I had the pleasure of being on the Florida coast with college friends for 11/11/11.  It was a beautiful circle to be with friends that have accepted and loved me unconditionally for over 25 years on the day of cosmic alignment and awakening.  I meditated on the beach and allowed the ocean wind and waves to be my background music.

I felt a letting go of old ways and a door opening to new behaviors.  Old thoughts and patterns seem to lift away with the breeze and be washed away with the tide.

I felt this overwhelming peace.  I understood before that life should be peaceful…but this feeling was big – powerful – beyond what I have felt before or what I was before.  It was a shift in awareness of my connection to the world and of the world to me.

I felt love burn into my soul.  It stamped an imprint of unconditional acceptance on my heart.  It was acceptance of who I was, my journey to this point and of the path yet to be followed.  Everywhere I looked there was love.

How did your perception of the world change on 11/11?

My dad passed this summer and I have been dealing with his loss in a physical and spiritual way.  I lived in a different state so I didn’t see my dad as often as I would have liked to.  My dad had a speech issue as a result of a brain injury where it was difficult for him to communicate his point clearly.  I found myself wishing that I could have connected to him on a deeper level and listened more to his words of wisdom. 

I participated in a Grief Sermon with Rev. Nina Roe of AngelsTeach and she asked me why the angels were showing her a big pinecone.  I immediately knew what the message was!  We lived in North Carolina until I was 6, before my dad had the accident that took away his gift of fluent speech.  This time for me was one of simplicity. My life choices were as complicated as do I build a castle in my sandbox, should I go down the slide first or play on the swing?  My dad seemed to be healthy and my world was secure. 

I remembered that I still had a few of the big pinecones in a box in my basement.  When I found them and held one in my hand I connected back to how I felt as that small child.  I felt the profound and uncomplicated love for my dad.  I knew that nothing had really changed.  I loved my dad for all that he was to me when I was young and life was simple, I loved my dad for his support as I grew up, I loved my dad for his guidance as I started my own family and I loved my dad now.

The peace that entered my heart and spread throughout my body pushed the grief and sadness away.  I will always miss the physical presence of my dad but now I feel connected to his spirit and love in a deep and tangible way.  I have this big pinecone on my altar next to a photo of my dad to keep me grounded and connected to his unconditional and enduring love.

Do you have a talisman to help ground your grief?

When I first saw this wind chime I was just learning to communicate with the angels.  I loved the way her legs moved freely and made beautiful music.  She was an inspiration for me to move forward on my spiritual path.  I hung her outside my bedroom window so I could see her every day and hear her encouragement.  I felt like I had my own guardian angel.  Her physical presence provided a bridge to help me connect with my spiritual angels.

As my belief in my ability to receive messages from the angels increased and my acceptance that they are always around me solidified, my dependence on this tangible angel decreased.  She was always there, like my spiritual angels, but my daily need to “see” her decreased.

I was drawn to her again when I was looking for images for my website – another new beginning for me.  I love the way the light reflects back off her to us.  She is a beacon guiding me on another new journey.  I felt such comfort and peace looking at her.  I knew I was on the right path, at the right time.  She again was guiding me in a new phase of my spiritual growth.  She is my angel of new beginnings.

What type of physical object do you use as a connection to spirit?