The Goal of Over $10K Has Been Reached (and is Accepting a Little Extra, why not?) for the late Steven Wingard Gofundme Fund.

It's been a difficult turn of the calendar month from June to July...usually a time of growing excitement about summer, fireworks and much fun. That's the kind of summer all young people can take a few notches above what middle aged people might want to pursue (except for those who of course never grow old...)

That said, we all have had our own kind  of 'gathering of the hearts and minds' reflecting on the beauty of everyone in our lives...even the frenemies, even the 'ex's' of friends, family, spouses or whoever we've somehow been separated from, voluntarily or involuntarily, for short times or longer ones, over short distances or longer ones, or as in the case of those like Steven, from one day to the next, having to bid someone an earthly farewell. 

Now Who Exactly has the guidebook to life and how to handle such things? Even if it were written down, step by step, hour by hour, there's no preventing that 'cry of the soul' that is like the first breath of life (some say that's when a spirit enters or enlivens the body fully though others would say it's long before that...and some say spirit is always alive so not to bank only on the mortal realm for meaning...)

Okay, so this is a lot of the kind of reflecting many have done over the course of years...not only from 'one loss to the next' but over time as one experiences life as a series of puzzle pieces and even a changing configuration of the  what the picture is supposed to look like.

More like an artist freely sketching one thing yet adding or transforming things so a new picture emerges... There's plenty to ponder...and hopefully we will all use the challenges and beauty, and all the team players (again some seeming 'adversaries or even aspects of ourselves that seem to have a mind of their own...) to seek a higher sense of meaning and love for ourselves and others...

Peace, light, love and even laughter as we co-create a new kind of 'happily ever after'... Life goes on and so shall we, together, stronger and better for the shared journey... I hope that resonates in ways that can allow for more feeling and more healing to mend the hurts and dashed hopes that 'come with the territory'.

We can draw on the courage of those  in our lives and who have come before who face challenges with that added sense of 'wind beneath their wings' rather than fighting against the current... Let's go with the flow and slide with the tide as one of my 8th grade friends wrote in my homemade year book..

.Everyone from my nine years at Kellogg in Falls Village CT means a whole bunch to me all these decades later. The old Kellogg school is just a mile or two from the high school  that six towns feed into. Kellogg like all of the grade schools is an awesome school still that Steve got to attend and my kids got to know over time as other area school kids and with family in town. I also treasure all I met as a student, athlete and more from my first and only year at HVRHS. That's similar to Kaelan in that respect, though only the beginning of a lot more schooling and new sets of friends for me. But Kaelan's crew and each generation also mean a ton to me still, a decade after his passing.

Back in 1977-78,  I recall Jerri the wrestler, a couple years ahead of me,  performing some ballet in a tutu in a Gong Show. I really had Never seen a guy do such a stunt...so would recall that with a smile over the years when I say his name or actually would see him on occassion.

 In the past 12 days, after feeling the heartbreak but seeing more of the pictures of who Steve had become, the smile returned knowing the good times were in a great number...and it helped me feel that Kaelan would have had more majorly good times had he lived another decade.I am trusting from even recent reports and my own feelings that They Are Both Doing Fine.

But it's still helpful and important to keep the flow of connection happening in our hearts... and yet even there I know various traditions say 'let it be...and let the door close.' I used to believe that was the main or only way we could respond, but have learned from many...that there's an array of ways to consider that they are still 'present in peaceful ways' in our lives. I hope that's not WTM...way too much ( or is that TMI) but again there's a Void of Info likely we could all help fill much like we did this till...and then some. Peace, love, light, hope, friendship and good times to all...here and above with Big Love