I received a letter from my sister. She was deeply feeling the presence of our brother who had passed away a year and a week earlier. I very peacefully replied, "He has risen." Within seconds a little boom boom pow hit my social media. Her reaction was anger, "I don't want to think of him as a spirit. I need him in flesh." I'm no expert here. But it was obvious that we were seeing this life and death thing a little differently. What I wasn't going to do was step freely away from what meditation and prayer has mindfully shaped in the growing heart. We've all been in this place with loved ones and it always feels like there's never a right answer. I did begin a new way of communicating. I now ask her during troubled times, "How would you like me to answer your email or text?" On this podcast I allow the reality of the moment to still have a voice while continuing to learn what the best way is to keep the family together and not watch it tumble apart like I've seen so many. The loss of anyone or anything is tragic. A huge hole sits in this place you thought you had control of. What are we going to put into it? I don't know if it's because I'm a daily writer or that I trust God but the physical act of loss in my heart has actually taught me to embrace the journey. To be present with where family friends are and allow them to have a voice or a memory within the paragraphs I pen. I actually started a very special journal dedicated to my brother but stopped putting things in it. I was injured not by the loss of his everyday place but by how much I didn't really remember about growing up together. We all deal with things differently. Being patient is a brilliant decision. Try not to shove your side of the belief onto others. Before my brothers passing my sister and I hadn't talked in nearly two years. We'll never get that time back which is why it's so important to support each others without judgement.