Death Is Not The End… (VIDEO Interview On Dealing With Grief)

Over the weekend, something unthinkable happened. A man that Roger and I have come to know as a friend passed away completely unexpectedly, and we were left feeling shocked, sad, confused, and heartbroken for the friends and family who were closest to him and who now have to go on without his physical presence.

I have shared these words, penned by Henry Scott Holland, many times when people have lost loved ones, in an effort to provide some comfort. Because I believe these words to be true.

I need these words now.

Perhaps you need them now, too.

"Death is nothing at all. It does not count. I have only slipped away into the next room. Nothing has happened. Everything remains exactly as it was. I am I, and you are you, and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged. Whatever we were to each other, that we are still. Call me by my old familiar name. Speak of me in the easy way which you always used. Put no difference in your tone. Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it. Life means all that it ever meant. It it the same as it ever was. There is absolute and unbroken continuity. What is this death but a negligible accident? Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner. All is well." ~ Henry Scott Holland

If you had asked me several years ago what I thought of past lives and souls and spirits and life-after-death, I might have given you a blank stare. Now? I fully believe that we are simply spiritual beings having a human experience. I believe that children choose their parents (not the other way around); I believe that there is no ending (from our soul's point of view) when life on planet earth ends; I believe that we carry the love with us when we cross over; I believe that when we die, we send our loved ones signs as a way of communicating with them from the next realm; and I believe that we are never far from our loved ones when our physical body passes away.

I believe that death is the evolution of one's soul.

If we believe that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, this might be a "way in" for us to consider these truths, especially if we are prone to skepticism or perhaps even afraid to believe.

A few days prior to our friend's death, I interviewed Marie-Hélène Fortin, or MH for short. MH is the founder of Leading Light, and is a channeler, a healer, a medium, and an intuitive guide. I believe that the timing is divine; there is a reason we recorded this last week and we believe there are people who specifically need to hear this message; myself included.

Death is not the end, and yet it feels that way, especially in the beginning. There is so much healing that must be done around our grief so that we can live the lives we were meant to; the lives our loved ones want for us; lives that we can feel joyful and free in.

MH is someone I have had the pleasure of working with and she has helped me work through the grief I experienced in the years after my father's death almost 6 years ago. You see, I hadn't known the depth of my pain, and it wasn't until I began working with MH that I have been able to truly come to a place of peace and harmony around my father being physically gone. She has helped me uncover ways to continue and strengthen my relationship with him, and it is our sincere hope that the people who watch and resonate with this video were called to be here and will find some relief.

That is our sole (and soul) intention.

Towards the end of the conversation, MH and I reveal that we are conducting grief retreats together. These are intimate, one-day workshops where we focus on self-care, creating a new normal, and where MH will introduce you to your spiritual team, channel your loved one so that you can have your questions answered, heal some of your pain, and allow you to spend quality time together. During the interview, MH shares several ways we can better receive messages from our loved ones, and each of these is reflected in the retreat: being in nature (Wakefield, Quebec), eating clean food, spending time in stillness, and asking for signs from our loved ones. Please email me at sarah@SarahTalksFood.com or MH at marie-helene@leadinglight.ca to discuss the details.

Because death is nothing at all.

And because I want you to love your life one bite at a time.

P.S. I dedicate this post to Victor Di Rienzo, who died unexpectedly on the weekend. Vic, I will miss your hugs and your laugh, but I know you are somewhere very near, just around the corner...

Our deepest sympathies got out to Victor's family and to our friend, Lindsey, who is taking each day as it comes, running Inner Soul Yoga and Cycle without him by her side. We love you Lindsey, and we know everything hurts right now. Keep listening...

I also dedicate this conversation to my dear friend, Sandi, whose father passed away about one year ago now. May this conversation further your healing journey.

To all those who have lost loved ones and would like to experience some relief from your grief, we dedicate this episode to you, as well. May you deepen your connections to your loved ones.