Saturday 14 March 2015

Losing a Loved One to Disease

Hi Everyone,

It's been long since my last blog post, 14 January 2015.

I lost my brother, Donovan, 15 January 2015.  In January 2014, he was diagnosed with an immune virus; he had been struggling with his health on and off the year previous to that.


He had chosen allopathic medicine for treatment, and after long term use, it had weakened his immune system considerably.  I had very much wished that he could have chosen alternative medicine, but I had to respect his choices.  I did manage to share some whole foods and organics with him when I could.

Experiencing the loss of a family member to disease, first hand, has been a great teaching for me.  My brother was such a lovely being, with such a gentle heart.  He had many wishes and dreams that he wanted to fulfill, but never did.  He had shared many wishes with me and I supported him in it.

Stress had played a very large factor in his illness.  He had endured many challenges in life, struggled to deal with some, and suffered emotional turmoil, leading to unhealthy lifestyle choices.  I had seen warning signs; he was not open to communication at the time.

Experiencing the suffering he went through for one year was difficult to endure.  I felt so helpless at times.  I realized that the only thing that I could do at that point was to just to let go and focus on loving him as much as I could.  I visited him as often as I could, some times daily; and every time I saw him I told him that I loved him.  I would tell him when I arrived, and when I left, and often many times in between.  Focusing on loving him as much as I could, in the end, helped me a great deal, I knew that I had expressed myself fully to him and had done everything I possibly could to assist when I could.

Illness has many aspects that need to be addressed on the healing path - mental, emotional, physical and spiritual.  We need to assess our lifestyle on all of these levels, and we need to find a balance and care for ourselves in all these aspects of our lives.  Finding ways to manage our daily challenges, and nourishing and caring for our bodies, is so very important.

Most importantly, we need to look with an open mind and ask ourselves: "What am I meant to awaken to, what is this challenge teaching me?", so that we can see the lessons and grow, and not get trapped in a struggle.  Learning to connect within and be guided by our internal navigator is so important; when we get tangled up in fear we tend to lose connection with this innate wisdom.

Don't take life so seriously.  Step back when things are tough, play the observer to see the situation more clearly, instead of becoming emotionally entangled.  Take time out for simple pleasures, time in nature. Treat yourself, be kind to your self.  Nutrition and nourishing your body with whole foods plays a big role in your mood and wellbeing too.  And very importantly...be careful of the company that you keep...spend time with good people who can support and uplift you when you need it.


Be well...Body, Soul, and Mind.

xxx

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful words Jess. May our beloved Brother rest in peace x

Unknown said...

Wish I had a sister like you. You are a very special soul, and he knows how much you love him. He was lucky he had you in his life.

Unknown said...

Thank you for your kind words Merkaba Film Group.

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