aislynnmari
01-12-2010, 05:42 AM
Wasn't sure where to post this story that just recently happened to me, but I thought I'd share it here....
My grandmother passed away a couple of years ago. Even though she lived several hours away, we were very close, and her passing was only harder because my mother had died the year before. As did my grandfather on the other side. But I was fine, and life moved on. Although I never particularly felt my mother's presence around me, I would sometimes feel my grandmother's.
Recently, I felt an yearning to seek out a local church to attend. I'm not really a religious person, and I'm quite liberal. Not a Christian. It was hard for me to find a good fit. I did much research before stumbling upon a Unitarian church. There are a few in the area, but this particular one seemed to just draw me in. I visited, and felt an instant energy in this place. I loved it.
I'm a violinist, and one day I stayed after church was over, and once the sanctuary was empty, I opened my violin and began to play to the empty room. Only my husband was there, and the music director who had allowed me to stay, and was interested to hear me play.
I felt such an amazing energy in that moment, so peaceful, so belonging. After I was finished playing, I did not feel the same urgency to return to the church- although I still enjoy it and would like to try to get back there soon. I've just been busy, and, the feeling of NEEDING to go had changed.
Well, fast forward a few months, and I went to visit my Great-Aunt, my grandmother's sister. I told her how I had begun to attend the Unitarian church, and she said, "You do know that your grandmother was married in a Unitarian church- in Philadelphia as a matter of fact!" .........well as I mentioned, there are a few in the Philadelphia area, but I grew excited. I asked to see the pictures of the wedding. The first few were unclear, but, as I flipped through the pages I began to recognize the building. Then I saw a photo taken in the parking lot, with a clear view of that very church in the background!
I did a little research, and it turns out that I had played to the empty church on the very anniversary of my grandmother's marriage to my grandfather. It explains the eerie peacefulness I felt, and the strong urge to go there and play.
How amazing is that?
My grandmother passed away a couple of years ago. Even though she lived several hours away, we were very close, and her passing was only harder because my mother had died the year before. As did my grandfather on the other side. But I was fine, and life moved on. Although I never particularly felt my mother's presence around me, I would sometimes feel my grandmother's.
Recently, I felt an yearning to seek out a local church to attend. I'm not really a religious person, and I'm quite liberal. Not a Christian. It was hard for me to find a good fit. I did much research before stumbling upon a Unitarian church. There are a few in the area, but this particular one seemed to just draw me in. I visited, and felt an instant energy in this place. I loved it.
I'm a violinist, and one day I stayed after church was over, and once the sanctuary was empty, I opened my violin and began to play to the empty room. Only my husband was there, and the music director who had allowed me to stay, and was interested to hear me play.
I felt such an amazing energy in that moment, so peaceful, so belonging. After I was finished playing, I did not feel the same urgency to return to the church- although I still enjoy it and would like to try to get back there soon. I've just been busy, and, the feeling of NEEDING to go had changed.
Well, fast forward a few months, and I went to visit my Great-Aunt, my grandmother's sister. I told her how I had begun to attend the Unitarian church, and she said, "You do know that your grandmother was married in a Unitarian church- in Philadelphia as a matter of fact!" .........well as I mentioned, there are a few in the Philadelphia area, but I grew excited. I asked to see the pictures of the wedding. The first few were unclear, but, as I flipped through the pages I began to recognize the building. Then I saw a photo taken in the parking lot, with a clear view of that very church in the background!
I did a little research, and it turns out that I had played to the empty church on the very anniversary of my grandmother's marriage to my grandfather. It explains the eerie peacefulness I felt, and the strong urge to go there and play.
How amazing is that?