There are times I feel as though I have been to the summit of Life’s perfection and others when I swear I have plummeted to the bowels of its darkest pit. My heart knows the truth, however, which is that this life has been so blessed. I have known great sorrows and tremendous joys in these nearly 60 years. Did you hear me say that? 60, as in 6-0. Six decades, 3,120 weeks, some 21,900 days. I won’t count the moments because the only moment that counts is this one. But you get the point.
The one certainty in all of my life has been the presence of a power that has guided, protected and comforted me. For the sake of commonality I like to think of them as angels, angels being in this instance those souls working under the guidance of Love. Sometimes we pray for help and angels appear, but more often than not these entities have shown up in my life when I least expected and sometimes did not even realize until they had passed through.
I want to spend some of the last months of my 6th decade remembering and honoring those precious Warriors of Light, the gentle spirits who watched over, patiently encouraged and guided me, laughed and cried with me, and saved me from my most fearful shadow monsters.
I have had Debbie on my mind these last weeks, missing her voice, her gentle unassuming wisdom and total non judgmental love. We met online through a spiritual web site. Both of us had lost very dear loved ones and although we shared similar religious histories, we both had come to a greater understanding of the Creator’s presence in our lives. From the first email she sent to me privately in 1999 until the day she passed away in 2016, I felt as though we were soul mates and had known one another long before we came intto this life. In a friendship that spanned over 15 years, we only shared actual physical space on three occasions, but we communicated nearly every day during most of those years which included hours of heartfelt phone sessions. She and her husband were angels to me and my family. I still can’t believe she is no longer here with us, but her presence and influence was so profound that I always feel her with me.
Many rungs on my ladder upward to higher understanding were reached because she helped me up. And held me up. That’s what loving friends do. They don’t ask why you are angry, don’t try to reason things out and fix them for you, or set limits on their support. Friends just say, “I’m sorry you are in pain. Do you need anything from me?” That kind of friendship is so hard to come by, but I have been so blessed in my life to know many of these people, some related and others related through spirit.
Debbie liked to say that Life was a school where we all come to learn and to earn our wings and graduate. I believe the wings that carried her into this world were even more magnifcient when they carried her home.
What I wouldn’t give for one more hour with you, my dear friend. You introduced me to so many beautiful things. A Course in Miracles, The Four Agreements, Enya, Sarah Brightman, Josh Groban, Elizabeth Kubler Ross, my favorite Chandrika soap, the lovely Naples beaches, sharing food all around the table with family-and to think we met because of Bruce Moen and his Afterlife Knowledge site. Not surprisingly, my Angel of a husband found that site for me due to my continued struggle over losing my Mom 16 years earlier and being unable to make peace with the loss. I hope you found each other over there. You and she have so much in common.
This one is for you, dear friend.
Thank you for helping me to accept that I am as God created me. I will never forget.
Dreaming Reality 
This is beautiful 😢
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She was a beautiful person, Sam.
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I love reading about these types of special connections in a way that honors the ones who leave such an impact 😢
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As I said at the start of this post, I have had angels, both friend and strangers, that show up when I often least expect them. I hope to share more of these stories and gentle souls’ presence in my life in future posts.
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How wonderful. What a loving tribute to your dear friend Debbie. We have angels on Earth I’m convinced of it. This post gives me more proof. Not sure what this wet stuff is leaking from my eyes though. Sweet emotions maybe.
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Awww…I have shed tears of joy for the wonderful opportunity to know Debbie and other angels on this road of life.
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Got to me. Crying. I miss that connection with a woman, though I am blessed to have it with Mitchell. Love this post and you gurl. xoxo
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Thanks Kate. I have been blessed to know several women like this. My best friend from school is still such an angel although we live too far apart to visit often. My hubs also is my best friend. Hugs! So glad you have Mitchell.
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Lovely words and a beautiful tribute, Cheryl.
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Hi Jennie. Thank you.
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You’re welcome, Cheryl!
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Thanks Dan. 🙂
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Oh, Cheryl. I am covered in goosebumps and have tears in my eyes. How fortunate you were to have a friend such as Debbie. Yet when we Love so deeply, the loss is so profound. You are richer for having known her …. And when I read how she and now you “believe” it is the same as me. I too say I’m working on some mighty stripes on my wings this life as I’m sure Debbie was as well. Be Blessed for you are! 🌹🌹🌹
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Thank you Amy. I feel blessed to have met you as well. Sending hugs.
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XOXO
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This is such a beautiful memory and tribute to a dear friend, Cheryl. It’s amazing how the angels we meet, and the ones we never meet, help us when we are in need.
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Some were such brief but blessed encounters just thw same. I was so fortunate to be one of those people whose lives Debbie touched. I know her family misses her akways.
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What a blessing to have such a friend in your life. Another blessing is that you learned so much from her and have so many wonderful memories of her. Many people never even have those. This is a lovely tribute to her.
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She was such a lovely person. Thank you.
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Your heartfelt love and gratitude come out strongly in this post. You show wisdom from your observations and deliberations.
I also love Enya and I have a few songs by Sarah Brightman including Deliver Me, which is my favorite.
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Hi Peter. Its always so nice to hear from you. Do you know that I count you among the angels in my life? I miss Debbie so much. I learned a lot about listening and compassion from her. I think the world just wearied her too much. Thank you for your kind words. I hope things are well in your world.
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You are one of the people I’m grateful to have met online. You have a beautiful soul. Did you finish your second book? Have you started looking for publishers? Myself I seem to have lost my voice. I have tried several stories in vain. The ideas aren’t flowing anymore as they used to. I wonder. It feels like a sickness.
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Im working on it slowly but lovingly. I hit a wall when we furst returned from Costa Rica. The nearer I get to the story’s end the slower my progress. But this is also true of many creative projects I undertake. I miss your stories!
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