Celebrating Ernestine Griswold

Ernestine Griswold has moved from this reality to another. My life has been made better by her presence. She was my friend, as well as my cohort in many adventures including Sacred Theatre and Mystery School. For the past several years I was her Life Coach, an honor my heart will cherish forever.

I will always treasure and remember Ernie's willingness to step up - even when her hands were shaking and her knees were knocking with fear. She stepped up to take piano lessons from great pianists (and befriend them), to play the piano in concerts, to dance a self-choreographed dance before an audience, to take acting classes and perform on stage, to make long and arduous pilgrimages to sacred places, to create and perform her Sacred Theatre plays, to listen for the voice of the Divine,to answer her soul's call.

She yearned for deeper connection with Source, The Lady, The Divine,even though she experienced them often. She was frail in appearance,strong in every other way. Loyal, steadfast, generous, courageous,daring, loving, kind, courteous, adventurous, brilliant, deep-seeing,creative, gracious -these are a few of the qualities she expressed in her daily life. She longed to be of greater personal service to the world, contributed generously to numerous charities, all the while yearning to do some of the work herself. She was always surprised to hear herself praised, to discover someone she admired sought her company.

In coaching sessions, we focused often on the fact that everything we do adds to the positive or the negative energy of the world - nothing is neutral anymore. That being happy is important because it adds to the positive. She lived happily and gave of herself generously. It has been marvelous to hear people here in Ashland speak of their conversations with her in the last 2 weeks of her life. She moved here to be near her Mystery School and Sacred Theatre friends, but she soon involved herself in many other circles, from the Beyond War group to the Horizon Institute to dance groups, acting classes and theater groups. She had recently visited her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren for a month in Australia. And she had visited  her sons (New York, Utah), her deceased son's family (Colorado) and her brother (So. California)in the past several months.

The morning after her death, on Jefferson Exchange, a radio show Ernie usually listened to, the guest was Richard Groves, who teaches the Sacred Art of Living
and Dying. He identified four core spiritual pains that face people of all faiths when they are dying: forgiveness, meaning, hope, and relatedness. I believe Ernie had transcended or resolved these pains, and was at peace when death came for her.

We had an appointment scheduled for 1::45 PM Wednesday, the day she died. Over recent months she had mentioned a sense there was something coming - a big change. And so there was.

There is a hole in my heart. And there is also an indelible imprint of Ernie.

Kaire Ernie!

I trust you now know how very loved you have always been, and will always be.
Elizabeth