When my grandad died, I was 13, it hit me really hard. He was a gentle giant, and his heart was bigger than the moon.
'What do we do without him' I asked my mum 'We will never be without him' she replied, followed by 'People come into our lives for a reason, a season, a lifetime'… grandad was all three.
As a little girl, he would hold my hand as I walked along the wall, and encourage me to jump and land without fear at the end.
Grandad knew everyone in Brixton High Street, every shop keeper, every passer-by. On Saturdays, every Saturday, I'd walk hand in hand with him to buy a newspaper, some sweets and to take our R Whites Lemonade bottles back to the Newsagents, Teds, to get our 10p, this weekly outing would take at least a two hours, even though the journey was short.
The reason for this was my grandad loved people, he had time for everyone, and everyone had time for him. One of his gifts, he had many, was that he was a great listener, his eyes never left yours when you spoke, he heard every word, felt every emotion.
Most importantly, he cared, and he remembered.
A lesson he taught me when I started senior school was this 'Wise head, still tongue'…..you will learn more from listening to people than talking yourself.
I miss him daily, 33 years on, but still, I talk to him when I need guidance, or even just to keep him updated with the goings-on.
When he died, that was when I learned to meditate. Before every meditation, I'll do a visualisation, a walk through woods, then a meadow, then the beach and every time I begin my visualisation grandad's there sitting waiting for me on our log, ready to listen.
He was only there for a season of my life but will be with me for a lifetime, and he left me with a lifetime of lessons.
Keep your ears, eyes and heart open, treat everyone you meet with love and most importantly listen, they have a lesson for you to learn.
I love this poem, and I hope if you're in need of reading this today that it finds you.
Reason, Season, or Lifetime
People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know exactly what to do.
When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty; to provide you with guidance and support; to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be.
Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realise is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered, and now it is time to move on.
Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it. It is real. But only for a season. And like Spring turns to Summer and Summer to Fall, the season eventually ends.
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons; those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind, but friendship is clairvoyant. — Unknown
