Paul says, our knowledge will fail us. The gift we seek is a
response to the loss of one so precious and now she is gone.

The gift is to love even more, by loving life more,
being more aware of life, of our relationships, of the earth.

The task is to claim the goodness against the pain,
to respond with faith "though the earth be removed, and though the
mountains be carried into the midst of the sea."

The task is to accept the loss and still live, still
love.

Thus we honor Celayoa by taking her goodness and
making it our own so that we can share it with others.

Contributed by Liz Sorensen Wessel

Published by

swiftlyunabashed93c6d9b23b

Categories: Reflections, Holidays, Spirituality

Tags: Celayoa LaCour, Erie Chapman Foundation, Journal of Sacred Work, Liz sorensen Wessel, Radical Loving Care, Rev. Ron Johnson

7 responses to “Days 268-269 Love Holds”

Bobbye Terry

September 28, 2013 at 10:57 am

To her family and friends, please accept my sincere condolences and prayers. As a means of comfort, I offer a poem from my book, Joy Glows. I have changed the gender here to fit:
ACCEPTANCE
Death came on suddenly
I could not say goodbye
She passed from life and then
Flew off to Him on high.
I wish I’d been there when
She took her last deep breath
I thought I’d hold her hand
When flesh and soul were split.
Now finally I know
I never had control
Of someone else’s life
Or when God beckons souls.
Find peace in the knowledge she is freed to be with the Father.
Love,
Bobbye
BTW, Liz, I love your picture.

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Cheri Cancelliere

September 28, 2013 at 4:15 pm

It is always difficult when death is unexpected. Harder still when one is young…and we always think someone’s time is far too soon. In love we wrap our arms around each other. In love we extend a hundred small expressions in word and deed. In love we pray for peace and God’s comfort to those who mourn. In love we remember what lies behind and have hope for what lies ahead. In love we recognize that this life is but a blink of the eye and that only love endures forever. This is what C.S. Lewis called “The Weight of Glory” …a love that we must give away to keep…a love that brings comfort in its eternal promise.

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Maureen McDermott

September 28, 2013 at 7:31 pm

Oh how my heart goes out to you. Liz, and your community as you mourn the sudden and unexpected death of your colleague, Celayoa. Thank you for touching our hearts with the words of Ron Johnson. May we entrust our days into the loving embrace of Love who holds us ever so tenderly.

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Margot

September 28, 2013 at 7:46 pm

I offer my deepest condolences for the sudden loss of your friend and colleague. May the Holy Mother bless her family with all the support they need in this challenging time.
Liz, your art is just expansive. Are you getting ready to make a book? I think you should!
Love,
Margot

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Erie Chapman Foundation

September 28, 2013 at 10:22 pm

Thank you for the way you have expressed your heart and therefore helped heal the hearts of other, Liz. Once again, your artwork is startling in its ability to wrap itself around spirits that yearn for Beauty.

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Woody Wessel

September 29, 2013 at 10:48 am

Sad,but nicely done Liz.

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Mareanne

October 5, 2013 at 10:42 pm

Lizzy,your art work is beautiful as is the prayer you shared in Cece’s honor. Her Mother shared with me that they were overwhelmed by the love, respect and support our agency offered to her teenage boys,family and friends;that it took their breath away to see so many colleagues come to pay their respects. I find comfort in knowing we made a difference and pride in our network for who we are. Cece was not only my manager she was my friend, she had a gentle loving soul and a beautiful spirit that I will miss but am forever grateful for the footprint she left on my heart.

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