  Spiritual
This week: Learning from Elena Edited by: Shannon  
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Welcome to the Spiritual Newsletter. I am Shannon and I'm your guest editor this week. |
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"A child's kiss is magic. Why else would they be so stingy with them?" ~ Harvey Fierstein
Every time we turn on the news we're bombarded with tragedy and death. It forces us to face our own mortality and the mortality of our loved ones, but death doesn't have to be the end, does it? Maybe death is the beginning of something spectacular.
We've all read stories that grab hold of us and won't let go--stories that haunt us for hours, days, weeks, even years. Elena's is one such story.
A little over a month ago I was listening to one of my favorite radio programs (Snap Judgment) when Keith Desserich started talking about his daughter Elena. Elena was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of six and died 250 days later. After Elena passed away, her parents Brooke and Keith started finding notes in their books, between dishes, and stuffed inside their clothes--hundreds of notes Elena had written expressing her love for her family, encouraging her three-year-old sister Grace to "Go, go!" and comforting them in the depths of their despair. The notes gave them hope ... something tangible to hold on to, something to look forward to as each day they tore their house apart looking for yet one more message of love from their daughter.
As a nurse I've seen my fair share of death and dying and I've often wondered how I would handle a terminal diagnosis. It would be easier to hear and accept a doctor telling me I only had six months to live than it would if he told me one of my children, grandchildren, or spouse was living on borrowed time. I can't even begin to fathom it. I have no idea how I'd take it. I like to think I'd conduct myself with dignity and grace, but one never really knows until it happens. Elena personified selflessness, grace, dignity, and perfect love. Her short little life exemplifies how one person can bless and beautify the lives of untold millions of people all around the world, and her story's a beautiful example of how the littlest among us are often the wisest teachers.
We don't know how much time we've got. Our lives can be snuffed out in the blink of an eye. Never leave your words of love and appreciation unsaid. Hug your spouse, tell your friends how they've blessed your life, let your children know how much you love them. Don't leave people wondering how you felt about them after you're gone. Tell them. Tell them now.
Thank you for reading.
Click on Notes from a Six-Year-Old to listen to Elena's story, or here to meet the angel herself, read her notes, see her artwork, or buy the book Notes Left Behind.
"Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven." ~ Henry Ward Beecher
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The following is in response to "Spiritual Newsletter (December 18, 2012)" :
I usually respond to every individual comment I receive, but the comments are so personal and heartfelt this time I thought I'd let them speak for themselves. Thank you to everyone who responded. 
Steve adding writing to ntbk.  says, "I am suspending blogging until I have completed 26 memorial acrostics in honor of the victims. The reminder here of the incident only serves to strengthen my resolve to complete the task. Seeking the Lord's guidance in each acrostic and so far they have been unique. I pray they continue to be in His hands as the remaining acrostics are being written. Reviewed and informed them [authors of featured selections] of your inclusion of their material here. Thanks as always for raising the bar in the newsletter genre. You are important to God; the WdC; your loved ones, and Copenator out!"
Zeke  says, "Rapes, fires and murders are what we see every night on TV news. Where are the stories of compassion?"
Quick-Quill  says, "A wonderful letter. Whether you believe in God or not, the constant bickering and fighting to remove him from our 'sight' then when tragedy happens the media wonders where God was? They locked Him out of the schools. Where would He be? Sorry for the rant but the push Him out and then make him responsible in the media/society angers me. He loves everyone in spite of their rejection of Him."
DoctorH says, "Thank you, Shannon, for this touching Newsletter, for it beautifully encapsulates my own feelings. I started on two occasions to write about the death of those precious ones and in truth I haven't been able to do so. You've surmounted the emotional barrier and wrote with compassion, grace and love, and I am so grateful to you. Keep up this excellent work."
shoumojit says, "Hi. This again is a nice newsletter article, and the incident happened was rather unfortunate. No sane person would have the audacity to do such a thing. I believe in a cause and effect principle, and this as an effect might have a cause hidden somewhere. We should pray with positive vibration for them, and accordingly pray for world peace and removal of ignorance from the human spirit."
Annette  says, " "
ANN Counselor, Lesbian & Happy says, "Thank you for your response to my note; all that you've said in this newsletter is powerful. I was the same with my children and am proud they and grandchildren have reached adulthood without choosing guns and violence; I've been blessed."
monty31802 says, "Your newsletter is great but hard to read through. Tears."
Fi says,
"A moment of silence
we offer you
those who fell
and lie at rest.
Within our breasts
sorrow swells
heartbreak rises new
at this mindless violence.
These little hands
that touched their mothers
lie cold and still
silenced, plundered
by the gun's thunder.
Our eyes fill
with tears like no others
sweeping my heart's sands.
Dear children, peace -
rest with Jesus now
cradled in heaven's sleep
in the angels' arms
now safe from any harm
no more shall we weep
and our heads we bow
murmur, 'Rest In Peace.'"
THANKFUL SONALI Library Class!  says, "The most sensitive phrase in your newsletter is including the Lanza family. It shows your ability to empathize."
Pita says, "Thank you for the beautiful way you handled this. My heart is also so broken by this. I felt comforted as I read this newsletter, thank you."
talker  says, "Well, what do you expect from a nation that took God out of the public school and has no value for human life? I mean, they teach kids that we 'evolved' from ooze, they are accidents, and think of all the potential you have for causing more 'accidents'. Just do it safely with our help. If they get pregnant, they are told, 'That's okay. We'll take you to an abortion clinic and have your blob of tissue removed. It's not a baby. Your mother doesn't even have to know. It's no different than if you had a tumor. You'd want it removed, wouldn't you?' There is no such thing as a moral absolute. Are you sure about that? Absolutely! Kids are told they can 'do what they want' and there are no consequences because we don't want to make the kids feel ashamed of anything they do, yet we can't figure out why the prisons are so crowded, we have to build bigger ones. If they do wrong, we reward them like the Satanist Harry Potter who gets rewarded with more power in the school of witchcraft for each bad deed. We won't allow God in the schools or even let them pray or sing Christmas Carols because you can't have 'religion' in the schools, but Satanism is also a religion and people can talk freely about that but don't dare say 'Merry Christmas'. You might offend someone because it has God's name in it. Halloween, on the other hand, which is Satan's high day, is welcomed with no problem. No one yells when you say Happy Halloween, yet this too is a religious UN-holy day. Holiday = Holy day. They say we fundamentalists are intolerant, yet they tolerate all forms of religious expression in the public. All holidays are celebrated, Kwanzaa, Diwili, Hanukkah, Halloween, but we can't say Christmas because it says Christ in it and may offend someone. They don't seem to care if we're offended and put kids through re-education classes till they agree with them on Homosexuality and tell the kids not to listen to their parents who say it's wrong. Teachers are now switching sexes and Sam is now coming to school as teacher Sally. They are using the girl's restroom too. Our views are not tolerated, yet we are called the intolerant ones. The words, 'Separation of church and State' are NOT even in the Constitution. You can put up a Satan Clause, or Kwanzaa lamp, but NOT a manger scene. A little boy asked, "Dear God, why is there so much violence in the public schools?" God's response, 'Dear son, I'm Not allowed in the public schools.' Only time we want Him in our nation is when there's a tragedy like this or 911. Other than that we don't want Him in our nation. Yet we blame Him for stuff like this. Funny how our kids aren't allowed to read the Bible and pray in the public schools, but we encourage it in the prisons. Bible studies are encouraged and welcome there. Shouldn't we teach it in school to prevent the kids from winding up in prison?"
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Spiritual: January 15, 2013 Issue [#5458]
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