The chills I got reading this. I just walked through my living area and looked at this book which ive never read and I never notice it, only to watch your video & read this comment. I think its time to read it ❤️🌼
I’m deeply moved by your vulnerability and authenticity. I am waiting to hear about you reconnecting again with your father. I was very close to my grandmother and still talk to her often about things I never had the courage to say while she was alive (for the past 19 years).
If my vulnerability can help others while helping myself, it's worth it. I wish I'd had more courage to tell my dad things while he was around, especially anything about our relationship and my feelings towards him (not always positive, by the way)
Thank you so much for sharing this!! . My dad died in August, but I hadn’t spoken to him since I was 18 (42 now) which was his choice not mine. Imagine how long that initial voicemail would be! 😂 Your voicemail inspires me to try and connect to my dad and somehow, maybe, create some healing and closure. Thanks for your vulnerability and willingness to share this part of your journey. 🙏
You're so welcome and I hope you find a way to connect to him, even if he chose not to be there for you for most of your life. To be honest, that's where I would start.
Learning how to talk to a deceased parent can be awkward, like diving into a new language. The depth of love you feel for your dad is really palpable. My mom died when I was a kid so I’ve been talking to her a long time; there’s always something to learn and feel.
So beautiful Shaun. Keep talking to him especially when you find it most difficult to. He’s always with you, watching over you, listening to you, encouraging and rooting for you and no doubt so very proud of you. As his son, the man you’ve become and your “drive” to help others by sharing your experiences with honesty, integrity and compassion. You have been given a beautiful gift, a blessing — meant to be shared.
Angelle, what a beautiful message to receive, but especially touching when I saw that it was from you. And thank you for all the love; it really landed for me this morning.
But also, is he really *always* watching?! I think about that when I'm making questionable decisions, sometimes 😂
Hey there hope your day is going well. Just wanted to say thanks for sharing your first podcast…it’s quite moving and definitely relatable. It’s amazing to me how much we have in common with people we only know thru social media. This week I’m thinking like you shared with both sadness and a joy that Thursday would have been my parents 65th wedding anniversary and Sunday will be my first Mothers Day without being able to speak to her. So thanks again for sharing your first conversation with your Dad and reminding me that those feelings we have about people who have died are valid and shared by many.
We definitely have more in common with most folks than we realize. And I'm glad you listened. Sending you love on this first Mothers Day without her bodily presence.
This is soo relatable… I lost mom in nov 2023… I will definitely talk to mom more… I am so thankful and touched by you sharing this with your followers… sending a big hug
Shaun Galanos - Love Coach that was so beautiful, intimate and heartfelt. Thank you for sharing with us, what an honour for your followers to be a part of that. I hope this will be healing for you. 💕
Our relationship doesn’t end with them dying, oh but the redefinition… There’s this chapter of Modern Love where she can’t let go of a car because is the place where she still has conversations with her dead husband. I lost my dad some years ago and my partner in 2019, through the years I’ve found myself in the need to have these conversations in different places, but now driving is my most go to one.
Anyway, thanks for sharing this vulnerable piece, grieving people can relate, and I hope it brings you some of the very needed connection.
PS. Of course we have a different kind of dark humor now… Some of our favorite people are dead, and they have to be included, there’s no other way. 😂
And, yes, the darker the better sometimes 😂 I plan on writing about his final days, because as sad as they were, there were some hilarious moments, too.
Thank you. I talk out loud to my Pop in my home all the time. He died on my birthday 3 years ago. I was his caregiver and was honored to have that place in our lives. I have pictures on my walls and a box with his old phone, wallet, those silly clip on sunglasses, his college ring and his obituary in there. The one thing I’m just unable to do is watch our home movies. I’m so scared to hear him again. We talked about everything, laughed a lot and when I was confused or scared…even as an adult, he made it safe for me. I’m afraid I won’t recover from hearing him laugh again, knowing he’s gone. I know it’s been years but it’s going to take forever to get ok with never seeing or hearing or leaning on him again. You’re brave to do the voicemails. Thx
I love the idea of the box with him personal effects. I have a sweater of his that I wear almost daily! Luckily, there's more clothing that I can fit into in his closet still. I'm sure when the time is right, those videos will bring you closer to him. I wish I had videos of my father, or even audio recordings.
Coping is one of the hardest lessons to learn in this short life. I feel your pain in listening to you. Sending you a big giant bear hug.
I miss my mom, even though she’s still alive, but she has advanced stage dementia. It’s so hard to cope …to cope with the inability to communicate in the way we always have. I feel you. Hang in there. We’re all coping and learning in some way. I’m finding some comfort and coping in your grief (however odd that sounds).
That must be so hard. My father was all there until the end, but his body couldn't hang on anymore and he was in so much pain. The saddest part was when he lost the will to eat, watch tv, or read.
What a beautiful vulnerable voicemail to your father! Your loss and sadness resonate in your sentences, with the occasional laugh about something you did that connected you. I'm curious about the sequel. As I said in response to your previous post, my father passed away 12 years ago. I very much recognize that feeling of wanting to talk to him, share things from my life, ask for advice, drop by for a cup of coffee. And that that is no longer possible. And perhaps most of all, he never got to get to know my daughter (or any of his other grandchildren for that matter). And over time I've lost what his voice sounded like exactly. Also because I have no audio or video material from him. And so much more. Time doesn't heal everything, but things do find a place in your life. And the trick may be not to let go of the other person, but to find ways to hold each other in a different way. All the best Shaun!
What a gift Vipassana was for you, to deliver you the idea for this project. And what a gift you are for the rest of us, in sharing it. Universally speaking to broken, tender and reflective hearts. Thank you for this beautiful invitation into your life, connecting us also to your Dad. An honour to listen xx
So authentic and vulnerable. Hearing you talking to your dad encourages me to talk to mine, even though he passed away 3 1/2 years ago and I have only spoken to him “in my head”. Thank you for sharing this poignant experience with all of us. Xx
That is one of the few times that I've spoken to him out loud, the other two times was during a 10-day silent Vipasanna course in Joshua Tree, where I got the idea for this project. I really felt like I was talking to him and not the people that might be listening to this recording after the fact.
I phoned my dad’s number frequently to listen to his voicemail response - ie to hear his voice. He was Irish and had an amazing voice and accent. I always just cut the call off and of course now, the number is no longer “his”. I can no longer hear that unique voice.
We just don’t know, do we? And often, once we do, it’s too late.
For my dad’s 80th, I wanted to give him (was it for me, really?) the opportunity to “write his life story” ie with the help of a ghostwriter. He had a spinal cord injury 4 months later. He survived but the lengthy hospital stay and mental deterioration that followed meant that the “book” was never written. How I wish it were ! I try to encourage my friends who still have either or both parents to achieve these things whilst they still have parents. No-one, to my knowledge, has actually done it.
As I said, we just don’t know until we know (often, the hard way).
That's incredibly sweet. I'm saddened by the fact that I don't really have any current video/audio recordings of him and I really regret not taking any videos of us together, just chatting and shooting the shit.
What an incredible, healing, touching modality. I love this continuation of the relationship— energy never ceasing, but changing form
Just like relationships in general, they don't end, they just change forms. I remember reading that in Marianne Williamson's book A Return to Love.
The chills I got reading this. I just walked through my living area and looked at this book which ive never read and I never notice it, only to watch your video & read this comment. I think its time to read it ❤️🌼
It's a beautiful book. I re-read it often.
I’m deeply moved by your vulnerability and authenticity. I am waiting to hear about you reconnecting again with your father. I was very close to my grandmother and still talk to her often about things I never had the courage to say while she was alive (for the past 19 years).
If my vulnerability can help others while helping myself, it's worth it. I wish I'd had more courage to tell my dad things while he was around, especially anything about our relationship and my feelings towards him (not always positive, by the way)
Having the courage to do this with my dad (who is still alive) is just something I have no idea how to do.
Thank you so much for sharing this!! . My dad died in August, but I hadn’t spoken to him since I was 18 (42 now) which was his choice not mine. Imagine how long that initial voicemail would be! 😂 Your voicemail inspires me to try and connect to my dad and somehow, maybe, create some healing and closure. Thanks for your vulnerability and willingness to share this part of your journey. 🙏
You're so welcome and I hope you find a way to connect to him, even if he chose not to be there for you for most of your life. To be honest, that's where I would start.
Thank you for that. 💕
Learning how to talk to a deceased parent can be awkward, like diving into a new language. The depth of love you feel for your dad is really palpable. My mom died when I was a kid so I’ve been talking to her a long time; there’s always something to learn and feel.
So awkward, but also, like anything, the more you do it the better you get at it (or at least, less awkward).
Heartbreaking…I cried. You’ve inspired me to talk to my mom and dad. It’s been two years for mom and two months for dad. I miss them both very much.
Losing both parents in such a short amount of time is a lot for anyone to handle. I'm sure they'll be thrilled to hear from you. ❤️
So beautiful Shaun. Keep talking to him especially when you find it most difficult to. He’s always with you, watching over you, listening to you, encouraging and rooting for you and no doubt so very proud of you. As his son, the man you’ve become and your “drive” to help others by sharing your experiences with honesty, integrity and compassion. You have been given a beautiful gift, a blessing — meant to be shared.
Angelle, what a beautiful message to receive, but especially touching when I saw that it was from you. And thank you for all the love; it really landed for me this morning.
But also, is he really *always* watching?! I think about that when I'm making questionable decisions, sometimes 😂
Hey there hope your day is going well. Just wanted to say thanks for sharing your first podcast…it’s quite moving and definitely relatable. It’s amazing to me how much we have in common with people we only know thru social media. This week I’m thinking like you shared with both sadness and a joy that Thursday would have been my parents 65th wedding anniversary and Sunday will be my first Mothers Day without being able to speak to her. So thanks again for sharing your first conversation with your Dad and reminding me that those feelings we have about people who have died are valid and shared by many.
We definitely have more in common with most folks than we realize. And I'm glad you listened. Sending you love on this first Mothers Day without her bodily presence.
This is soo relatable… I lost mom in nov 2023… I will definitely talk to mom more… I am so thankful and touched by you sharing this with your followers… sending a big hug
Shaun Galanos - Love Coach that was so beautiful, intimate and heartfelt. Thank you for sharing with us, what an honour for your followers to be a part of that. I hope this will be healing for you. 💕
You're so welcome. ❤️
Our relationship doesn’t end with them dying, oh but the redefinition… There’s this chapter of Modern Love where she can’t let go of a car because is the place where she still has conversations with her dead husband. I lost my dad some years ago and my partner in 2019, through the years I’ve found myself in the need to have these conversations in different places, but now driving is my most go to one.
Anyway, thanks for sharing this vulnerable piece, grieving people can relate, and I hope it brings you some of the very needed connection.
PS. Of course we have a different kind of dark humor now… Some of our favorite people are dead, and they have to be included, there’s no other way. 😂
Thank you for these beautiful reflections!
And, yes, the darker the better sometimes 😂 I plan on writing about his final days, because as sad as they were, there were some hilarious moments, too.
So moving.
Thank you for sharing this, Shaun.
" Trust but always verify " is a new one for me. That is GOLD.
You're so welcome Christopher! It's a funny saying, for sure. More like the credo of someone who has trust issues, actually 😅
Thank you. I talk out loud to my Pop in my home all the time. He died on my birthday 3 years ago. I was his caregiver and was honored to have that place in our lives. I have pictures on my walls and a box with his old phone, wallet, those silly clip on sunglasses, his college ring and his obituary in there. The one thing I’m just unable to do is watch our home movies. I’m so scared to hear him again. We talked about everything, laughed a lot and when I was confused or scared…even as an adult, he made it safe for me. I’m afraid I won’t recover from hearing him laugh again, knowing he’s gone. I know it’s been years but it’s going to take forever to get ok with never seeing or hearing or leaning on him again. You’re brave to do the voicemails. Thx
I love the idea of the box with him personal effects. I have a sweater of his that I wear almost daily! Luckily, there's more clothing that I can fit into in his closet still. I'm sure when the time is right, those videos will bring you closer to him. I wish I had videos of my father, or even audio recordings.
Coping is one of the hardest lessons to learn in this short life. I feel your pain in listening to you. Sending you a big giant bear hug.
I miss my mom, even though she’s still alive, but she has advanced stage dementia. It’s so hard to cope …to cope with the inability to communicate in the way we always have. I feel you. Hang in there. We’re all coping and learning in some way. I’m finding some comfort and coping in your grief (however odd that sounds).
That must be so hard. My father was all there until the end, but his body couldn't hang on anymore and he was in so much pain. The saddest part was when he lost the will to eat, watch tv, or read.
What a beautiful vulnerable voicemail to your father! Your loss and sadness resonate in your sentences, with the occasional laugh about something you did that connected you. I'm curious about the sequel. As I said in response to your previous post, my father passed away 12 years ago. I very much recognize that feeling of wanting to talk to him, share things from my life, ask for advice, drop by for a cup of coffee. And that that is no longer possible. And perhaps most of all, he never got to get to know my daughter (or any of his other grandchildren for that matter). And over time I've lost what his voice sounded like exactly. Also because I have no audio or video material from him. And so much more. Time doesn't heal everything, but things do find a place in your life. And the trick may be not to let go of the other person, but to find ways to hold each other in a different way. All the best Shaun!
Beautifully written, Hubrecht. I don't have kids but I'm saddened that if I ever do, he won't have gotten to meet them.
My dad was a deeply funny and caring man, so I won't be able to suppress the natural laughter that comes with speaking to him!
What a gift Vipassana was for you, to deliver you the idea for this project. And what a gift you are for the rest of us, in sharing it. Universally speaking to broken, tender and reflective hearts. Thank you for this beautiful invitation into your life, connecting us also to your Dad. An honour to listen xx
Thank you for this love ❤️ Vipasanna was definitely a gift. I plan on writing about my experience here.
So authentic and vulnerable. Hearing you talking to your dad encourages me to talk to mine, even though he passed away 3 1/2 years ago and I have only spoken to him “in my head”. Thank you for sharing this poignant experience with all of us. Xx
That is one of the few times that I've spoken to him out loud, the other two times was during a 10-day silent Vipasanna course in Joshua Tree, where I got the idea for this project. I really felt like I was talking to him and not the people that might be listening to this recording after the fact.
I phoned my dad’s number frequently to listen to his voicemail response - ie to hear his voice. He was Irish and had an amazing voice and accent. I always just cut the call off and of course now, the number is no longer “his”. I can no longer hear that unique voice.
We just don’t know, do we? And often, once we do, it’s too late.
For my dad’s 80th, I wanted to give him (was it for me, really?) the opportunity to “write his life story” ie with the help of a ghostwriter. He had a spinal cord injury 4 months later. He survived but the lengthy hospital stay and mental deterioration that followed meant that the “book” was never written. How I wish it were ! I try to encourage my friends who still have either or both parents to achieve these things whilst they still have parents. No-one, to my knowledge, has actually done it.
As I said, we just don’t know until we know (often, the hard way).
That's incredibly sweet. I'm saddened by the fact that I don't really have any current video/audio recordings of him and I really regret not taking any videos of us together, just chatting and shooting the shit.