ENDLESS LOVE

GOD IN THE SOUL MATES

(THE GIFT OF ETERNITY)

A soul mate is someone to whom we feel profoundly connected, as though the communication and communing that take place between us were not the product or intentional efforts, but, rather a divine grace.  That kind of relationship is so important to the soul that many have said there is nothing more precious is life.          Thomas Moore

Grief is an awful thing.  Losing a partner, a best friend or anyone else that fit “just right” in our lives causes the heart to break, the throat to constrict and as Lynn Lauber describes so well, the “hot depleting brine of tears” that remind us of our helplessness in the finality of death.  My own memory of my first awful death was lying in a fetal position, crying uncontrollably and asking “how will I go on?”  But we do, and we need hope that there is a larger picture than what we small creatures understand.  And in the case of losing those partners, there is evidence of life beyond, and it is exemplified by soul mates.

The world of God seems like a vast, infinite electromagnetic field. It is filled with undulating charged pieces of response to prayer and focused thought.  It is magnetized by a cosmic pull that brings the right lessons, the right circumstances or the right person into our life.  That magnetic pull happens with soul mates.  There’s a loving cosmic hand that guides two souls to gravitate to each other.  When they connect, it’s just right.  There’s no question.  We all know it when we see it.  That energetic cord never loses its power.  It goes on forever.

My grandparents were like that.  Farr met Modie in a Danish farm town in Oregon.  Within a week they had fallen in love.  They bought the family farm and raised many children.  People came from all over the countryside for polkas in the barn. “Farr’s” blacksmith shop was the town center for gossip and coffee.  Modie tended the garden.  They played hard, they worked hard, and they loved hard. 

Farr died during a visit to Denmark, Modie lived many more years.  She lived a full life, but looked forward to the day when she would reconnect with Farr.  Well into her nineties, she lay dying.  Her nursing home roommate woke to hear her thrashing as she prepared to shed her mortal coil.  Suddenly, in the stillness of the early morning, she looked at the ceiling and lifted her arms in welcome.  And she died, ready for the eternal polka with her love.

And the infinite energy cord never lost its power.

Chris met Wilda on a passenger train headed south.  They shared the same row of seats and the same refreshments as they talked of their dreams and goals.  With much in common and a spark that ignited immediately, they fell in love.  They realized their dream of land and family, and shared sweet stories of life and love for many years.  Among many of their common bonds was their love of the coastal corridor that took travelers from the inland valley to the beach.

Wilda died with Chris by her side.  Her ashes were strewn on a part of that beloved corridor.  Chris, like Modie, lived many more years and even remarried, but Wilda was his heart.  When he lay dying in his home years later, he looked up and his face changed from a grimace to one of adoration and joy.  It was the same look, his daughter said, that he had whenever he saw Wilda.  “Go to her” his daughter encouraged him, and he died.

The family spread his ashes in the same area of that corridor.  His daughter and I hiked into that forest area one day, and found two trees that had wrapped around each other in loving embrace.

And the infinite energy cord goes on forever.

Joannie met Chuck on a cruise.  Learning that they loved to dance, dance they did.  They danced every night and soon fell in love. When they returned to their home towns, Chuck wooed her until she married him.  Chuck had cancer, and together they explored all sorts of treatments and spiritual retreats to augment his medical activities.  They learned about Hawaiian meditations, how to communicate in peaceful ways, and found many books and classes to keep them alive and searching for answers.  When Chuck died, he had grown in so many loving ways.  Joannie sat by his side as he moved on peacefully.  He promised to stay in touch.

In the midst of her grieving, Joannie waited for word from Chuck.  She continued life with her friends and mediated regularly, trying to find ways of healing the broken heart.

There was one magazine that Chuck loved and Joannie didn’t care for.  It was all about international travel; it was thick with heavy paper and glossy photos.  This cumbersome volume came in the mail one day and Joannie immediately bundled it with other unimportant papers to go to recycling.  As she carried the papers to the garage, the magazine slipped from the pile and landed, open, on the floor.  Chuck was in a picture taken years before, smiling at her.  The smile seemed to say, “I told you I’d be in touch”. 

Rollie and Hazel lived a solid family life for many years.  Hazel was a sweet soul who kept a wonderful home with fresh baked goods and the music from her beloved piano.  Rollie worked on the railroad.  He loved to play jokes, and he loved to play music. He played the guitar alongside Hazel’s piano. 

The years were good to Rollie, but Hazel developed brain tumors that, when removed, took a toll on her ability to recognize people or even connect with daily living.  Always sweet, always cheerful, she would greet anyone with great love and joy, but didn’t really know who they were.  Sadly, Hazel gradually lost any recognition of Rollie.  He visited her daily in her nursing home, loving her completely.  She was kind and cheerful, just as she was to anyone else who came to see her.  Each day, he hoped that she would acknowledge him and their love.

Rollie’s health eventually failed and he joined Hazel in her nursing home room.  He still cared and loved her; she still smiled her smile of undiscerning kindness.  As the months passed, Rollie became less able to walk or tend to Hazel.  He was failing, yet held on to be with his beloved wife.

One night, Hazel sat up and looked at Rollie.  “Rollie,” she said.  “I love you very, very much.”  With a smile, Rollie died. 

It is the eternal love that never ceases to fill those of us who watch with joy and humility. 

There are many gifts in the energetic ebb and flow that is God’s world.  In those times of grief, we ask for hope, peace and love.  Always, hope and peace come with those inspiring expressions of love.