I was walking in a wood filled with bluebells and wild garlic this evening. There was blossom on the trees. I noticed the occasional patch of primroses hidden away amongst the grass. The birds sang and Red Admiral butterflies danced for us. I was happily snapping away with my phone when the battery suddenly died. Twenty minutes later when I plugged it in to charge I got a text message. It was the news that one of my Spiritualist friends had passed away this afternoon. A bright Light had ceased to shine.

You may never of heard of Denise Butterworth. Or had the chance to see her working with her Spirit connections to bring in the messages from loved ones in Spirit. She didn’t pursue fame or notoriety. She would tell you she was an ordinary person yet somehow she had a shine. She was full of Light. She loved her husband and family deeply. She also loved the connection she had with Spirit. Over the years that I have known her she was always working hard. She believed in service to others in her personal, working and mediumship life. She wanted to help. She studied to be the best medium she could be. She was also a gifted trance medium who took nothing for granted and loved to demonstrate this type of mediumship.

At the end of last week I was also thinking about another lady who had just passed away.   Irene Callaghan was someone I worked with a number of years ago. We kept in touch over Facebook. Although she didn’t believe in my spiritual path she was a lady who embraced everyone. She worked hard, gave her time generously and had a deep faith. When she lost her husband she continued to demonstrate the love for life that I remember so well. Her Light shone even in that dark time. She was proud of her family and friends and I am sure will be much missed.

Both of these wonderful women will leave big gaps. They had hearts that weren’t afraid to love, strength to keep putting one foot in front of the other every day and the resilience to keep bouncing back. They wanted the people around them to be happy and would work as hard as possible to make that happen. Neither lady was perfect – who is? What they gave was the best of themselves as often as they possibly could. I believe it is in the quiet sacrifices that we come to see a person’s true character. Both made the sacrifices necessary to put others before themselves because of love. Neither would have agreed they were sacrificing anything because they wanted to do their best for everyone.

I am honoured to have known Denise and Irene. They both gave me encouragement when I was very unsure of myself. They both supported me to find a path that was right for me. And they both showed me, by example, how precious the people are who share our life with us. Two lights have gone out on the Earth but two souls shine bright on the other side tonight. Live each moment, love each moment and cherish one another. Nothing else matters.

Day 175 of my blogging challenge.