Acceptance – Transforming Grief – Grief Counselor, Life Coach- Santa Cruz, California

Acceptance Grief and Loss Living Fully Personal growth Spiritual Awakening Transformation

Grounding Meditation for Uncertain Times

If you are like me, you have likely experienced a variety of emotions upon hearing news about the pandemic and directly experiencing the effects of closures, empty grocery store shelves, social isolation, etc. My emotions have run the gamut from shock, fear, grief, depression, to hope for the possibility of a radical awakening and the benefits of slowing down and orienting more fully to what is most important in my life. As an antidote to the roller coaster ride, here is an audio recording of a grounding guided visualization that I frequently do with my clients. I hope that it helps you find your ground and center in the midst of the chaos. I hope that it helps you remember that you are a Being of love and light who has the power to create positive change in your life and in the world. Click here to listen. If you need extra…

KarenMarch 18, 2020

Acceptance Grief and Loss Living Fully Personal growth Transformation

Expressing Grief Increases Vitality

Once a week my partner Mark and I meet for a “heart talk”. This is an opportunity for us to discuss vulnerable issues that may have come up for us during the week related to our relationship, usually the types of things that we would prefer to sweep under the carpet. Last week, Mark checked in with me about my work. I had had surgery ten weeks prior to have fibroids removed from my uterus and had allowed my business to drop. Six weeks after my surgery, my business picked back up, but I hadn’t done anything differently to market myself and I still had room for new clients. “Where are you at with your intentions for growing your business?” Mark asked. “But my business is growing!” I responded defensively. “I’m worried if I market my business too much right now, I will become overwhelmed.” Over a year ago, I…

KarenSeptember 27, 2019

Acceptance Grief and Loss Living Fully Transformation

Reflections on Grief and Joy

A three-quarter moon glowed pinkish-peach from the rising sun’s reflection on its shadowy surface, as it made its decent towards the horizon. Alone, I stood on the beach taking in the luminescent beauty of the moon, and the glimmering platinum ocean. The early morning light created a symphony of colors as the blue from the sky peaked through the fog, creating a metallic bluish-silver color. The sand was smooth without foot prints, except for the occasional spiky claw print of a seagull. Bundled up with a scarf, hat and jacket on, I walked slowly from one length of the beach to the other, about half a mile, stopping occasionally to take in the quickly changing scenery and watching as the waves gently rolled and crashed. Their sound soothed my broken heart. It had been eight months since I had separated from John, after being married for 17-years. Despite the separation…

KarenApril 18, 2014

Acceptance Grief and Loss Transformation

The Courage to Let Go

“Enough is enough. It’s time to let go,” my body told to me. A month earlier, I had woken up with the flu. I was nauseous, tired, and had a fever. I was also in the midst of yet another early miscarriage with terrible cramps. Trying to have a baby was taking a huge toll on me. It was becoming clear to me I needed to stop. I had held onto hope for so long. Even though I was getting older and my window of fertility was closing, I had a dream several years ago that I would have a baby when I was forty-five. On both my mom’s side and my father’s side of the family, there were women who had babies well into their forties. Also, I frequently felt the baby’s spiritual presence with me, and assumed that it would come into life form and be a part…

KarenApril 15, 2013

Acceptance Grief and Loss Transformation

Angel on the Other Side

Saying Goodbye to Bucky - Part Two (Scroll down to previous post for Part One) I thought I would feel relieved after putting Bucky to sleep, but I felt awful. Had he still wanted to live? Did we let him go too soon? Why did this happen this way? I hadn’t been ready to let him go. Perhaps if we had waited, I would have been more prepared. I regretted making such a quick decision. For several mornings, I woke up sick to my stomach. Bucky wasn’t asleep on my meditation chair, but tufts of his fur and fragments of litter were still there. His food dishes and litter box were sitting out. I felt a huge void in our home and couldn’t believe he was actually gone. It was like experiencing a nightmare from which I couldn’t awaken. I was astonished by how deep the pain was. How could…

KarenNovember 12, 2012

Acceptance Grief and Loss

Saying Goodbye to Bucky – Part I

Waking out of a deep sleep, I heard my husband, John, shout, “Karen, you need to get up and see this. Bucky can’t walk.” It can’t be that bad, I’ll just roll over and sleep a little more. “Get up,” he said. “You have to see this.” Grudgingly, I got out of bed and saw that our cat, Bucky kept falling over as he tried to drink from his water bowl. Bucky was 20 years old. Since I never had children, he was my “baby,” sweet, gentle, timid and affectionate. I loved to cuddle with him and pet his soft gray and white fur. As the runt of his litter, Bucky had outlived his brother, Spanky, and his next feline companion, Kitty. He was the least adventurous of them all, although, having moved ten times in his long life, he experienced plenty of adventure. Blind and arthritic, Bucky had recently…

KarenOctober 24, 2012

Acceptance Grief and Loss

Celebrating the Cycle of Life and Death

The cycle of life, death and rebirth is so rich and beautiful. When someone or something dies, someone or something new is born. Life is forever expanding and expressing itself. If we remain open and awake, we are able to celebrate it in all of its forms. Recently, I received news that my 97-year-old Grammie was on hospice and dying after a fall from her wheelchair. Even though she was old and I knew her time on earth was coming to an end, I was still heart broken. I wanted one last chance to see her. While driving to her assisted living home, I went over and over in my mind the things I wanted to express to her…how her life had made a huge impact on so many, what an amazing person she was, how much I loved her. I felt sick to my stomach and had a lump…

KarenAugust 3, 2012

Acceptance Grief and Loss Transformation

Rising out of Despair

Dark, murky, lonely, hopeless, disconnected from God/Spirit/Light, I feel heavy and helpless like I’m drowning and it takes too much effort to swim to the surface. I sink further and further, into the darkness, into despair. Perhaps I will just stay in the darkness, underwater, where it is peaceful and calm. Where I can be still and my heart can rest and heal from this recent early miscarriage. I muster the courage and strength to do this writing. I know in my heart, I am not alone. I can reach out to a friend who is familiar with loss. I begin to feel lighter the more I write and am present with my experience. Perhaps I needed to allow myself to go into the darkness, and fully immerse myself with it, before I could begin to rise up into the light. As I write, I see the yellow rose on…

KarenJuly 9, 2012

Acceptance Grief and Loss

Saying YES to Life after Loss

Relegated to the couch once again, bundled up in a blanket, not only was I in physical pain, but I was angry. It had been more than three weeks since I had gotten sick with the flu around the time of my father’s and brother’s anniversaries of their deaths (see previous post about anniversary reactions). Now, because of a lingering cough, I had fractured a rib. Why is this happening to me? When am I going to feel better? I longed to be outdoors enjoying the sunshine and longer spring days. All around people were celebrating life. Music played, young folks walked down the street dressed in flip flops, bathing suits and shorts, headed for the beach, while I was stuck inside feeling sorry for myself. Prior to this illness I had been feeling really good about the progress I had made with my health and with strengthening my immune…

KarenJune 22, 2012

Acceptance Grief and Loss Living Fully

Don’t Hold Back! Re-engage in Life after the Initial Grieving Ends

By Karen Mehringer Locked into my seat on the Double Shot ride at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, I grabbed tightly onto the handle bars and turned my head towards my husband, John, for assurance. We were facing the beach where kids played soccer and volleyball in the sand. Umbrellas, the colors of the rainbow, were set one right next to the other. Sailboats cruised around near the wharf. It was a gorgeous sunny warm day. As the ride pulled us straight up 125 feet into the air and then quickly dropped us, leaving my stomach in the ethers, I screamed at the top of my lungs. It shot us up and down one more time before coming to a gentle stop. Laughing, I stumbled off the ride and exclaimed, “That was a blast!” I felt like a kid again. The grieving process takes a tremendous amount of energy. Initially,…

KarenJune 1, 2012