The Bahá’í Grief Support Group wound up in August. We agreed to be “on call” for one another or others as needed, but its intense period of usefulness was over. The handouts from it are on one of my new websites, so they will be of ongoing value to others.
The hospital and hospice have both done group memorials in this last year that I chose to not attend. However, the Gathering Place, our cancer support center, held its “annual” memorial earlier this week, and Craig was included. It seemed right to go. I was grateful to have friends with me, Nik Tressler, Melodie Yates, and Janet Lyon. It was good not to be alone. I visited the healing garden there before the ceremony began, sitting and praying on a bench that Craig and I sat on together. The service included the opportunity for family to speak about their loved one. I somewhat tearfully expressed how glad I was to believe in life after death and know that Craig is still with me spiritually. I also spoke of his enduring power of example. While I spoke, Nik was able to visibly see Craig standing in support beside me.
Another completion in this period was Leah Farnsworth Izzard coming to sort through and clear out her boxes in the basement. Leah is Craig’s youngest daughter. So, now the house just has my own stuff, which I’m also occasionally (!) sorting through.
With some trepidation, I stepped in a new direction and posted my profile on www.twodoves.net, a matching service run for Baha’is. This is both a learning experience for me and also helping me feel open to future possibilities. Whoever Craig picked out as a possible husband for me hasn’t shown up yet, so I’m just staying observant!
I’m very focused on finishing about 10 eBooks, some new and some edited versions of previous material. You may recall that the consultation group from last December recommended this as a good place for me to put my energy. So, it’s progressing! I wrote one of the books in the weeks before Craig’s passing and read it aloud to him for agreement. It is called Empowered Healing, Creating Quality of Life While Journeying with Cancer and details Craig’s fact-based, spirit-guided approach and ways we applied it. As I do a final edit of it, I’m reflecting that I’m so grateful I wrote it then, not only so Craig was involved, but because I don’t think I could have written it now. Dr. Bernie Siegel, one of Craig’s inspirers, has provided this testimonial:
One of the main tasks I accomplished in August was to create a website for more directly serving the relationship and marriage needs of the Bahá’í Faith community. They have always been a primary audience and customer base, but Marriage Transformation needs to be more focused on a general audience. So, now there is a site that combines http://www.bahaimarriage.net/ and http://www.bahairelationships.com/. It helped tremendously to have Talia Lindsley back as a volunteer for a few days in late July to get the process started, especially creating devotional meeting handouts on the topic of marriage.
My Bahá’í service locally is prompting me to spend many hours in meetings and taking notes, which is interesting and also physically challenging. I’m also doing lots of driving around the area and connecting and reconnecting with many people (see photo of me with Lakewood Baha’is). Last evening I went to a devotional in a beautiful garden setting (see photos) and was surprised to see a former colleague there as a guest. Fran Henry was the first editor (now retired) at the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper to give me a freelance assignment there. So, it was fun to catch up a bit. She is standing in the photo next to Rick Eastburn, our host. So, overall, life is full, interesting, growthful, and keeping me learning all the time.
Love,
Susanne
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