So, today I buried a squirrel out in my back yard next to the big Buddha head statue. And I cried. He had fallen into the pool and I noticed him clinging to the metal stair case pole. He was wrapped around the pole, his hips and back legs immersed in the freezing water, clinging for his life. It was 8am, 34 degrees out, and there was a thin layer of ice on the pool. I don’t know how long he was there. I noticed him from the kitchen window. My son, Alex, ran out in his bare feet, climbed over the pool gate and rescued him with the pool net. He laid him on the deck in the morning sun. The poor thing tried to move – his back legs splayed out behind him – frozen and useless. Pushing up with his front legs, he struggled to lift his head and body. I put on some gloves, got a few old towels, and wrapped him up and tried to dry him off. Placing him in a box, bundled in the towels, I gently placed my hand on him and shared Reiki energy with him in a last-ditch effort to help warm him. I knew he was beyond saving but I needed to do something for him. With tears streaming down my cheeks I wondered aloud if he was my “Loopy Squirrel” whose antics I have enjoyed watching over the past couple years. He moved his front legs a little and tried to lift his head, but the effort was just too much. I believe the Reiki calmed him in his last moments and, I hope, helped his passing be more peaceful. I know – he was just a squirrel. But I buried him. And I cried. And I’m still fighting the tears.
End-of-Life Reiki is a gentle and loving way to help our loved ones move on. Giving the gift of peace is an amazing blessing for all involved. With one of my clients, the gift came in her ability to physically breathe a little easier. With another, it was relief from a nagging headache that just wouldn’t quit. Both of these amazing friends passed later on – the first just a couple weeks later, the second a few months later– but knowing that sharing Reiki with them gave them some relief from their pain is a gift that I will always treasure.
When a person is terminally ill, Reiki can offer relief not only to that person, but to their caregivers and family members as well. A friend shared how her ailing parent was given a Reiki session and slept calmly that night – the first night in weeks. But, she was surprised when she also fell asleep in the bedside chair and caught up on some much-needed rest. In these situations, Reiki can be shared in the form of a more traditional session as the situation allows, or through the simple act of placing your hand over theirs and letting the energy flow. As Reiki practitioners, we learn through practice that sometimes less is more. Simplicity edges out formality. Love really does “conquer all”.
End-of-Life Reiki is a gentle and loving way to help our loved ones move on. Giving the gift of peace is an amazing blessing for all involved. With one of my clients, the gift came in her ability to physically breathe a little easier. With another, it was relief from a nagging headache that just wouldn’t quit. Both of these amazing friends passed later on – the first just a couple weeks later, the second a few months later– but knowing that sharing Reiki with them gave them some relief from their pain is a gift that I will always treasure.
When a person is terminally ill, Reiki can offer relief not only to that person, but to their caregivers and family members as well. A friend shared how her ailing parent was given a Reiki session and slept calmly that night – the first night in weeks. But, she was surprised when she also fell asleep in the bedside chair and caught up on some much-needed rest. In these situations, Reiki can be shared in the form of a more traditional session as the situation allows, or through the simple act of placing your hand over theirs and letting the energy flow. As Reiki practitioners, we learn through practice that sometimes less is more. Simplicity edges out formality. Love really does “conquer all”.
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