Jayne Johnson - Civil Celebrant

11/12/2024

I missed you quietly today. So quietly that no one noticed.
I missed you as I climbed out of bed and as I brushed my teeth; when I waited at the lights on the drive into work and as I heard the rain outside my window.
I missed you as I ordered lunch and as I kicked off my shoes when I got home; as I switched off the lights and climbed into bed for the night.
I missed you without tears or noise or fanfare.
But oh how I felt it.
I felt it in the morning, at lunchtime, in the evening and at night. I felt it as I woke, as I waited, as I worked. I felt it at home, on the road, in the light, in the dark, in the rain.
I felt it in every one of those moments, each one sitting heavier and heavier as the weight of me missing you kept growing and growing.
Yes, I missed you so quietly today.
But I felt it so loudly.
*****
Becky Hemsley 2024
Artwork by Lilymoon
‘Quietly’ is a newer poem

08/12/2024

Fantastic wee afternoon out… lunch at the starbar then a visit to the lights at the Botanics!! So good I’m going again! 😆… managed to burn my bottom lip when eating my toasted marshmallow though!!!

08/12/2024

There's something you need to know
To understand
From someone who's been there
And will be again...
In a place of overwhelming sadness
Of grief
Fear, worry..and anxiety
Stuck
In this moment that can last a short time
Or go on for days
Or weeks
Months
Even years

In these moments
These times
This -- this is where I'm at
All cylinders firing
Trying as best I can
Just to get by
Moment by moment
Day by day

And when I'm here
I'm not going to reach out

I'm just not
At least not yet

I'm not ready

I'm too busy
Too overwhelmed in the process of being and trying to find my way
To begin healing and searching out that speck of light in the dark that will hopefully begin guiding me out

So, no
I'm not going to reach out

But you

You... can reach in
And meet me where I'm at

Meet me with a gentle presence
With patience
No pressure
With empathy and care
And no expectations

Reach in
And don't be upset when I don't reach back

But
Do keep reaching in
Saying "hello"
"I'm thinking of you"...

That's enough

I know you're there
And I love you for it
Even if I don't say the words out loud

One day I will

When the weight of my world feels less heavy
After the sun has found its way in through the cracks

One day
You'll reach in

And

I'll reach back

©️Tara Shannon, 2024
Reach in

Image description: A little watercolour of my home that I've been working on. ❤️

***

I share this with the intent to offer comfort to those navigating grief and loss during the holiday season—a time often filled with gatherings, traditions, and joy, but also a time when the absence of loved ones can feel particularly heavy.

For me, this season is about gratitude—honouring the return of light, reflecting on the year's blessings and challenges, and treasuring connections with friends and family. Yet, it's also a poignant reminder that grief and loss are woven into the fabric of life.

If you're fortunate to celebrate with loved ones, cherish those moments deeply. And let's all hold space for those who are grieving, because the holidays can be a tender time, and loss touches us all in different ways.

T.S. ❤️

03/12/2024

When you should pity people for their stupidity.. but end up laughing at the poor wee souls instead. There, there, there.

02/12/2024

Lovely wee incident at the Queen Margaret Hospital today ... I was reversing (thankfully slowly) out of a space with a high car beside me when a girl (I think looking at her phone) walked behind me ... closely followed by her gran .... who started shouting that I should be checking my mirrors (I had) ... and was looking in my mirror when I noticed the girl (who didnt notice me) walking behind me, followed by her gran .... this "lady" then gave me a mouthful of abuse ... I think because she saw the Celebrant sign on the side of my car .... she had obviously not being paying attention to the back or she would have seen my veterans sticker .... I think she was quite taken aback when she got back as much as she gave. Seemingly I am going to be plastered all over facebook tonight .... fame at last and free advertising ... no doubt she is know for her stupidity and foul mouth .... LOL

21/11/2024

The reality is that you will grieve forever.
You will not 'get over' the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it.
You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered.
You will be whole again but you will never be the same.
Nor should you be the same, nor would you want to ..

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross ✨

Artist Credit: Jiri Petr

15/11/2024

Our loved ones leave behind a light
That will never dim or fade
It’s kept bright by the love we feel
And the memories we made

It can warm us like a candle’s glow
And help bring comfort too
And no matter where you go you’ll find
It’s always close to you

And in the darkest times remember
In our hearts their light is strong
So every time we think of them
Their memory shines on.

~ 'Their Light Shines On' by Andrea Jackson

~ Art by Shawna Erback

15/11/2024

"Perhaps the greatest tragedy of existence is that we are all destined to walk alone, even when we believe we have found someone to share the burden. There is an unbridgeable chasm between souls, a gap that no love, no friendship, no connection can ever truly cross. We are, by nature, solitary beings trapped in the illusion of togetherness, clinging to fleeting moments of closeness that eventually fade into the vast emptiness of our own minds."

10/11/2024

My exciting Sunday.. collected all of Sprouts toys that she had left outdoors and stuck them in the washing machine. She isn’t too happy… Pixie isn’t bothered, she doesn’t care much for soft toys… but give her a ball and she is in heaven!!

02/11/2024

27/10/2024

I hope death is like being carried to your bedroom
when you were a child and fell asleep on the couch during a family party.
I hope you can hear the laughter from the next room .

Unknown ✨

Artist Credit : Alev Neto

24/10/2024

Eleven years today I became a Celebrant after 27 years working (consultant/manager and owning my own business) in Recruitment…after serving in the WRAC (Women’s Army). Can’t believe it’s been 11 years!!

23/10/2024

This is a deeply touching and reflective piece, reminding us of the fleeting nature of time and the importance of cherishing the present. The metaphor of life’s seasons beautifully captures the transitions we all experience, from youth to old age, and how winter — the later years — can take us by surprise. It's both a call for gratitude and a gentle nudge to live fully in the now, for none of us know how many seasons we will have.

As winter approaches, there's a sense of realization, of looking back at dreams and moments that have passed, some fulfilled and some left behind. It speaks to the inevitability of aging, but also to the richness of life lived — full of joy, regret, love, and memory.

The message is clear: don’t wait to do the things you wish to do, to tell those you love how much they mean to you, and to live each day as if it were the most precious of gifts.

What resonates most is the advice that life, no matter what season you're in, is a gift. The way you live it and the love you share become your legacy to those who follow.

23/10/2024

If I could have just one more day with you…💔
I would hardly speak. I would simply listen to your voice and commit every tone of it to memory until it became my favourite melody.
I would look at you. I would study your eyes and your mouth, and I would learn every angle, every pane of your face until I could see you perfectly with my eyes closed.
I would hold your hand in mine. I would trace all the lines on your palm until they became a trail – a map - that I could retrace on my own palm every time I felt lost.
I would soak you up and breathe you in until there was not a single thing that I could not recall at a moment’s notice.
But more than anything, if I had one more day with you,
I would hold you.
I would hold you so tight, hoping that maybe if I didn’t let you go…
You wouldn’t.
Yes, if I had just one more day with you, I would hope… I would hope so hard…
that you wouldn’t have to leave again.
By Heartfelt

09/10/2024

Imagine living with a scream inside you.
And the scream is yours.
And no one else hears it.
That is grief.
Imagine living with a scream inside you—a scream that is yours alone.
It’s loud, it’s piercing, and it reverberates through every part of your being.
And yet, no one else hears it.
Grief can make the world feel so distant.
You might be in the middle of a conversation,
but your mind is elsewhere, caught in that scream.
What does a silent scream even sound like?
What would it sound like if someone else could hear it?
Perhaps it isn't really a scream but a feeling
with sound, one so raw, so painful, so excruciating
that there are no words to describe it,
so it becomes a sound, a noise, a vibration
that rages through our entire body, screaming,
The scream of grief.

~ Author Unknown

~ Art 'Grief' by Max Kidwell

My Garden of Grief