Remembering Emma and Suzanne and What are YOU waiting for?
This past week within 24 hours, I found out that two women who I love, respect and admire had passed away. Both of them were vital, energetic, incredibly successful and well-loved. One was 54 and one was 53. One was diagnosed with cancer a little over a year ago, one was diagnosed with brain cancer on January 12, my birthday.
Emma was my book coach and she was the one who got my book out of me. I had taken a “Write Your Book In 5 Days” class 8 years ago and I actually wrote a first draft during that time. But over the next two years (!), every time I started to work on the book, I would get physically ill — my stomach would hurt, I would get dizzy. I took it as a sign (as you know, I’m big into signs) that for some reason I wasn’t supposed to write this book, so I gave up on it.
I met Emma at a workshop that had to do with marketing your business, not a spiritual workshop of any kind. As you can see, she was a very beautiful woman and I loved her energy. We ended up having lunch together on the first day and within 5 minutes, I said to her “you’re an Abraham person, aren’t you?” She got a look on her face and said, “yes I am!”. Abraham is one of my teachers, and love their philosophy on the Law of Attraction. I discovered that Emma was a book coach and I told her about my situation with my book. She said “I can help you with that”. And she did. I always loved this quote of hers.
Within 2 months of working with her, my book was re-done, re-mastered and re-born. She was so inspiring, so wonderful and that started a friendship that lasted all these years. I would continue to come to LA to work with our marketing person and she and I would always spend time together. She was the one who told me my book was going to become an Amazon #1 Best Seller and with her help, it did.
The one regret I have with my relationship with Emma is that over the years she would always say “One of these days I’m going to come to do a Soul Adventure and I’m definitely going to go to Egypt with you”. But her life was always so incredibly busy and neither of those ever happened.
At the same time I found out about her diagnosis, I discovered that a “Warrior Fund” had been set up for her, as she was trying to regain her health with non-traditional treatments and those aren’t covered by insurance. I wrote to her and told her I wanted to contribute to her Warrior Fund by having her do a Soul Adventure as my guest. I received this response from her and it would turn out to be the last email I had from her, on my birthday last year:
Hello dearest Birthday Girl! How are you? Thought of you practically all day today and sent you lots of love!
Your email was the first one I received after my public announcement and it made me weep.. I was so touched by your love and generosity!
Yes I would love to take you up on your very kind offer as soon as I get a bit stronger and Garrett is situated at his new school.
I love you so much Debra! Thank you for being beyond amazing! Happy Birthday!
Xoxo
Emma
She never got strong enough to come and she wanted to spend as much time as possible with her son. He was the light of her life and my heart goes out to him, he is just a teenager. I am so stunned at how quickly this all happened.
Then 24 hours later I received an email from Marilyn telling me that Suzanne had passed (Marilyn was on the Peru trip as well). I can’t tell you how absolutely shocked I was. Suzanne had done a Soul Adventure retreat with me, she had gone to Egypt with me (and brought her mother) and then went to Peru with me 3 years ago and brought her friend, Marilyn. Marilyn told me that Suzanne had been diagnosed with brain cancer on January 12 (my birthday). Less than 2 months later. she was gone.
Like Emma, Suzanne was an absolutely incredible human being. She was so energetic and full of life that I can’t believe she’s gone. She was the President and CEO of a large energy company in Canada. She was on a life mission to bring clean energy to the world. She was so amazingly healthy, a real athlete. She sponsored a run every year in Canada for charity.
She was so enthusiastic and full of life. On our Peru trip, she was constantly taking notes when Jorge was speaking, she was just drinking it all in. I looked up her the last email I had from her and, true to form, it was Suzanne being ecstatic about the Peru trip:
“Debra, I’m happy to write this for you: The Sedona Soul Adventures Peru Trip was AMAZING! It is my second Sedona Soul Sacred Travel trip and it, like the first in Egypt, was life changing. The magic of Machu Picchu, the peacefulness of Lake Titicaca, the energy of the Apu mountain spirits is not something you can read about – it must be experienced! On this trip, we had the privilege of being in the presence of Jorge Luis Delgado, our Peruvian Shaman and Chacaruna (bridge person – messenger of light) who is an extraordinary guide, teacher and spiritual Master. I have been on my spiritual journey for approximately 10 years now, and I have learned and experienced many things, but Jorge had an incredible way of saying thing in such simple powerful ways, it was like I was learning them again for the first time. I experienced with him the power of oral tradition – that it isn’t just the words that he spoke, but it was the energy and intention he imbued into his words and ceremonies that is so special. It is that energy which touches you and teaches you. He reaches you heart to heart, rather than from your mind. He led me on a Pilgrimage to my Inner Sun that deepened my commitment to a higher level of consciousness, that increased my understanding of the Cosmos and its wonder, and that fueled my desire to shine brightly in the world. I will be forever grateful for this trip and the positive impact it had on my life.”
Can you feel her energy in this? That was Suzanne. Amazingly, I used her beautiful words in my newsletter just last month, not realizing that Suzanne was fighting for her life right at that time.
When Marilyn wrote to me she said “Suzanne and I were just talking about the wonderful group we were with in Peru and what a special time it was.” That just made me weep with tears of joy.
I reached out to everyone who was on that trip to let them know about Suzanne. We were an especially close-knit group and it helped to give each other some hugs via email.
I spent the next 24 hours going back and forth between praying for both of them, thinking about both of them, and thinking about my own life. And I’d like to ask you to do the same thing – please join me in saying a blessing for both Emma and Suzanne and their happy passage.
And then I want to ask you about your own life. I know that a year ago both Emma and Suzanne thought they had so much left to accomplish. They both thought they had lots of time. Both of them were so hugely goal oriented and they dreamed big and they accomplished so much. But they had lots more dreams left.
I know we all feel like we’re going to live forever that we have lots and lots of time to do all the things we want to do. On a deeper level, I know there are lots and lots of us who tell ourselves “when this happens, I’ll be happy”. When I get the new job, when I lose 10 pounds, when I finally have a good relationship”, etc., etc. fill in the blank. So many people that I see are waiting for their lives to really start happening. And I’m here to tell you, STOP WAITING FOR YOUR LIFE TO START HAPPENING.
The time is now.
You life is happening now.
Now is the only time we have.
This is not a dress rehearsal.
Each day is such a gift, but it is NOT a guarantee.
All of this has brought back my mother’s death to me in such a big way. My mother was only 51 when she died, after having been ill with cancer for 5 years. All the time I was growing up she and my father would talk about the trips they would take once the kids were grown up. She would constantly say to me “when I have my dream house…” and then she would tell me about it. My parents worked so hard and they never went on trips, ever. My parents had a nice home, but my mother never got her dream house. And once she got cancer, that was pretty much it.
I reached a point in my life almost 20 years ago where I was so incredibly unhappy. Even though I had told myself that I wasn’t going to live my life the way my mother had, I was doing it. I was unhappy, frustrated, hated my work, in an unhappy marriage, overweight, in debt and miserable. I tried lots of stuff to pull myself out of it (therapy, workshops, read a lot of books) and nothing worked. Until I came to Sedona.
In a session, my High Self said, “if you don’t change your life now, you’re going to die like your mother did”. I got the message. And it started me on a path where I wasn’t putting my life on hold.
So I ask you – what are you waiting for?
Are you putting off your happiness waiting for something to happen, or someone to show up? The only person who is going to show up is YOU.
If your life is not the way you want it to be, please don’t keep putting it off. Our time here is precious. I believe that we are put on this earth to live lives of joy and happiness and abundance and connection. If that’s happening for you, I’m so happy for you and I want you to give yourself a giant pat on the back.
But if you aren’t living a life of joy and happiness and abundance and connection – What are you waiting for? When are you going to do something about it?
My life changed when I came to Sedona and made the decision that I was going to live a happy and satisfying life. From that has come this blessing of Sedona Soul Adventures where we help people do that each and every day. Let us help you.
Or if you’d prefer, call us toll-free at 1-877-204-3664 (US and Canada). For our friends outside the US and Canada call 01 928-204-5988 or click here and one of our Retreat Guides will call you.
Would you like to speak to someone today? We’re even open on Sundays, because we’re here for you.
