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I walked into the yoga studio and checked the temperature. The thermostat read 67 degrees. I thought, hmmm, not warm but it will be good when we start moving. I do not care for it when the furnace blasts on me when I am teaching. Then I thought of Marcy, and how she was always cold in the studio and I turned it up to 68, just to add some fresh warm air. Take the damp air out as my Gram would say on early mornings at the lake when I was a child. I would stand right in front of the furnace and let the hot air blast me. Gram sat in front of the furnace with her chair, to feel the warmth on her back.
And as I thought of Marcy, I heard her voice in my head. She showed me a Christmas tree and an ornament. I felt like this was to be a gift for her friend. “An ornament,” I asked? Yes, she is looking for something and I want her to have this.
Marcy was a fixture in the studio; a long-time student of the studio owner, attending classes with her even before she opened the current studio. She was, simply put, a ray of light. I wish I had known her better than I did. Unfortunately, she passed away earlier this year from a short illness.
I thought, well, ok, an ornament. I knew what friend she meant because these two were like peas and carrots. Peanut butter and jelly. Thunder and lightning. They always seemed to be together when I saw them. I also knew that friend would be in class that morning.
As class went on, the temperature was just right (to me anyway.) As it was the winter Solstice, I did a little extra long meditation to honor the quiet and the light amid the darkness. I sat, while the students rested in savasana. (For non-yogis, that is the stillness part at the end of class when meditation might also occur.) I felt Marcy again and I knew I needed to share this message I had received.
When the friend was leaving class, I stopped her and I told her that I felt Marcy before class. I told her about the ornament. She said, “What I have been looking for is her cinnamon roll recipe! She made these amazing rolls. And would deliver them to everyone. They would sit and rise at your house and they were just so good.” She wanted to make the rolls and carry on the tradition. I said, “Well, ask her family. I think that would be a lovely tribute!” She agreed and off she went.
Earlier today, I got a text message from Marcy's friend and it was a simple but adorable bluebird ornament hanging from a tree. I gasped when I saw it and instantly got the chills. I asked if it was from Marcy.
She replied: “This is the ornament from Marcy. Her daughter just brought it over. She made it from Marcy’s sweaters.”
I said that I hope I hadn’t ruined the surprise! She replied that she thought the gift would be the recipe, but it was in fact the ornament. She did get the recipe too, by the way.
I love this story so much, I had to share it. I have been struggling myself lately because there is so much grief tied to the holiday season. I wanted to tell a story based on my readings, based on what I see when I look at the world but I wasn't finding the words. Losses that occur around the holidays, or the “firsts” after a passing, the first Christmas, the first birthday, the missed moments; they are profound and difficult to predict and manage.
Thankfully, Marcy did the work for me. Our people never leave us. They send us little signs and synchronicities all the time. I think this story is amazing because Marcy gave me the heads up before her friend got her gift. Surely the gift would’ve been incredible regardless of whether I told her about it or not. The telling me part just makes It more evident for her friend, her daughter, and everyone who knew her, that she is still around. She is with them all, just the same as before, only she is a different form of light now, not the light she was in human form. It’s the love that lives on. Trust it, and feel the warmth of your loved ones now, and all year long.
May this story offer you some peace during this holiday season. Know that your loved ones are just a breath away, enjoying every moment, cheering you on, planting seeds in your head and heart, removing obstacles from your path, sending you people that you need, and so much more. They are our angels, all of them.
