CCAirwaves

Messages from Heaven- New Beginnings

• The Catholic Cemeteries Association

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The episode explores the theme of new beginnings, showcasing personal stories that highlight the guiding signs from loved ones after loss. Each story  emphasizes the importance of embracing change, seeking community, and connecting past memories to future possibilities. 


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Speaker 1:

Thank you so much for joining us. Hello everyone and welcome back to CC Airwaves. My name is Paige Matillo and I am here with my co-host, joel Hansel.

Speaker 2:

Hey Paige. Happy new year.

Speaker 1:

Happy new year, Joel. It's a great start to 2025, I'd say.

Speaker 2:

If you say so.

Speaker 1:

I definitely say so because I'm here with you. We're happy, we're healthy and we're recording a brand new episode of CC Airwaves and we're cold. And we're cold. Yes, the weather outside, it is cold outside.

Speaker 1:

It is frightful, but luckily we were able to drive to work safely, so can't ask for much more than that, except for warm weather. Today we have a bunch of stories prepared for you all about new beginnings, since it's the new year, so I will start us off with the first story. This story was submitted by Ryan K. I had been struggling for months about whether to quit my job. It was a stable job and I was good at it, but I wasn't happy. The days dragged on and the work didn't fulfill me, and I often found myself daydreaming about what other opportunities might be out there. Still, the fear of the unknown held me back. What if I couldn't find something better? What if I regretted leaving? Then an unexpected sign came it was the anniversary of my Uncle Mike's death, a man who always encouraged me to follow my dreams. He didn't go to college, but followed his dream and started his own business.

Speaker 1:

That morning, when I was at my desk feeling unsure again, I found something surprising A worn business card between the pages of my notebook. It was my Uncle Mike's business card, which I hadn't seen in years. How'd it get there? I had used the notebook to store notes in college, but cleaned it out before I started my job. It was as if he was right there, pushing me to take a chance for my own happiness. Finding the card felt like a clear message from my Uncle Mike, telling me not to stay stuck in fear but to embrace change. With that push, my decision was clear it was time to leave and find work that made me feel alive and happy. I quit my job that week and started reaching out to industries I'd always been interested in. Quitting was scary but thrilling. Starting this new chapter, I felt guided by my uncle's spirit. Thanks to him, I took that leap towards a fresh start and haven't looked back.

Speaker 2:

It's a nice story. I think it's a very typical story. You get somebody that's look, it's always hard to face the unknown. Yeah, and to take a leap, take a chance.

Speaker 1:

Especially when you're comfortable in your current situation and everything's going well.

Speaker 2:

And it just takes. You got to work up some courage to do it, and Uncle Mike, Gave him that push, gave him the push that he needed. Gave him the confidence.

Speaker 1:

And I'm hoping that Ryan was able to find a job that fulfilled his passion, especially, you know, at the beginning of the year. So, Ryan, best of luck to you.

Speaker 2:

Story number two was submitted by Daphne V. When I was young, my grandpa would babysit me while my parents worked and I always asked him to play my favorite movie, princess and the Frog. My parents worked and I always asked him to play my favorite movie, princess and the Frog, without any hesitation. He'd play it for us and we'd happily watch it over and over, singing songs and acting out the funny scenes together. There was one part where a character talks about his love being the brightest star in the sky, and it always made me cry, even though I believed that we'd go to heaven when we die. The idea that our loved ones could watch over us like stars was a comforting thought.

Speaker 2:

Last year was tough. In the first few months of the new year, my grandpa passed away. I also faced personal setbacks and saw close relationships fall apart. I wasn't in any mood to celebrate the holidays, much less welcome another year, so I decided to spend New Year's Eve alone at home, standing on my balcony, while ignoring texts from friends urging me to come out, looking up in the sky.

Speaker 2:

I desperately hoped for a sign that things would get better. Just then, a shooting star blazed across the sky. I'd never seen one before and had always been skeptical about such things. But in that moment I felt it was a sign meant for me, a sign to start fresh, and New Year's Eve was the perfect opportunity. And New Year's Eve was the perfect opportunity Inspired. I quickly got ready and joined my friends downtown to ring in the new year, surrounded by people I loved. I was reminded of how important it is to live fully. A few people have told me it was probably a plane or a drone in the sky, but I am still convinced it was a shooting star. Now I'm genuinely excited to see what the future holds.

Speaker 1:

Have you ever seen Princess and a Frog? No, no, it's a great movie Would highly recommend. I think everyone kind of knows the story of Princess and the Frog. You know, the prince is the frog. She kisses him. In this Disney movie there's kind of a twist where the princess she's not really a princess, she becomes a frog too, and they go on this adventure and I remember that storyline. The star, because it's a firefly, and he's in love with the brightest star in the sky and he says that it's Evangeline. And then, you know, when he passes away, a star appears right next to the star that he said was the love of his life. That was Evangeline. So they become the two brightest stars in the sky together. So I love that story, I love the whole movie and I love this story from Daphne. I do think that you know the shooting star in the sky was a sign from her grandpa. You know, everything's okay. Go out there, don't stay home, don't wallow in grief.

Speaker 2:

Go out, spend time with your friends, live life to the fullest, I think we've all had in life a year where you just you were glad to see the year end you just get beaten down.

Speaker 2:

You know just so much happens in that particular calendar year. That new year's eve comes and, uh, you don't want to watch the retrospectives or anything, you just want to. You know what. Let's just get to tomorrow, be a new year, say goodbye to this year. It was bad, I don't want to remember it. Let's, let's move on to, yeah, um, the hope and the promise that a new year does provide.

Speaker 1:

So do you believe that new years are fresh starts for us? Because I know some people don't.

Speaker 2:

Well, I had one of those years. 2024 was not a great year, so I was kind of glad to see the end of it and to have this new start.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Hopefully.

Speaker 1:

Hopefully.

Speaker 2:

You hope that it's a better year.

Speaker 1:

I know it'll be a better year, joel. Well thanks.

Speaker 2:

Paige.

Speaker 1:

For all of us here. This next story was submitted by Katrina T. Ever since I moved to the city, I felt swallowed up by the size, really missing the close-knit feelings of home. Then, on a particular lonely Sunday, as I roamed the city without much direction, I found myself in front of an old church. It was squeezed between buildings and didn't really stand out, but something about it pulled me inside. The inside of the church was a quiet escape from the noisy city. As I sat down in one of the back pews, the smell of incense brought back memories of spending time with my grandma. My eyes were drawn to a stained glass window above the altar, beautifully illustrating the annunciation in vibrant blues and golds.

Speaker 1:

Grandma adored this story, always saying how life's unexpected moments can open doors to fresh starts. As I sat there, I felt a comforting warmth, almost as if my grandma had placed her hand on my shoulder, guiding me to this very spot. It was as if she was showing me where I could find a bit of peace and maybe even belong in this city. That feeling gave me the push I needed. I began attending services regularly and gradually becoming part of the community. Reflecting on it now, I'm sure that finding the church was no coincidence, but a message from my grandma, giving me a gentle push to help me navigate my new life.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you just needed a place to belong.

Speaker 1:

A sense of community.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely.

Speaker 1:

Especially when moving to a new city. You move to a new city.

Speaker 2:

you don't know anybody and I don't think it matters what the size of the city is. You know it could be like a New York City.

Speaker 1:

It could be Cleveland Canton, you know Um.

Speaker 2:

It's unfamiliar and that can be scary and frightening lead to some paralysis, I'm sure, and you just need to find a place where you kind of belong and fit in and then from there you start to feel less anxious about the move.

Speaker 1:

And church is a great place to find those people and find that community that you want to belong with. And it seems like her grandma leading her there was the sign that she needed that you know this could be the place that she belonged, this could be the place where she could build a community around her that supports her and builds her up. So I truly believe that she was led there.

Speaker 2:

Final story was submitted by Sammy C. I got the news I was pregnant shortly after I lost my mother. It came as a shock, as I had been trying for years without success. Months passed, and my baby's due date coincided with what would have been my mother's birthday. It seemed perfect to be a mere coincidence, so it had to be a sign. When the day arrived, so did the baby, a little girl. We named her Anna after the incredible woman whose legacy she was continuing. Anna grew, so did the signs of my mother's presence. Baby Anna brought us back to life, knitting our family close again, just as my mother had always done. Knitting our family close again, just as my mother had always done. Her arrival, marked by signs and symbols of mom's enduring watch over us, reminded everyone that, even in loss, there is a continuation of love, a new beginning waiting to unfold. It was our message from heaven, telling us that love never truly leaves. It only transforms, guiding us from one chapter to the next.

Speaker 1:

I feel like whenever a baby is born in a family that has experienced such loss, it just always is so healing. I feel like that's something that I see in these stories. A lot is, you know they'll lose someone, and then a baby is born and it kind of fills back that hole in their hearts. Not completely, because obviously that's not possible, but very close.

Speaker 1:

Well, congratulations on baby Anna, and that is all that we have for you today. If you have received a message from heaven and would like to share it with us, you can email us at podcast at CLECEMorg, or you can send us a message on our social media. There is also a new feature where you can let us know your thoughts and feelings about episodes or share stories with us. If you are on Buzzsprout, look at the description and you will see a message that says send us a text. You can now use this option to share any other feedback that you have directly with us, and that is all. Thank you so much for listening and have a great day.