I’ve watched Miracle on 52nd Street umpteen times because to me, the winter holidays are filled with magical moments showered in love flurries, like shaken snow globes. On Christmases past, I thought it was all about shopping, decorating the tree and feasting. Now I realize all of that is only a backdrop for infinite opportunities to give and receive love, the real reason for the season.

Celebrations can feel forever changed when we have lost loved ones. Holidays have a way of magnifying what’s right or wrong in our life, the state of our relationships and our level of happiness. When my son passed on at a young age, I couldn’t accept that he was gone forever. Spiritual beliefs I had only given lip service to were put to the test. I had always believed in the afterlife, but now I needed more reassurance; as a mother I needed to know that my son was okay.

I started devouring books about near-death experiences (NDE) and the afterlife. It became essential to know my identity as an eternal spiritual being beyond this temporary Earthbound existence and our roles as mother and son. I am grateful to acknowledge that my broken heart opened wide through this journey, expanding and deepening my spiritual relationship with my son and what I like to call my “infinite self”.

That’s why in this special Awakening Humanity holiday edition, I am excited to share firsthand insights on life after life in Natural Awakenings’ interviews with two of my favorite NDE book authors, Anita Moorjani and Dr. Eben Alexander. They are leading voices among the 8 million Americans that have returned with a message from their own NDE, as reported in a Gallup poll. The consensus is that it is a real, meaningful and life-changing experience.

Alexander says, “If I had to boil the whole message down to just one word, it would be love—the incomprehensibly glorious truth of truths that lives and breathes at the core of everything that exists or will ever exist.”

Moorjani notes, “I brought back one of my biggest lessons—to love myself and be an instrument of love.”

What if you knew this was your last holiday with someone? Would you let go of everything and anything keeping you from enjoying a loving experience?

I’ll be spending a white Christmas with my 90-year-old mother this year in her assisted living quarters up north, the first year she is unable to join us at the family cottage. Regardless of her seeming limitations, to me she still embodies unconditional love; a beautiful, radiant spirit, ready to go home.

I invite you to celebrate our universal connectedness and oneness in every opportunity that presents itself this holiday season. Let’s feel and spread the love!

Happy holidays,

Sharon Bruckman, Publisher