March 30, 2022, marks exactly one year since my mom’s passing. Daphne Maud Steele was her name. She was an AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL specimen of original royalty. I’m so glad she agreed to be my mom because my life certainly wouldn’t have been the same without her.
She was generous, kind, and thoughtful to a fault. The lessons I learned from her will be passed down to my children and their children for generations, and so she will live on forever.
It has been a crazy year for us Terrans. Our world has been in turmoil since the inception of COVID. As the mainstream media spins its vicious narratives, and vies for our focus and attention, like an ominous black widow spider, it weaves its sticky web and awaits its unsuspecting victim to fall prey by making a fatal choice.
Amidst all of the strife and negativity, we do not have to be caught in Thoth’s dark web. We can find our peace. LOVE is the way!
We still have choices in everything we do. We choose for ourselves. What we do, how we live, and how we move and interact with others in the world are all choices.
No one can choose for us, and no one can take our choices away. We are free to give it or keep it. We have rights, endowed by our Creator. No liens can be placed on or against our person no matter how much or how loudly a narrative is stated, dictated, or commanded. As I sit in my soon-to-be-planted garden to try to decide where to situate my plantings, I gaze out on my front lawn where my eyes are met with the beauty of daffodils, planted by the previous owners.
They are in full bloom, reminding us that spring is right around the corner.
The flowering time for Daffodils is very short – about 3 weeks. We are reminded of how fleeting life can be, and how important it is to saver every moment. Three weeks is not enough. A lifetime is but a fleeting moment, and it’s certainly not long enough. We should never take the time we have with our loved ones for granted!
It has been 9 years since I saw her in person. Daphne was like the sweet smelling Lily of the Valley with her smooth, soft, unblemished chocolate skin. She was my heart, and it aches because I will never get to see or hug her ever again – not in this lifetime!
COVID robbed me! I was ripped off. Cheated – time stolen that I will never, ever get back. I could not go to see her because the borders were closed. She died alone in the hospital at the mercy of people who didn’t care whether she lived or died.
Dad found her, shoved in the back of the room trying to reach for “the bell,” gasping for her last breaths. He got there just in time to see her breathe her last. I am counting on The Creator for justice. She didn’t deserve to die alone.
Yes! I know. Earth is a disgustingly rotten school and great souls come here to learn lessons and gain experiences that could not otherwise be had. Yes! I know. There are no victims. We chose to come here. But try to explain that to my aching human heart.
My ego wants justice, and yet I know that the only justice to be had is through forgiveness. What a pleasure!!!
I wanted so much to hold her hands, to kiss her face, and tell her, eyeball-to-eyeball, how much I love her. I still do, but most of all, I wanted to thank her, in person, for being such a stupendous mom, and an excellent example of love personified in human flesh.
It’s not the same over the phone as it is in person, but this love remains. It always will. Love never dies! Her love still lives, multiplied millions of times around the globe. She didn’t even know it. But she knows it now, and we know it too.
The people whose lives she touched also know it as well. Hers was a life well-lived. She left a legacy.
What about you dear reader? What will your legacy be?
Have you taken the time to tell your loved ones how you truly feel?
Do they know the authenticity of your love?
If they pass today, will you have regrets?
Mom was funny – a prankster and a little devilish. Remembering all the snow-jobs she used to pull on my dad was hilarious – like the time she went shopping and bought fresh loaves of bread at the local bakery.
She placed some in the freezer and left a couple out for anyone who wanted to make sandwiches.
Mom cut off one end of one of the loaves, scooped out the middle (her favorite part), and left the crusty shell turned around inside the paper bag so that the uncut end faced the front of the paper bag, making it appear as though it was an uncut loaf.
When dad saw what he thought was a fresh loaf of bread, he immediately went to take a slice only to find a hollow shell. Meanwhile, mom, with bated breath, watching from around the corner (with a little devilish grin), waited for it…DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Dad did not disappoint.
Right on cue, his screams sent her sauntering upstairs as if she were innocent of the crime, chuckling as she went. Dad, of course, didn’t find it funny, but the rest of us kids roared in laughter.
I have to admit that I laughed for days after that, and even now, thinking about it makes me miss her all the more. What’s really funny is how many times he fell for that prank. Of course she always made sure there were plenty of loaves for him to actually make his sandwiches, but each time she did it, I couldn’t believe he fell for it.
Daphne’s heart was full-to-overflowing with all sorts of goodness. If you happened to be the recipient of her kindness, you were fortunate indeed. She was heavy-handed in her giving. Her generosity knew no limits. She demonstrated what it meant to be empathetic towards others. Her actions spoke louder than her words, and she was loved by the people with whom she interacted.
Mom always said to me, “Before you judge someone, think about what it is like to walk in their shoes. Things are not often what they seem.”
I have to say those words have saved me many times from prejudging people and situations, and they have given me the right perspective. As humans, prejudging comes naturally to us, but her wise words have saved me many a heartache.
The one thing that amazed me was her keen intuition. She knew who her real friends were, and her “frenemies” never figured it out because she treated everyone with the same care and respect that she would like for herself. She said everyone has a shadow side, and at the end of the day, they’re people too.
She knew which ones gossiped about her, but they weren’t the wiser for it. She always said, “Kill them with kindness.” Any vengeance she may have had in her heart was turned over to the Creator because he was the best judge.
I never innerstood what she meant, and I would get angry with her for allowing people to take advantage. She would gently remind me that they weren’t taking advantage. She was doing the work The Creator mandated her to do. I was not convinced, but now I can see very clearly what she meant.
I recently saw a movie called, The Shack, and then I got the lesson she was trying to teach. It was this part of the movie that drove the lesson home for me…here’s the snippet…
This movie reinforced the lessons. I now realize the full magnitude of her words. She was wise beyond her years. She was definitely not a fool!
Daphne was a woman of few words. We pranked her as much as she pranked us. Like one summer when my brother Anthony bought a big hairy rubber tarantula. He dropped it behind her leg as she was cooking in the kitchen. As she turned, she almost jumped out of her skin.
She catapulted out of the kitchen with lightning speed, crying. My brother felt so badly after that incident that he never tried to prank her again. We all felt terrible and tried to console her, but we could not convince her that it was a fake spider. I have to say pranking was no fun after that because that spider looked hella real! This is when it hit home that mom really wasn’t bionic. Who knew?!
I watched how she lived and the lessons she taught through her actions. She wasn’t perfect – don’t get it twisted, but she was compassionate, patient, caring, and did I say beautiful?! She left her mark in the world. My children will have the benefit of her wisdom simply because I paid attention. I listened. It took me a while, but I’m doing!
Our lives are like flowers. They bloom. They perfume the air, and they’re enjoyed by everyone around. We, too, are born, we grow, and we leave our mark everywhere we go.
As our beloved King Solomon said, “To every thing there is a season. There’s a time and a purpose for everything under the heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV – To every thing there is a season, and a – Bible Gateway
Again, dear reader, are you leaving your mark?
Are you finding your place?
Have you found your peace?
Do you love your life?
Are you sharing your talents and your gifts?
If not, why not?
Isn’t it time?
Spread joy, peace, and goodness everywhere you go!
We are all connected at the soul level you know, so each one can reach one for the betterment of mankind and our precious Gaia! Go forth and multiply the love in your heart by sharing it in your sphere of influence!
May The One Infinite Creator ignite your spirit so that the best version of you can become.
And so it is…
In honor of my mom, Daphne Maud Steele, I leave you with this special prayer.
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See you in my next post.
Photo by Ylanite Koppens on Pexels