“Eternal Reefs” by Rev. Kelly

There may be too many to pick from… how’s that for connecting? SO that’s my “Connecting Moment,” the moment I realized I had lots to choose from. Realizing the number of times I had a deep, felt sense of connection with a person, a song, earth, or my body, is uplifting and revitalizing. I suffer from severe depression, which is disconnection from life, in the abyss, lost in my own backyard, unsure if I want to be here. A few times on the coldest of winter days, I have opened my window while driving just to feel the frigid air on my skin, to know there is life in me- that I am connected. So now, to have sooo many moments to choose from, and unable to pick a favorite connecting moment is supremely superb! Ahhh… the moment of moments.

For those who romanticize a burial at sea, the company Eternal Reefs offers an innovative solution. It mixes the cremated remains of a person with concrete to create a “pearl” onto which loved ones can etch personal messages, handprints or environmentally friendly mementos. The pearl is then encased in a “reef ball” that is dropped into the sea, where it provides a new habitat for fish and other sea life, helping encourage a vibrant ecosystem. Eternal Reefs are permanent living legacies that memorialize the passing of a loved one by helping to preserve and protect the marine environment for the benefit of future generations, a permanent memorial of a life well lived. The circle of life at work!

How often have you heard someone say that Zoom takes away vulnerability, emotional connection or closeness? I admit, I completely disagree. My experience is what I choose to make it. Is it the same as physically being with people? Of course not, it’s not supposed to be. It’s different. That’s the whole point – different. AND no less meaningful, joyful, disheartening or as silly. A simple example? Recently I was spending time in Zoom with a friend, and as we played with settings and filters, NOT worrying about breaking something, all of a sudden the color settings went off the deep end, and he looked like an Oompa Loompa – bright orange and bright white teeth. We burst into hysterics, the kind when you can’t breathe, and tears are running down your face. We kept the laughter going by him making faces, me snapping screenshots, and breaking into hysterics – a perfect pandemic remedy. The 8,000 miles disappeared, as it always does, when we just let go and start playing with your video filters and camera settings and see what fun emerges on screen. Just play with the buttons, stop worrying so much about breaking anything – worst case scenario, email me and I’ll be your tech support if something goes awry. First we can laugh about it, then we can “fix” things.

I’m not a fan of humidity, probably why I will NEVER live in Florida. Missouri is more than enough summer humidity for me. High temperature is one thing, humidity is another. We just don’t mesh well at all. So to sit on my patio, during “convection oven” August, and be able to watch a severe thunderstorm roll in, was a treat. Usually with storms comes the wall of hot moisture that chokes the air out of you, but this was one of those moments when all of a sudden the temperature dropped, the wind picked up and the clouds took on shapes and colors of another world. I just sat, closed my eyes, listened to what was greeting me, inside and around me, and let it all roll through me. Eventually I did have to take shelter – they don’t call it a severe thunderstorm for no reason.

A healing moment this past week? NOT responding to an email, when I soooo desperately wanted to. How about that. It may sound odd, maybe rude or disrespectful, yet, it was a very healing moment. It’s not the first time I’ve done this, but what makes it so healing is that I realized it had been a while since I had done this. Just STOP. Period. It almost seems antithetical to experience this overwhelmingly high degree of urgency, racing thoughts, confusion and misunderstanding and be able to CLEARLY see the healing thing to do was to simply stop. And because there were a few other people part of this email discussion, I had a sense of freedom and flexibility to NOT reply. Just stop. Get off the train, bus, automobile or plane that is zipping along into more and more chaos, stop the madness, and mostly stop participating in someone else’s crazy when there is no listening. I may eventually reply, but not today, I am luxuriating in my healing moment.