Spark
Patricia liked to work in her garden. It made her feel whole and calm and connected.
One day she was walking in her yard, with a large shovel in her hand.
She heard …..not really heard, more of a FEEL of a voice. It was her son’s. He had died suddenly and tragically three years earlier.
Son, “Mom, want to know what it is all about?” Mom, “What do you mean?” Son, “All of it. Look!”
He showed her the earth. A view of the earth from outer space.
Son, “Look closely.”
She saw thousands and thousands of tiny sparks….igniting and diffusing almost as quickly as they came to life. All over the earth. Tiny, powerful energy flickers.
Mom, “ What are those? Are those people dying?” The son laughed. A knowing laugh. A laugh that meant, “Yea, I used to think that way, too.”
The last time Patricia had seen her son he was only 14 years old…a babe. But now, his voice was old and wise and calm. The roles had reversed…he was teaching her now.
Son, “No. Those are their entire lives. That is it. All of it. It is very fast.”
He said no more. But, Patricia KNEW that he was telling her truth. He was letting her know that this life on earth is simply the tip of the iceberg. This time is a blink of an eye. A tiny little spark that ignites and dies out almost immediately. She FELT him saying this to her. She felt it way deep down inside.
She suddenly realized where she was and what she was doing. She was still walking through her yard, holding a shovel. Not one single second or step had been missed.
Had she imagined it? Had her son really come to her? Did he really give her a message? Or did she imagine something that she wanted to hear. Maybe her aching mind and heart had created it simply to comfort her.
That is not relevant. It did not matter because she had absorbed the lesson. It was as if her eyes had been opened.
Have no fear. Live life to the fullest. Love to the fullest. Seize every day. Do not let small, petty issues bog her down. This time will be gone in a blink, so enjoy it. Revel in the chance to live and love and give. And soon enough we will all pass on and it will all be fine.
Patricia grabbed ahold of those SPARKS that her son showed her.
She has Patrick Lives On attempt to SPARK…TO LIGHT A FIRE….in young lives. To wake them up to an idea that will impassion them and help them stay on a positive path in life. The hope is that enabling young kids to participate in after school activities with help to LIGHT THEM UP WITH POSITIVE ENERGY!!!
“SPARK” was the title of the September 2018 Fundraising Event. At this event, VIP guests came up with words that had inspired and sparked them in their lives. These words were taken and placed in a painting. P. Scott painted his creation “SPARK” throughout the evening and then it was auctioned off. (still wet!) Rhonda Nunn and Cinespace purchased the painting and placed it at Cinespace in the hall outside of the CHICAGO PD offices.
As the plaque states, “The painting is a tribute to the power of love and our determination to light a “Spark” in the children of Chicagoland.
LIGHT SOMEONE UP THIS SEASON!!!!
Happy Holidays from Patricia and all the volunteers at Patrick Lives On. It takes a village to raise a child and we are thrilled you are part of our village.