During my yoga teacher training this weekend, we were learning about how to do chanting and mantras. Our facilitator share one with us, which is one I am familiar with from other courses, and while we meditating to it, she said ‘send healing out to your community, who ever that it’ and I was unable to sing another word.

I started to cry. Not only is my community one person smaller now, I wasn’t sure, in that moment, if the rest of them knew that they were so very precious and important to me. It wasn’t just because we’d lost our Mom, their importance hasn’t changed, but my awareness of our finiteness had changed. Three weeks ago, in a matter of hours, our lives changed and no one saw it coming.

My older brother is a unique and interesting character. He has always marched to his own drum and walked his own path. Smart, quirky, full of knowledge you didn’t know you needed to know, and kind beyond measure, he has a heart of gold. Sometimes aloof, often stoic, but always available, there isn’t anything he wouldn’t do for either my sister or me – or anyone who asked him for help. Big brother – I see you, I love you, and I am thankful for you.

My younger sister is an M&M. She has the hard candy coating but is soft on the inside… If she lets you in. She says she doesn’t like people, but people gravitate to her. Kids and old people especially. She too is kind and will help you, all ways, even if she grumbles under her breath (she gets that from our Mom). Generous of heart and spirit, she fosters animals and stray people because she will never see anyone without a place to call home. No one makes me laugh like she does and we share a closeness and a bond that is like no other. Sister – I love you, I can’t imagine a life without you, and I appreciate the role you play in my life.

Now, of course, my community is my larger than just my brother & sister… My son, husband, father, step-mom, other special siblings all fall in that world. But I felt today, I needed to speak specifically to them, because while we all lost Zonya, she was their Mom too.

The Miracle of Healing (Ra Ma Da Sa) by Jai-Jagdeesh