I believe that "God" or "Our Creator" is all around us, there whenever we need "his or her" guidance, love or support and is some one or thing we will return to someday. "God" is loving, wise and forgiving and all we need to do is acknowledge him (her) and he (she) will be there to help us. Life is an ongoing lesson and as in school, we are either good students or we are not and we can choose to go through our lives with blinders on or with our eyes wide open. When our end here on earth arrives, only then will we be convinced. Sub-consciously, I believe we all know when our time is near and we prepare for it accordingly. After Jim died I reflected on his final six months and some of the unusual things he had said or done then, all of it to prepare me for his departure.

I don't believe in coincidences, only synchronicity and I'm sure that if we all stop to really pay attention to what is going on in our lives we'll all see those "Aha!" moments. Again, having experienced way too many "coincidences" in my life only reinforces my beliefs. Two years ago, Jamie and another pilot were preparing to taxi across the water in a small plane when Jamie caught sight of a man struggling in the lake beside his boat. The two pilots turned around and Jamie, balancing on the plane's pontoon, managed to pull the unconscious man to safety just as he was slipping under the water for the final time. The man was saved from a certain death by drowning and Jamie received an OPP citation; a near-drowning survivor saving another from the same fate.

Without being specific, there has been a recent development in our family that makes me become aware of just how powerful this synchronicity really is. I wish I could wave a magic wand and make everyone see how precious life is and how we should never, ever take it for granted. Live your lives today, embracing the life you have and appreciating everyone in it. In the big scheme of things, our time here is very short and we waste so much of it worrying about things we are powerless to change and not taking the action necessary to change the things we can. We need to show compassion for all living things, learn the art of forgiveness and look after our bodies; emotionally, spiritually and physically. Folks, surround yourselves with the people you love, be in places you want to be and be grateful for every single moment.