Off to Canada for a Grand Prix Type Weekend! Come Along! Hojanay with love to those above too (Good Vibes)!

I invite you to listen in on my quick trip to Montreal, Canada from New York City from Wednesday, June 8th through Sunday, June 12th, 2016. I was unaware of the tragic event unfolding in Orlando, Florida at the Pulse Club shortly after 2am on Sunday. I will continue to pray for healing for all families and communities who were first line and secondary victims as well as US All who have much to think about deeply locally and globally to prevent such downturns in our free society.

As some theories suggest, a person's soul may take a few days to transition completely so let's keep those who crossed over at that time in a loving, healing light to assist in their journey through Wednesday.

In the spirit of love and life connections never ending, I dedicate this post to those brave souls who suffer or who have crossed over in part to wake US All up and to remind us of the gift of life we each can cherish individually and collectively in a tapestry of hearts and minds woven together for security and the advancement of all sentient beings (and all of nature which works in concert to sustain our well-being likely more than we know, as do many spiritual loving souls and beings.)

Let's rewind time to the second Wednesday of June, the 8th. I was happy to wish a strapping young Floridian man I'll call Bill a happy birthday. As as lifeguard and Olympic hopeful through his college swimming days, he inspired many.

He has been in  long races in the ocean as well as speedy ones since a youngster. He has chosen new endeavors, but like all dedicated athletes and health-conscious folks (such as yogabycandace.com and seeking healing on all levels such as drsha.com) we can appreciate the many abilities of our bodies, minds and souls. My trip to Canada was inspired by another seeking to have a family reunion and I went along to assist with childcare and enjoy the northern neighbors of Canada which I had not seen since my college trip around the country over thirty years ago.

As I write today, another good unofficial American Ambassador (as Oprah once applauded him for in a note I believe) is headed to  his old stomping ground in China  (see Fairfield Citizen articles One in a Billion by Keith Gallinelli) for a month with his wife and young daughter to recruit students for a CT University.

 So Canada seems a walk in the park, and actually we got to do so on Mont Royal and take in a sweeping view of the quiet city of Montreal near McGill University. I happened to meet someone  here in NY whose husband went there, completing the energetic circle of connections from one family to the next.

The highlights of the trip were safe travel on Metro North to Wassaic and using a nice car to get up the Taconic State Parkway through Albany NY then up on NY87 or the NY Thruway to Montreal and over the Jacques-Cartier Bridge. That afforded us lovely views of the city before dark.

We stayed at an Air B n B in a basement apartment that was clean and comfy. We made a nice meal of veggies and used kale and croutons from the bread in a nice salad to take for lunch on our picnic. The first morning we were escorted by family to an upscale restaurant in Longeueil. I indulged in a cheesy crepe with salmon and asparagus, mini yogurt, granola and raspberry parfaits, decaf coffee (watching out for high bp and high blood sugars) and nibbles of waffle with maple syrup, grilled toast with jam. 

By Thursday, I'd forgotten what day of the week it was since my brain had fully connected to the new sites and sounds of the busy, friendly area of Montreal which we learned about with an hour long stroll. There were events for Murals and talk of the Grand Prix over the weekend. We met some video photographers when we took our Friday noon time walk up Mont Royale on a warm June 10th. I told them about the passing of Martin Revson, who would have turned 106 on June 15th, 2016 (so yes, he was born in 1910 like my Uncle Dave who died back when he was 80 but was also a healthy wise soul.) June 15th was also the date of a two time Olympic white water canoeist passing in recent years, Jamie McCuen of Salisbury CT.

Many find athletes attended a memorial service for him the following October, with decades of amazing talent taking time to honor a skillful athlete and good friend of his and his amazingly talented family in many disciplines from art and writing to theatre as well. Jamie was among those searching for our son Kaelan when he passed on June 16th, 2009 trying to rescue a third friend from dangerous waters.

Now I think of all of our family and friends on the other side as those who have 'crossed the ultimate finsih line' and imagine them cheering US All on to give our all to a life lived well and with friends, a sentiment Kaelan shared in his 8th grade graduation speech. His Memorial Service on youtube includes his teacher Monica Connor giving him a lovely tribute as well as heroic rescuer Skip Kosciusko describing more about that fateful day of a Huck Finn type adventure going terribly wrong for a group of spirited youths on their last day of school.

I told the Grand Prix film fellows that Martin Revson was the father of two race car drivers, both who died in race car events. Pete Revson was the first American driver in a Formula One Race. He was remembered at his father's service as one who wanted to drive with style and grace, to be known not only as a skillful driver but also a gentlemen. I believe his father and brother could all appreciate those qualities in each other as have the many who have learned of their remarkable lives. Martin and his borther were the founders of the Revlon Cosmetics. Martin was quoted as saying they sold women 'Hope in a Jar'. Well, hopefully women have more confidence now and use cosmetics as icing on the cake. On my train ride back from the trip, a pair of women talked about make up (good deals on mascara if buying in bulk, and much moren about their lifelong interest in cosmetics as a hobby.) Was that a wink from Mr. Makeup himself, along with remembering him and his sons on Mont Royale?

A sweet Asian girl of about 12 years old sat down at an outdoor piano and played some lovely music with her mother nearby. I was inspired to stretch and dance a bit on the lovely stone plaza, and the fellows with the cameras got some footage which they said might be used to complement coverage of the area when describing the Grand Prix.

I enjoyed the idea of having the racing world and dancing energies complement each other. A nice woman named Tanya told me a few minutes later that I was dancing for her since she would have enjoyed doing that. Her back was limiting her however, so she appreciated what I did on a few levels and we swapped contact info.

The next leg of our journey took us to Varennes. We stayed in a lovely home where others joined us, bringing lovely food and company for Saturday when we strolled along a path by the St. Lawrence River and shared stories in a glider built for four on a sunporch. A man with grown children who I'll call Michael had heard of Edgar Cayce 25 years ago when that topic came up. He shared that he was in Virginia Beach for a week. He was walking in the heat of the day and was looking to cool off.

He noticed a sign for an ARE Library, and went in to get a book. A woman explained that the Association for Reseach and Enlightenment Library was part of the Edgar Cayce Institute. He had never heard of them but that was about to change in a profound way. He was given a book a day to  review.

He got a set of six small books by Baird T. Spaulding which he studied with a group in the Quebec area for the next thirty years along with family and friends. He was then able to loan me one for my stay, Vol. 2 regarding the Masters of the Far East. I was surprised by the stories and ideas shared in this small book even though I have heard of Edgar Cayce and a few other theories about life after death, the purpose of life and other bigger questions too much of our society does not seem to have a way to think about collectively (and thus more effectively.)

A good sleep with dreams that I shared with someone was a luxury I haven't had time to do. I was not being as forgiving in my dream as I hope to be in real life so was happy enough to wake up and realize 'it was just a dream'. Still I can think of ways to glean a message or two from it to improve my awareness  of feelings and actions to be fair to myself and others so resentment doesn't build up.

Back to the delightful Saturday, strolling along lovely neighborhoods with small but lovely yards, mostly with paved driveways close to the road and carports. While one person's flight was delayed, that afforded a couple of brothers who had not seen each other in a long time to go along with their father/ step-father, to pick up yet another brother on a few hour journey.

They got to visit comfortably in the car to make the most of their time. Ideas to combat global warming (keeping an eye on the the 1.5 degree Celcius level for the earth's temperature rise to not be any higher than that rather than 2.0 which used to be the concerning rise) along with ways to help people live and educate their children in sustainable, effective ways were among the many topics visited.

Among ten  French-speaking (or Quebecois) and American  folks visiting on Saturday, with people ranging from the very young (a few months) to older (seventies), many special exchanges were shared in conversations (some walks with just two people, some late night talks and many small group sharings while cooing at babies and keeping a 3 year old lion of a little boy named Leo happy.

A skilled artisan had woven blankets of a light weight for two of the three brothers who had not found a way to all be together in over a decade. The youngest  who I'll call Mark, reminded me in looks and at his age of 25 and teaching phys ed of Floridian Bill The other pair of brothers, from the same mother, were about 40. I realize they like many faraway family and friends could make a monthly or so time to talk on the phone, do a summary email and so on.

Much of that happens on FB but sometimes a little extra effort can bridge that gap of personal visits. I decided for instance ten years ago when my Dad was in Mexico to call him monthly or so rather than think of trying to get down from CT for a visit. He appreciated that we could talk like we were in the same room and more often rather than worry about helping me afford a trip which seemed impossible to take as a busy mom of four kids.

Part of the reason the Canada trip seemed like a treat was I had spent a couple of days reflecting on the life of our teen son Kaelan who died on June 16th, 2009. This will be the 7th year he's in heaven. I will post some of the writing I did on that. One remembrance or reflection would lead to a few more so the final edit to 500 words for a local CT paper which covered the events of not only his passing but his memorial service (which is on youtube and a FB page in his memory recounts some things I and others have done in respect to coping with the transition of him no longer walking the earth in mortal form), The Lakeville Journal, was done by the editor which I appreciate a great deal. 

One woman shared that a good friend lost her son in an accidental fall in Peru when he was on a short hike with his girlfriend. He only meant to look over the edge of a precipice, when some stones gave way and  he fell to his earthly end in 2011, abou 5 years ago. His mother had a hard time for a few years (which I also can say sounds about how life can seem on a different track both regarding the passage of time and processing feelings and thoughts about a sudden loss or change), yet is having more positive times and a return to feeling good about life. 

I have heard of others who have had their final steps  out in nature, on hikes and been surprised by a sudden misstep or dangerous edge, slippery slope, steep incline and so on. There is always a word of warning for all of us to 'watch the edge, plan for safety, and really steer clear of the dangerous possibilites and not go too close to any edge or place that is not clearly safe, don't risk getting things over safety and of course, even watch out for dangerous or erratic people or chronic areas of confusion or patterns of difficulty in relationships, around work , travel or other aspects of one's life. Still some of the timing of events in our lives as individuals or even larger groups may be 'part of a greater outplaying of forces. 

Some may say there is a karmic effect from many lifetimes ago, or from this one. That may be influenced by not only deeds but words and intentions. It's a rather enormous set of factors and a very big view of  What IFs that could be shaping our lives. The timing for certain 'beginnings and endings as well as significant twists and turns in our journeys' may be set in some ways. There may be wiggle room and of course one should not 'tempt fate' or live with no respect for physical or social laws and not expect any consequences.

These are all bigger questions to explore with curiousity as the Option Dialogue process and other forums may suggest can be helpful. Looking at one's world view (do you beli eve there is something beyond the physical realm influencing events in your life, humanity, nature and so on?)

Do you believe in asking for guidance from a higher power, a loving force, a particular G-d or caring spirit? Do you have websites and friends to reference to check in with your views to see if you are somewhere in the ball park of  practical and possible rather than insistent on your own views. Are you capable of thinking of another point of view and asking What If I did not feel this way or act this way or insist on this reason for why things are going the way they are going?

Leaving early on Sunday, June 12th from Canada to get back to NYC in twelve hours, with lunch at the Pump Station in Albany NY was the plan that played out well. We got to visit folks in CT as well before catching the train in Southeast. A walk on a country road in Sharon was a nice respite from driving. Horses out in the woods and fields reminded me of the  message from the Navajo, "Hojanay" which means may things work together in harmony.

A vision of horses bringing one good things from mountaintops from the four directions while one welcomes them saying "Hojanay" and trusting the positive is arriving can be a healing way to journey on even after the challenges our neighbors in Florida and sadly in every state and country face all too often whether due to gun violence or the precursors of hurt, hate, harm loss and fear. Let's try to stay positive while walking and talking through our days,"Hojanay."