Hi Friends, What did you implement last week? Today, on Valentine's Day, I want to continue with the legacy of my brother. In the conversations I had with people who knew him, worked with him, supervised him, met him.....it was evident, that he was loved. And he loved them. And he loved me and my family. And our pets. As you know by now, this is hard to write. Tears are streaming down my cheeks. It's hard to see the keyboard that way. So, the following are a few more things we can learn from my brother. For those who don't know, he died in early December as a result of suicide. He had suffered with schizophrenia for 30 years. 1.) He was a connector He told me how he held a cooking club in his lovely apartment on a weekly basis. He invited friends and coworkers and started cooking. He also reached out continuously to coworkers and friends to ask them out for a coffee or to go to the flea market with him (which he loved). He was always in touch with our cousins and my aunt. He sent pictures and videos and made phone calls. He was a connector. 2.) He wanted others to be happy Marcel used to tell me and my family jokes when he was visiting. He wanted us to laugh. You couldn't resist smiling because he was so happy telling the joke. I learned during my recent visit to Germany that he brought jokes to his workplace. I saw several joke books on his bookshelf. It developed into "the weekly joke". He would present a new one every week at his workplace. And now, I am continuing this tradition. He would be proud of me. He felt deeply for others and as you can imagine, they were all mentally ill, so they all struggled even more than you and I on a daily basis. I learned from 2 of his bosses that he always tried to create a positive environment and to lift the moods of those around him. Yes, he complained to me about them, too, but hats off to you, Marcel, for putting so much effort into making other people happy. 3.) He surrounded himself with pictures and symbols of strength I am so glad I chose to stay in his apartment. There I noticed even more than in the past. He had statues of eagles, wolves and dragons.. I took some of his T-shirts with me that had animal prints of eagles and lions and wolves on them. I plan to have it made into a simple wall hanging. I have one of his clocks in front of me. It pictures an elf girl holding a dragon-like creature in her hands. At first I didn't like the dragon creature and voiced my slight disgust, as I showed a picture to a friend. She said the following words to me, "Isabelle, your brother surrounded himself with pictures of strength!!" That sank in deeply. I will never look at this clock any other way. I might mention, too, that when I took a walk in a nearby forest, there were wood carvings of eagles and other native American carvings. I wondered what they were doing in this forest. But, I certainly took it as a sign from God that He is sending me strength. So, how are you connecting with others? How are you trying to make your environment happier and more positive? How are you surrounding yourself with strength?
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength like eagles. They will soar on wings like eagles.
You are whole now my dear brother. Happy soaring. And thank you for teaching us how to make the world a better place. I miss you terribly.
Next week I will share a few more lessons I learned from him. Stay tuned. And know you are loved.
PS: Message me for a free consult to start moving toward a more confident you.
You are loved. Deeply loved. Loved beyond measure.
Until next time, Isabelle
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