Love Archives - Children and Families in Life After Trauma

February 17, 2021February 17, 2021

Totem Pole Spirits of Love… Native American Culture and Traditions…

“Totem poles are monuments created by First Nations of the Pacific Northwest to represent and commemorate ancestry, histories, people, or events. Totem poles are typically created out of red cedar, a malleable wood relatively abundant in the Pacific Northwest, and would be erected to be visible within a community.”

“A totem is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol of a tribe, clan, family or individual. Some Native American tribe’s tradition provides that each person is connected with nine different animals that will accompany him or her through life, acting as guides.”

Native American Totem Animals & Their Meanings

Totem Pole over looking Little Whale Cove…

http://ctsi.nsn.us/ Siletz Tribe…. Click this link…

What is your Totem Pole Spirit? I think about many animals that move my spirit. Animals speak to my soul…

The Eagle comes to mind. I watch Eagles fly above in Little Whale Cove. Their freedom and independence strikes me the most…

I watch the Gray Whales from the shore. These amazing and beautiful animals show love for family and caring for their young ones.

Salmon run up streams and rivers giving new life to all things. The little fingerlings go back to sea and renew life once again…

The furry friends in our lives bring unconditional love and kindness we need the most. They show us true friendship when a friend is needed in times of despair and joy…

What is your animal spirit? What comes to you in your dreams?

Native American Culture and Traditions…

I have been spiritually moved by Native American Culture and Traditions for many decades. But as a younger man on a fast track in my career and everything else, I didn’t know why.

My spirit has always been moved when reading, learning, and exploring Native American history, a very rich history, indeed. I felt their soul. My soul was touched each time and in between…

I was raised a Catholic. I’m a Christian. But Christianity never touched my soul the way Native American culture did.

I know why now. When growing up studying the Catholic teachings, their was something missing. I know now it was my soul.

I didn’t understand or know spirituality as a kid and young man. I thought a ‘soul’ was something rewarded to those who were worthy. I never felt worthy, never ever, until now…

I know now that the first step in finding one’s soul is knowing and feeling your soul. I needed to feel my soul to find my soul…

Native American Culture and beliefs touched my soul deeply. God lives in all things of nature, in the stars, and in the heavens above.. God lives in all peoples and living things…

The early Americans who loved North America worshiped the land. All things living were sacred. Natives surrounded themselves with spirits of love and forgiveness…

When they killed Buffalo, the hunt was a sacred gift. Warriors hunted only so many Buffalo to feed and clothe their families. The skins were used for shelters, lodges, and to keep them warm from the winter’s cold…

After the kill, each Buffalo was honored as a scared gift. When trees were cut, each tree was honored in the same way… All living things were sacred…

Natives knew how to heal warriors who suffered from too many battles. They cared for the children and families who lost fathers in tribal wars, and in fighting the white man.

The white man stoled Native lands. They pillaged, raped and killed without respect for Native American culture. The white man showed little respect for the land and nature’s sacred gifts.

The white man finally realized the true love and spirit of Native American culture. We now honor Native traditions and culture as our own.

It is never too late for forgiveness and love… We can only live in peace and love as one…

As I explore the beaches and forests of the Oregon Coast, Natives are ever present in my mind. My soul heals and my spirits sore…

Animal spirits sing along my soul each and every day in Little Whale Cove. It is this feeling that makes my heart and soul feel alive with love and joy…

I know my soul now. I live in peace and harmony with God’s love now… I know now that God loves all of us, not just some of us…

Steve Sparks, Author, Blogger, Mental Health Advocate. And aspiring artisan…

Matt and Mattie, my Canadian Honker friends, heal my soul…

February 15, 2021February 16, 2021

“Sam” The Old Man of Wisdom…

“Sam” The Old Man of Wisdom…

“Sam is my subconscious angel.” Steve Sparks

https://www.co.lincoln.or.us/animalshelter/page/lincoln-county-animal-shelter

I discovered “Sam” while visiting Lincoln County Animal Shelter not long ago. He looked into my soul. I could feel Sam’s soul too…

Sam is my friend now. His old soul shows more love and wisdom than most humans I know…

When “Sam” speaks, everybody listens. Sam is my man, the main man of wisdom…

Sam is a listener. He looks into my soul. He hears my sadness. He has more wisdom than any human I know.

Sam loves me, I know. He feels my heart beating fast or slow. We walk slowly together, growing older together in spirit and love…

Sam comforts me with a smile and a tail wag. He puts his head on my lap, looking at me with kindness and love…

Sam hugs me too. He kisses my face to show his endless and unconditional love…

Without Sam, loneliness would overcome the sadness in my heart and soul. With Sam, my soul heals. And, my heart smiles again…

When Sam and I are out and about at the beach or in the forest above, we keep each other safe and warm. He walks with a limp and a little slower these days…

Sam lives for every moment with me. He helps me live in the moment too. My soul feels whole with Sam, my main man of wisdom and love…

I feel free of everyday stresses with my pal Sam. We live together in the moment, Sam and me…

Sam and I live in the moment together. With every breath and scent from mother nature’s gifts, we walk together slowly taking it all in as one…

Sam knows my soul. I feel Sam’s soul too… He has a soul just like me…

When Sam walks on the beach with me, he stops, sits, and watches the sea birds fly. He used to chase and fly with his sea bird friends when his legs were strong…

Sam’s legs are sore now, his knees buckle in the sand. My knees feel the same. Sam helps me grow old happily just like him…

With another good walk at the beach or in the rain forest above, Sam and me head home. It’s time for a nap now, Sam and me together, as pals forever as one…

We are old pals now, Sam and me. We never leave each other alone. We comfort each other in good times and in bad times…

For tomorrow, Sam knows we will walk together again, slowly. We live in the moment, love in the moment, feel our souls together in the moment.

We are old pals now, Sam and me… We will never leave each other alone…

February 12, 2021February 12, 2021

Conversations with Your Inner Child Can Be Healing…

Stephen H. Sparks, age 2 1948…” I know this little future surf duude. He is my subconscious angel.” Steve Sparks

I know a little about my old pal Stephen. But mostly from the stories told when I was old enough to remember.

Stephen was born into sickness on July 6, 1946. A father who came home from war. A mother who struggled as a single mom. She was sick from growing up during the Great Depression too…

We were all proud to serve America. Navy Brats we were…

WWII was a terribly stressful time in America following WWII. Thousands of families served and suffered too…

Pain and profoundly dysfunctional family dynamics became normalized. Children inhaled the pain of war too. Lingering emotional damage was not understood back then, though…

Sickness often prevailed too. Polio struck Stephen as a 2 year old. He spent 6 weeks in the hospital, without loved ones close by to cheer…

We did not know then what we know today. We did not know how to help each other then when life was so overwhelmed with pain… Most souls survived with strong bodies and hearts.

The demons would hold the little souls hostage until much later. In those later years the haunting demons would return with emboldened rage…

Stephen survived too. But he didn’t know he was injured then. It would be decades later when the demons returned to haunt his mind…

Stephen did not know love as a child. He would not know how to love until decades later… The demons of hate steal love if you let them, you know…

Talking to my inner child… https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/inner-child-healing

I was asked not long ago by a friend, “How do you talk to your inner child?”

After many months of ‘Trauma Informed’ clinical therapy, learning how to talk to my old pal Stephen was a gift of healing for me…

Too many years growing up with no love or peace in my home. And, a series of too many traumatic events as an adult, hijacked my soul, I believe…

How did I help myself and Stephen at the same time? How did talking to my inner child help me heal?

Stephen seems to enjoy visiting me at the worst moments. I don’t want to talk about his stuff in those trying moments of despair…

Stephen keeps me awake in those moments when a warm embrace is needed the most. He triggers me to feel shame and guilt.

Sleeping doesn’t come at first when my mind is focused on Stephen. He needs someone to talk about his pain…

Sometimes I can’t talk to Stephen. So I ask him if we can talk later. With love, kindness and a hug, my old friend let’s me go to sleep.

Stephen shows up in anxious moments. He is angry in these moments. I ask him to give me space. Anger is no longer part of my soul…

Stephen is angry about his stuff. He wants me to reinforce his anger at others who hurt him.

I hug the little guy and we talk about stuff. Stephen knows he has a friend in me, a friend he never had before.

So, we hug each other and reassure each other. “It’s gonna be okay Stephen.” I always say to him with a kind smile and a warm hug.

Talking to my inner child gives me space to live in the moment. The pain of the past must end its haunting presence in everything good and joyful in the moment…

There is no joy in life when the past is breathing heavily on my back. There is no joy for the loved ones in my life when he is speaking to me, breathing down my back.

Talking to my inner child helps me to separate from him. We are friends now. He is not mad at me now, not ever again.

We are friends now, Stephen and me…

There is no peace of mind when my inner child is angry. Stephen, feels safe now. He is no longer alone with his pain without a caring soul near his side…

With a kind and warm embrace, we go separate ways. He visits me now and then as a friend. We talk and help each other as friends, Stephen and me…

We are never alone now. We have each other as friends near. We heal our souls together…

We have peace of mind now, Stephen and me…

Steve Sparks, Author, Blogger, Mental Health Advocate

Mindfulness Meditation Moments from Little Whale Cove, Oregon…

February 1, 2021February 2, 2021

Bessie Bee… “For without Bees there is no love…”

https://www.xerces.org/blog/five-ways-to-support-queen-bumble-bees-this-spring

“Once she finds a good location underground, the queen will drop her metabolic rate to conserve energy and produce an antifreeze-like chemical to withstand cold temperatures. Upon receiving cues from the environment that spring has arrived, the queen will emerge, begin anew, and the cycle repeats itself.”

*****

Bessie Bee, the early Queen Bee, stopped for a visit yesterday. The rain forced her to come in under the porch with me…

Bessie Bee told me it has been a little harder this year to get a nest going. She was kinda anxious about it, while staring at me with a puff and pout😡.

Bessie Bee was worried that her worker bees might be nervous too. “Queen Bees, like me, serve the greater good, leaders we are,” she would say proudly 😁.

Bessie Bee says, “This is a critical time of year. Queen Bees need sufficient food herself, as well as enough to nourish her first batch of developing offspring.” She would say then, “Failure is not an option, my dear!”

Bessie Bee would stay in for the night. She has a little built in heater to keep warm. “I will awake with light of sunshine in the early morn, my dear,” Bessie Bee said with a happy buzz…

“Will you meet me here again?” Bessie Bee asked, as she disappeared underneath the deck, to rest in the nest. “Of course I will,” I thought with admiration and respect…

“For without Bees there would be no love…” Bessie Bee whispered softly as she fell soundly asleep.

January 30, 2021January 31, 2021

Dogs Surely Go to Heaven… “Stella” The Beach Girl…

Stella’s favorite running beach… with pal, Mike

A heavenly spot…

Stella showed me true friendship, unconditional love. She always gave me that extra hug when I needed it the most…

We were together alone with our dreams on this special beach made for us, just the two of us…

We felt free from a world seemed lost from God’s view of love. Nature’s love is true love.

The cool sea breeze and sounds of waves breaking near the shore felt like heaven, together as best pals. Together, just the two of us…

Our senses exploded like a beautiful symphony performing just for us on Carmel Beach. We looked over the Rainbow Bridge to see Heaven was made for Stella and me too…

Just the two of us strolled up and down the beach watching the birds. Stella chased the birds back and forth, up and down the beach…

Sometimes Stella would swim out to sea through the waves. I think Stella believed she could fly like birds. I believe we were flying together with sea birds, just the two of us…

Stella would stop and look back at me with that big happy smile. We were in heaven, just the two of us…

With a bark and happy smile, she raced back to me for a warm pet on her smooth furry head and a hug. I loved Stella. I know she loved me too…

Sometimes Stella wouldn’t come to me when I called. I would turn my back on her and walk away. Suddenly, there she was jumping and bouncing around me. We were happy to be together, just the two of us…

Stella loved digging in the sand. She loved looking for things that moved. I loved to see her run in the surf yipping away at the birds…

Stella made friends where ever we went. Around the Marina. I was known as the guy with the cute dog. No one knew my name but all knew Stella’s.

Stella made everyone happy.
That could have been her name, “Happy Girl,” I would say with a happy smile…

“Time to go back home Beach Girl,” I would say. “Time to go up the trail, Stella!” She always knew the beach she so loved would be there tomorrow

So, we headed back up the trail together, just the two of us. “We’ll come back tomorrow, Stella, my Beach Girl.”

“For there will always be a tomorrow, my Beach Girl…” I thought this with deep love in my heart and soul…

Stella lives each and every day in my heart and soul “Meet you at the crossing over the Rainbow Bridge, dear furry friend forever.” I would say this each and every time on the way home…

*****

A tribute to my old pal, Mike Glenn and his “Beach Girl,” Stella. Both love the beach, sand, and sea birds even more than me…

Steve Sparks, Author, Depoe Bay, Oregon

January 23, 2021January 23, 2021

“Prim” The Healer

When we first met Prim a year ago in Seattle, she was as lovable and kind as a furry loved one could be. After a curious and briefly hesitant look, she jumped on my lap right away.

She looked at me close up, licking my face like a popsicle. I knew then how much love this little girl would bring to our family.

Prim came to our home not too long before Skai crossed the Rainbow Bridge. She attached herself to big bro right away. She never left his side.

Skai showed Prim the ropes around the house. “Don’t poop in the house,” Skai reminded Prim as she was trained to see the door first.

But Prim still liked to poop on the stairs near the bottom. Skai didn’t get that, though.

Both siblings played as long as Skai could hold up. Prim never wanted to stop playing. She worried about Skai. But she always let her bro rest. And never left his side.

Skai seemed excited and grateful right away. Prim helped her bro feel safe when he needed it the most.

Prim helped mom and pops too, when they were sad. Skai got really sick and couldn’t move around much anymore.

Our furry loved ones are healers. They know when we are happy or sad.

The furry ones never leave our hearts and souls. They watch from high above and whisper in our ears…

“It’s gonna be okay…”

Thank you, Sarah and Chris, for sharing Prim and Skai with us…