When dealing with grief, I have found there is no natural order in how to cope with such immeasurable loss. Therefore, my posts reflect the fragmentation of what I have endured and what I am experiencing.
Sometimes, I feel the need to speak in the present, while other times I revert back to the past. In going back in time, it often feels like crumbling moments of blissful memories, which I yearn to cling to. For those who read and understand the correlation between the two, I commend you for climbing aboard and being part of The Heart Pebble Movement.
As I have blogged before of my trip to England earlier this February, there are more pictures and stories where fine selections of Shayla’s pebbles were placed. Before departing for Europe, I had spent hours looking through my daughter’s assortment of gems, stones, pebbles and rocks. Prior to this, I thought they were all the same in nature, but days pouring over research, looking in books and turning to Google, convinced me otherwise. Everything in nature has a meaning; a spiritual link to Mother Nature and the surrounding earth. When choosing the ones I would take with me to England, I wanted strong pebbles which stood for courage and strength. I favoured Agate as it assists in promoting these two qualities and compels prosperity and happiness. I also chose a wonderful chunk of Hematite, as it absorbs negativity and is calming. For me, the placing of these pebbles, gems etc. are just as key as to which one I am drawn to.
In the downtown heart of London at Trafalgar Square, I placed a tiny piece of Agate at The Four Horses of Helios Fountain. Before Shayla passed away, she was working on a University paper related to Helios. The direct parallel between these powerful horses and the courage my daughter summoned in dealing with life’s tribulations instilled in me, the need to honour her by this simple gesture. Over the course of nine days, I would pick special locations where I felt compelled to release Shayla’s pebbles. One of these places was in Cambridge, at a bridge where the pristine beauty and elegance of England shone thru. The very last pebble was in a setting that held fond memories for my partner. This was near his hometown, where he and his brothers would gather and skip rocks into the millpond. Ducks swam on by and created a stream, which was flowing in the trench, from this pool of water. His mother drove us out to the area. I believe it was finally then that she understood what this movement dedicated to my daughter, meant to me; a grieving mother.
This journey was not a vacation by any means; rather an extension of meeting my partner’s family and friends and the chance to share about The Heart Pebble Movement. It was an opportunity for them to see what death could never take away…Shayla’s extraordinary legacy.
By T L. Alton
Tonya as always another remarkable write up you have created here and photos which are beautiful! Mindy xox
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