The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Author shares story of grief
CANASTOTA >> When Lorraine Bruno-Arsenault of Canastota had a life-changing experience through the fragrant smell of roses and the calling of her name by a close personal friend who had recently died from breast cancer, she decided to tell her story in hopes of helping others who experience grief through the death of a loved one.
Her inspirational account is one of 101 stories of eternal love, powerful connections and divine signs from beyond featured in the newly released “Chicken Soup for the Soul – Miraculous Messages from Heaven.”
Bruno-Arsenault’s story begins with a reflection of a trip through Europe that she and a friend,
Laura, attended while at Marymount College. It describes a humorous and emotional time of friendship at a care-free time of their lives but flows into more recent memories as Bruno-Arsenault recalled the night 34 years later when she received the call from Laura’s husband informing her that her dear friend had died.
The events that follow, which Bruno-Arsenault describes in her story “In the Light,” take the reader from this painful death experience to an awakening. As Bruno-Arsenault grieved and went through her morning mail the day after receiving the sad news, she remembered smelling the scents of roses but could not find any source for the smell. She then wrote about her call to a friend she described as “clairvoyant,” who said Laura was the source of the rose smell, and that she was standing next to Bruno-Arsenault with “sun on her head and light on her feet.” Her feet, however, were not on the earth. She was calling out her name.
“Laura had great faith and a sense of humor,” Bruno-Arsenault said. “She often tried to get me to go to Mass at school. I didn’t always see the point. I think in this final gesture, she gave me a gift. She gave me hope beyond death of the body. Imagine lifting grief in such a profound way. It may have been that I was the most receptive at that moment in time to receive the message. Fragrances for me then often triggered a headache. I think she could get my attention on many levels with the scent of roses.”
Bruno-Arsenault’s experience in feeling Laura’s presence changed both her life and her faith. Raised Catholic, her college experiences and her major in philosophy often caused her to question her faith. “Laura showed me there was hope beyond suffering. What greater gift is there than that? And she told me we would see each other again. In grieving loved ones, I hold on to that gift as tightly as I can now,” she said.
But how to tell others of this experience — there would be the challenge. ”I think it is a difficult experience to digest for anyone,” Bruno-Arsenault said. “It is more comfortable to be skeptical. I was reluctant to share the experience because of that, but I felt it was not mine to keep. I had to share with my closest college friends. Mary was the first to validate the experience. Alice and Pat were very supportive. Now when we get together, any one of us seems to spot pink roses where we are. We celebrate Laura in that way.”
Bruno-Arsenault said that a close friend — Tom Lumbrazo, who attended Canastota schools with her — was her inspiration to submit her story to “Chicken Soup for the Soul.” She said Lumbrazo was in a serious accident resulting in a spiritual event. His story was published in “Chicken Soup for the Soul Angels Among Us.”
“He sent me a copy of his book, which encouraged me to share my story”, she said.
“Chicken Soup” has a strict story submission process. Bruno-Arsenault described the process stating that stories have to be submitted online, in first person, have to be a true story, can be no longer than 1200 words and must be told from the heart. “There was a list of possible book titles. I chose ‘Miraculous Messages from Heaven’ because that title certainly fit my experience.”
While celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary in Quebec City with her husband Joel, Bruno-Arsenault received an email from D’ette Corona, assistant publisher of the “Chicken Soup” series notifying her that her story was selected for publication. “I was surprised and excited. I didn’t have my lap- top with me, so I had to use the hotel’s public computer to acknowledge acceptance. I will always remember that moment,” she said.
This was not Bruno-Arsenault’s first experience in having her writings published. In 2004, while on the board of trustees for the Canastota Public Library, Bruno-Arsenault had a collection of stories, “The Long Run Home,” published by Foothills Publishing. “There are stories in that book about JFK visiting Canastota and RFK visiting Oneida on their respective campaign trails. There is a story about being a college co-ed riding through the race riots in Washington, D.C. the night Martin Luther King was assassinated,” she said. She has also has selections of her poetry published in Upstate Medical University’s literary journal “The Healing Muse.”
Since “Chicken Soup for the Soul — Miraculous Messages from Heaven” was released in October, Bruno-Ar- senault’s life has been everything but dull. “It’s been such fun,” she said. “‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ is very supportive of their authors, helping them to set up interviews and book signings. Friends and family have enjoyed reading not only my story, but the others as well.”
Arsenault said grieving is such difficult work. “We’ve all lost someone. Receiving a post card of roses from the other side is just hope.” She has purchased some copies of “Chicken Soup for the Soul — Miraculous Messages from Heaven” to share with bereavement groups and other community organizations interested in healing, and has agreed to donate the proceeds of the sales of these copies to organizations interested in her sharing these messages with them.
“Chicken Soup for the Soul — Miraculous Messages from Heaven” is currently available for sale through most major retailers and websites.