happiness
THE VIEW
It is during the climb where you gain strength, then at the horizon you learn, you have to go down, the peaks will vary and so will you, it is in the infinitely divine strength no wavering will be build in you.
~Kerri Elizabeth~
Over and under
Around and around
Abound, rise up, decide
Reflect your light
Time doesnt wait
Wait not for time
Change occurs
You’ll endure
You’ll fall and then stand tall
Shoulders back
Make an impact
Life is a gift
It comes and then it goes
Unwrap your soul
Free your spirit
Receive…..
Grace!
SUNSHINE
Tropical Awakening
Photo by Kerri Elizabeth/Red Sands beach Maui, Hawaii
It is within the wave that inspires both respect and fear, it is within you to inspire which you draw near.
~Kerri Elizabeth~
Fascination overflows and escapes fear
Tears flow like a tropical rain
Integrated into the red sands
Salty waves awaken and exhilarate a radiance untouched
Tides crash upon surfaces like emotions escaping with force
The power of nature rumbles the earth with demand
Nothing else exists in this cove of wonder
Rumbling the jungle trees
Splashing in the salty breeze
Magnificent unexpected empowerment breathes
Set free in a tropical breeze
Sunshine
An unexpected opening and healing occurred in the tropical winds of Maui, a trip that taught me more than I could ever ask for and everything unexpected. Life changing events in ocean waves and on an island I have never been.
Road to Hana you are my favorite and I will be back soon, your waterfalls and your magnificent way you grow is breathtaking and your ability to transform me and open my heart and set a breeze to fly under my wings was magic. Thank you Mother Maui for holding me tight, you captured me in ways I never expected.
Thank you for humbling me and reminding me not all water is the same and Zak, thank you for arriving and speaking to me just in time, surrendering has way more power than I ever gave it credit for.
Surrender is not giving up power, it is the power in surrender that breathes courage.
Explore the Heart
Some make an impact, some just pass by, some will be willing to share and explore life and the depths that give our souls flight.
~Kerri Elizabeth~
There will be people that will cross your path
Others that will help pave your path
There will be moments of pain
And tears that seems as if your standing in the rain
Others will only experience the smiles
And never know the reasons or the depths of why
There will be people that impact your direction so profoundly
Others that will simply pass by
Never knowing whats behind our eyes
Why doesnt always have an explanation
It is the willingness to travel life
Explore hearts
Be awake to hear your soul
Opening YOU
For more
SUNSHINE
My daughter in Law Anita is nothing less than one of the most profound and loving woman I have ever met in my life. Her dedication, her loving manner and willingness to go above and beyond is nothing less than the purest loving heart we all strive to connect to.
Her love for my son that continued on, on July 30,2017 gave me such a joy to know that he was able to experience that before he left this earth to continue on his next journey. He is so present with us and the stories and honor will forever be awakened and loved and forever be firmly planted in our experiences and lives.
In honor of you ALWAYS ZAK I will love and protect your wife as your mother and exactly how you asked me to and thank you in all gratitude for bringing her into our lives.
Your MOMMA forever and always in every lifetime!
Indents in the sand
To fully experience life as a journey you must first embrace change.
~Kerri Elizabeth~
Adventure through the memories of your heart
Reflections of paths crossing
Pushing and pulling
Have you arrived
Or has the journey just begun
Indents in the sand
Ruffled feathers before you land
It’s in the flight your soul soars
It’s in the landing
You look up for more
Sunshine
Memories in the Mist
Everything becomes a memory, make your present worthy of it!
~Kerri Elizabeth~
As the mist rolls down my face
A memory embraced
Where unfiltered fun was at our finger tips
Where we raced grocery carts at night
Where trees had secrets
And dusk was not our weakness
Where coins held doors
And smiles never stopped
Where roadtrips held memories
That last for centuries
Where soul talks lasted hours
And notes where written on napkins
Where we defined spontaneous
In a constant mist of laughter
SUNSHINE
My purpose never left, I did!
~Kerri Elizabeth~
OMGOSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, I have written this weekly addition 10 times over the last few weeks and within a day it changes again. I don’t send it because as soon as I start writing it becomes a journal of words thrown up like confetti trying to find its place from space.
I woke up this morning and thought, OMGOSH I can’t think straight, I’m all over the board and have so much on my mind it’s like listening to 10 different languages competing for the lead roll.
So, the main eruption of craze, is my son’s one year passing coming July 30th.
I know what I’m doing in honor of him and its going to be epic. I’ll share with you after in photos and emotions that are crashing and rising like tides on a stormy sea.
The growth I have had in the last 6 months is due to the most unconditional love I have had around me. Two people (my Aunt Jeri and Uncle David aka AJ and UD) that believed I was worthy to be loved fully and complete with a space to heal and breathe. When I felt none of that, they some how held the knowing I would find my way, even when I wasn’t sure.
Trusting me to leap into my life again and find what moves me.
I could write a book on the impact these two have made on my life and the love I have learned and experienced through them. It holds a category all on its own.
I’ve taken a couple trips back to see my kids and gather my things and make arrangements to move to a new area, to start new, to leave behind my memories that haunt me and find my purpose again.
THEN THIS HAPPENED!!!!
What an interesting journey it has been, I have never learned so much in such a short time as I have in this last year. THE ONE most pivotal change for me, is one I cry my eyes out with, as I am working on finding words to express it, and hoping it will touch and change something for you too.
Losing my son is obviously the worst thing I have ever experienced but in that it is also the best thing I have ever experienced and as I say that, it holds so many emotions.
Hell no, losing him can never hold the “best thing”, do not mistake my words but listen to my heart.
He changed me!
My son did NOTHING in a small way, not one thing. When he left this earth he gave me something else equally important to this tragic experience. He guided me back to my purpose.
I thought I lost it and I have been digging deep for it. Writing, traveling, researching, talking, sharing, loving, letting go, you name it. What I found in searching my new purpose was that I was searching for something that was NEVER LOST.
I left my purpose and then cried about not having a purpose,WTF?
How did I miss this one?
When I arrived where I am now in Feb. (the short story is in a previous weekly addition) I was so incomplete, sick, tired, unbelievably lost in every way shape and form. I barely remember the details of how I got here, but it consisted of small things like, being left in the mountains of Utah followed by ultimatums that would later change my path drastically, snow storms alone hundreds of miles from home and courage beyond what I ever imagined I had.
It consisted of friends that love me and believe in me, friends that reminded me who I am, friends that leant me a hand and gave me unbelievable inspiring energy that lifted and showed me there is more.
It consisted of family and unconditional love, even when somedays they probably want to shake me out of it, but still give me a calmness of understanding to heal more than a moment in my life, but a lifetime.
I flew back to my children a couple weeks ago to stay a day and then get on the road for another adventure, to take photos and jump in lakes and do all the things I love so much.
But my life consists of rapid change and growth ALWAYS, I’ve surrendered to it, its what makes me, ME!
I ended up staying for a week and in that week I devoured time with my children, my grandchildren and friends and as I was there, life started to transform my purpose.
When my kids grew up I thought I lost my purpose, now what? Empty nest hit me like a ton of bricks, then Zak got sick, he needed me, that was purpose of course. Then he passed, all the kids are grown and everything I ever did I did because I was driven by my love for them.
After one year of Zak passing, crying, feeling ungrounded, (I’m still ungrounded somewhat, being completely honest) I’m finally feeling like I’m getting somewhere.
Something shifted this trip for me. My grandkids are growing so fast, our conversations where different, they wanted to ask questions that lead to more and more and more. I couldn’t get enough of it.
I wanted to answer every question and shared their facts with detail, they were authentically interested in the details of life, like how does a bee make honey?
Why do you live so far away?
Uncle Zak died Nina(thats me)…. ughhhh that one hit me like a ton of bricks.
I was experiencing memories left and right, where I raised my children, friends for life, stores I remember Zak parking his bike at the front door. I could hear his voice and see his face, hear his laughter, I passed our old houses where memories still run around the yard as if time stopped.
Then another jolt, a voice I know well, a history lesson of things I left behind, forgot somewhere and they were all surfacing as fast as I can say, WOW! I was back on my bike after a year, I was rowing 3000 meters daily and beat my time by almost 6 minutes within a weeks time. My kids were working out daily and asking me questions and asking me to watch their form and show them specifics.
My fire was being lit, I was needed, I was with my purpose.
IT NEVER LEFT, I DID!
Then a visit to Zak’s memorial space. A shift, another shift, I was shifting faster than a race car on a race track.
I was about to get on a plane and go home and I felt like I was leaving home at the same time I wanted to go home. Chaos took me over and when I got on the plane I wrote Zak. OH MY GOSHH I miss you more than words, or stars in the sky among the infinite missing that I know will never end, Zak I need you NOW.
WHAT NOW??????
Then it hit me!
My purpose never left, I DID!
Everything in me was fighting, I don’t want to go back, I don’t want to go back, the list of pros and cons where sparring for the championship.
Start over AGAIN?
Dear GOD I’m so tired of starting over, plant my feet and let me grow my roots again with purpose!
THATS IT, MY PURPOSE!
I was flying away from it and it hit me like a ton of bricks.
“I don’t want to live where my purpose is, WHAT the HELL Kerri Elizabeth????”
I can travel, I can go back and forth to my purpose, sure I can. I can build another purpose I told myself, their grown, shouldn’t I have another purpose by now? I mean, who’s to say they won’t move away? I don’t like the dark winters? Why do I need to live there all winter? Why am I limiting myself? Why am I stressing?
Its written in stone, my purpose is my children and grandchildren and loving others, being in love again and never giving any of that up. I love, sharing my inspired heart that has been seasoned with sugar and spice to give more to others, that is my purpose.
I was searching myself for a new purpose and my purpose was still the same, it’s what I created from being me, its the extensions of me, the lives I birthed and the love I know how to share.
Zak brought in a voice that shocked me into position and blew me wide open.
I remember in surgery when I had my intestine removed in 2005( I think), I was under for 12 hours, not what they wanted or planned for but everything went wrong and they couldn’t get me out of anesthesia. The hospital had to call in a voice of my past to shock me back to life.
It worked!
Thats what happened again!
Stop searching, what your searching for has already found you and never left you.
Look to see where you went!
SUNSHINE
Create a Way
Let the child inside make wishes too and let the grown up in you create the way!
~Kerri Elizabeth~
Delight in the joys of life
Find the child inside
In wonder you’ll see
Your innocence is still free
To be
Giggle and wiggle
Jump for joy
Make a wish
Dream it to be
Hula-hoop with me
Smiles are guaranteed
Sunshine
Everything Changes
What you see is the foundation of the thoughts that will follow, now close your eyes after you’ve seen and feel your heart change everything.
~Kerri Elizabeth~
The depth of our thoughts often start from a scene
Until you close your eyes and feel the scene
This changes everything
Open to create changes in the scene
Allow the fleeing of thoughts to unwind
Your heart to run the motion picture inside
You are the observer and the critic of the production on your own screen
You can change anything
SUNSHINE
Part 3 “Changed Forever”
The Universe belongs to us all in abundance, the resource of all healing, understanding, unconditional love and freedom to explore more, when we are open to more, more opens to us!
~Kerri Elizabeth~
Down a dirt road…..
In a space where my wounds were opened and Mother Natures land held me and the skies enveloped me and Zak(my forever 24 year old son in heaven) confirmed his presence to show me the way.
It was an early cold morning, a long night talking with Zak, trusting he had my back. Things were different inside me this morning and I felt like Zak had my hand.
I didn’t know what I was doing or what was about to happen, but I knew it was going to change me forever.
Just as Zak told me it would.
No words were said, an uncomfortable silence lead the morning. A story that would change my life that day arose. I roared from an inner flight or fight, everything inside, that had been bottled up, unshared, unheard and undone was ready to fight for me, finally.
I erupted from a silence inside, every emotion spilled out like a waterfall. It was spilling out of every cell of me, frustration and silence were completely uncapped, there was a break down that soon gave me ground for a break through and the universe said, “Lets DO this!”
This is where it gets sticky, where someone else is involved and blame can be placed. However when you blame, you give away your power to shift your lesson into wisdom. I surrendered into it and let it eject from my core with the force it was demanding. It was time to shift and that meant inviting source energy to swirl me in gratitude for the moment presented.
It was about gratitude not blame, it was about standing in my truth and my power and allowing the universe to fill me with the natural emotions I was honored to experience and I was trusted to assimilate it all, so I could eventually share it.
THEN…..My entire life felt as if it stopped, for a second, panic, I embraced it, for a second anger, I embraced it, for a second, blame, I embraced it, for a second I wandered too far into someone else’s story and needed to get back to mine.
Ultimately it’s what is inside you that creates your view. What I saw next, was a new view, and I felt Zak say, “mom I got you”.
I looked around and the silence and serenity was one with me and all that nature offered was a part of me.
I drove my car down the long bumpy dirt road, missing the potholes that were gracefully placed. One wrong turn of my steering wheel meant I could bottom out and rip the under carriage among other things in my car.
I had no phone service where I was and although that wasn’t a big deal to me, I knew I needed someone to be on the other line as I experienced the shock waves barreling though me.
I looked up and the dust of his truck disappeared, the engine I could no longer hear, I called and he answered, what was said next, shot me into a slow motion reality and then the phone was silent.
I was frozen in time, and I will tell you this part of the lesson is so
deep for me.
Telling one side and leaving the other side only in my journal has been something I have truly had to dig deep into before deciding. How do I tell just one part without the other, it all creates the total story, of love, loss and devastation, learning, living, creating and reinventing, or does it?
We all have a journey we must travel and for me, my journey is to stay present in my own healing because that is ultimately where I have freedom to be me, all of me! Thats where I am empowered and transformed, thats where change is made.
At the end of the day, did I live my truth, fully and without hesitation?Â
Did I love with all of me?
At the end of the day, do I feel good about who I am?
Life is our experiences and what we learn from them is up to us.
I live to the fullest and I love to the fullest. I also am hurt easily, super sensitive and I never want to hurt anyone. I’m an old soul empath and a Libra to the core, hurting anyone is the most painful thing to me and I use to own it in my own worth.
NOT ANYMORE!
This is one of my biggest challenges I have been doing the work on for years now. Not owning others pain, walking with them, not for them. It took me years to see this and I practice it daily, living in the present moment and asking myself, am I willing to feel it fully to heal it fully? Is it mine to heal or shall I return to sender?
I made it to the end of the dirt road carefully and took a left making it about 1/4 mile, I felt my body give way, I had no air to breathe, my chest caved in and panic and shock set in. I pulled over and went down another dirt road to cry and scream and to just let go.
I finally had service on my phone here. I called my mentor who is an energetic healer.
My panic said it all, I needed immediate energy help, I spilled out the finer details and then needed to get off the phone. I felt immediately sick and needed to scream to the heavens. I hung up and fell to the ground surrendering all of me.
I wept harder than ever on my hands and knees in the dirt and screamed to the heavens, I surrender, I don’t want anymore pain please, take me, make me, do whatever, just please no more, no more. Whatever I have to do, help me create a new path, a look outlook.
I called my mentor back and just set the phone down unable to talk. THENNNNNNNNNNN.…….. in the mountains in Utah in the hills, set nestled into the trees of a path less traveled a fighter jet flew so low and right above me I could see the details,( Utah trees where I was, were short) then another, the ground rocked, my car shook, my angel kitty took cover and I burst into tears. It was Zak, and not just one but 4 or 5 I’m still not totally sure the number but my friend said to me on the phone, its Zak. Thats Zak and if I wasn’t on the other line I’m not sure even I would believe what just happen.
In Zak’s honest engine voice, he said, ” mom what I couldn’t change on earth I can intercept from heaven, because your my mom.” I chose you to be my mom and my place as your son is never done. He continued to share with me so much more. I pulled up my boot straps and explored and wrote. This journey had just begun for me, it wasn’t just a Zak healing anymore, Zak was with me, he laid out a plan and it just kept rolling. I followed and along the way a fighter jet would confirm to me I was going the right way.
You see when Zak took his last breathe, a fight jet rocked my world as I crawled outside and laid lifeless and frozen for hours before I could move again. After he crossed over I took a long drive to my favorite place on earth. He continued to show up in fighter jets among other signs that came left and right. This one has shown up at the oddest times and places but the perfect times and places for me.
I can go on and on about Zak’s presence with me, my journey and all the signs he was so close, but this moment in perfect timing, in a fully traumatized state on my knees in the mountains of Utah in the exact second I surrendered fully, right above me, close enough to see details, he showed up to confirm to me, he intercepted my path and changed my view, exactly what I asked for at exactly the same timing.
Confirmation, we have only the power we allow!
Zak lives on and there is never a day he does not show up…………………..
Zak took me back to every space on that 40 day journey that needed restoration and a new view and we healed it all.
I am free to be ME!
