Brian Sightings

Dealing with loss often teaches us how to live more fully in times of spiritual peace. Since losing Brian Katie, Stacy and I often have chances to relate times when we feel Brian's presence or notice an effect of his short 24 years on this planet. We affectionately call these moments Brian Sightings.

When I am in a place of perfect natural beauty I pause and inhale and look around. When Gary and I went backpacking in the Rocky Mountain National Park in 2010 I walked into a lovely meadow with wild flowers and a little rabbit hopped by. I stopped and looked around as Gary kept walking enjoying the beat of my heart and the labored breathing under my backpack. The sky was blue and a gentle breeze was blowing. I thought of Brian who loved to backpack and then out of nowhere a fine mist sprinkled on my face and sparkled in the air. I laughed out loud! I was sure it was Brian splashing water on my hot face, red from the effort of hiking. I ran to catch up to Gary panting and crying a little.

My most recent Brian Sighting was not quite as profound, but still made me smile. I am retired now and do some writing for different curriculum projects in Math and Science. I often include a story problem with Brian or Stacy as the subject of the problem. They both completed original research and  I write about the hypotheses of their research when I can. This fall I wrote assessment items for Hawkes Learning Systems and wrote a simple story problem with Brian earning rates of pay at two jobs. The problem showed up on the Final Exam Review written by the Bay College Math Department! I only wrote it a couple of months ago!

The realization of the blessing of being open to these little nuances of the presence of souls who have touched my soul is not limited to those who are dead. I also have this experience for people who I used to work with or travel with. The connection with people is lovely. I am not a social butterfly, but when I find someone that I resonate with I find they often expand my way of seeing the world.

When Stacy was little she used to love watching American Tale. The song "Somewhere Out There" was sung on drives to Brian's hockey games or family vacations many times. Now that she is in Brazil, I sing that song to myself often.
Somewhere Out There