Best Ever Christmas Gifts, Given and Received

 

Lil Bear loving the magic XO

Our pup, Lil Bear has found a cozy place to take a snooze - right under the lovely sparkle of the Christmas tree. We had the most perfect day to pick it out at a tree farm nearby, waited for the unseasonably warm weather and enjoyed 50 plus degrees of gorgeous breezes while we strolled through the fragrant trees awaiting their new caretakers and festive decorations. We brought her home on Sunday and she's most happy to be here, and will also be happy to contribute to helping the Earth after her festivities, as we all do at some point.

We've enjoyed collecting our ornaments over a 22-year period. Some were given to us, but most we picked out together, one or two each year. Because they're fragile, we wrap them in soft tissue paper and put them into bunches of little boxes, since they didn't all originally come in their own box. This year it was quite amusing  as we unpacked them, to find that the pirate and the mermaid have been sleeping together all year in the same little box and we're not quite sure if Neptune is upset about that and wanting to punch pirate in the nose, so we hung Lynx nearby to referee. 

The Pirate!

The Mermaid! (Neptune's daughter?)

Salty old Neptune himself, and the Lynx!

We have a good time while hanging the ornaments for sure. And yep, that pickle is hiding somewhere! We'll ask one of the kids to find it so they can have good luck all year - you know the legend about finding the pickle don't you? We'll put the tree skirt properly around the bottom soon; these days we do the decorating in shifts, not marathon sessions, lol.

So as we were decorating I was reminded of Christmases past, this year being rather bittersweet, having my mother and my sister in their Heavens now. Wow I loved the giving all those years, and I love the thoughtfulness behind the receiving too.

One of my ever so favorite Christmas gifts that I received was when I was about 11 years old. My parents gave me a HUGE box of really good quality ART SUPPLIES! Oh my goodness, when I opened it I knew in my heart I was opening a portal to a world where I belonged and I cried happiness tears just looking at it. It was full of colors of all kinds and glorious papers, paints and brushes and palette and tools and pencils and just everything an artist could want to play with. And that I did for countless hours, not just through that holiday, but for the rest of my entire life. With that gift, I learned to cultivate my imagination, which is without limitation, and what a joy it has always been, not just for me, but for others as well, which is an added blessing! What a lovely gift, which I will never forget. Thanks Mom and Dad!

And the gift that came to mind that was most joyous to give was the one that made my mother and sister and me howl with laughter so hard we just couldn't stop. We had a florist in town, and I LOVED to shop there, right up the street and around the corner from where we live. It was called Queen Anne's Lace and never was there another flower shop like it! The owner, a gorgeous free spirit woman, had not only a dog in her shop, but also a parrot! Yep! And her shop was the most fun experience each and every time I went in. Her flowers were always beautiful with lots to choose from, and they always smelled divine. She also carried loads of other kinds of gifts. 

So for my mother and my sis and myself this holiday years ago, I picked out three little puppets my gypsy florist had hanging from the ceiling. One was all dressed in white with feather boa and angel wings. She was elegant and ethereal and I knew just right for my sis. Another was bawdy and bold, dressed in purple and red, with an attitude and lovely laughing face to match. She had twinkly eyes and I just knew her spirits were high and jolly, and she was just right for my mom. The last was a bright-eyed little lady all dressed in yellow, with a gardening hat on and daisies all over her. She was an Earth girl and happy as the afternoon sun in spring. She was just right for me.

I was pleased when I bought them, and I decided to let everyone choose whichever one they might want. So I didn't wrap them tight, I tucked them all into a big bag and each was cushioned with soft colorful tissue paper. When I got to my mother's home, with my sis there too, I handed the bag to mom and said, "You choose first!" Welp when she came upon the bawdy bold red feather boa puppet she absolutely belted out that Mama laugh that only she could do over the years, and it didn't stop until the tears ran from her eyes. So we started laughing too. Then Mellie, my sis picked out hers, and I knew she'd go for the elegant one - they fell in love, and the laughter continued until our tummies hurt. I got my daisy girl, and we all had some wine to celebrate, and it is a gift I'll never forget, for it wasn't so much the things themselves, but the joy of sharing them and the laughter they brought that is most precious. Each of us hung our puppets up in our homes. My mom had hers in her sunporch all the days of her life and I'm so glad it brought her joy. I think my sis put hers in her home study, where she had a lot of other beautiful and elegant things, and I put mine in my bedroom, watching over me while I slept. 

So at this time of year, when my Lovies are in their Heavens and I miss them so much, it is wonderful to remember these special moments that gave and kept on giving for a long, long time. Even now. 

I can add that one of my favorite gifts from my beloved sis was a pair of softly lined little black ankle UGH boots, the Christmas before she died, as if she were saying to me, "Keep on going my sweet," so I do. And I just love tucking my feet into those soft boots and with every step I carry them with me, my Loves.

Happy Holidays to you, and may treasured memories keep your hearts warm.

Namaste,

~Jen

Inheritance, Priceless!

Mom, Dad, and Melinda, my sister XO

I've been away from my blog for a few months. Sincere apologies for the hiatus, and thanks for your patience and understanding XO. The reason for the gap is that my beloved sister passed in September of last year, and my mother passed in May of this year. Both had been struggling for quite a while and for that time I tried to love each as best I could through their challenges. Their deaths were a double whammy that took quite a bit of processing, some good therapy, and lots of love from friends and family to get to a place of peace, nevermind feeling joy and laughter and letting go of so very very much. 

But I've found that the Universe and my angels work in the most beeeautiful ways, so I'm going to share that with you so you can experience some of it with your Lovies in their Heavens, or create some love of your own to leave behind when it's your turn. I doubt you'll need tissues for this post unless it's to wipe away tears of laughter. Settle in for an excellent story, one of the best ever. Make some tea, or have a glass of wine, it's ever so long but well worth the read indeed.

Mom was 90 and 1/2 when she passed, and she suffered terribly for quite a while, though she kept her mind as sharp as she could, and she kept her sense of humor as much as she could for as long as she could. So when I had to go over to the lovely condo she'd lived in for the past 12 or 15 years to choose what I wanted to bring home with me I didn't think I could do it. I was pretty sure I'd just fall apart. 

You know how we "air-talk" with our Lovies in Heaven? Well I air-talked with all my girls, my Mom, my sis, and my daughter, and I said, "I need your help with this. I need you to lend me all your love and serenity and peace and bring me strength to keep my wits about me because this is way too hard." And this is what happened. I swear it was as if my Mom was right there next to me guiding me and my sis was right there with her. Jess was doing the music.

My sweet hubby and I got into the car after I'd procrastinated long enough, and as soon as we sat down a song came on (we know the spirits/angels use music to communicate with us), and it was Bette Midler's song that I call "God is watching us," but the actual title is "From a Distance." Even now it gives me those lovely good goosebumps that let me know I'm receiving spiritual confirmation - here is her beautiful song - From a Distance

This was so comforting because there's something highly uncomfortable about going to your Mom's home, knowing she's not there, and knowing it will be sold, and all that she loved and surrounded herself with, all those years of memories and experiences would be part of the past. Owie! So I let the music comfort me and enjoyed the beauty of the trees and homes and people living in my sweet little town all the way there, traveling that familiar route that would never again feel the same.

Of course we had a key, so we let ourselves in, and I said, air-talking again, "Hi Sweet Mom." And yep, I cried when we stepped through the front door. I told myself crying was okay, healthy, even, and mopped with tissues, which graduated to paper towels, as I stood a bit frozen, looking around. The whole place was all jumbled up since the family member who'd been designated Executor had been working to organize and clear things out. So that was unsettling as her home was no longer as she had arranged it. 

I turned to the first room, the front bedroom, which had been a "spare room" with a pull-out couch and other lovely furniture, most of which was gone (in storage for other family members, all good). I just stood there looking at the humongous pile of books left on the couch because one thing Mom did as long as she could was read. She read and read and read after she lost mobility of her body, and she LOVED a good story. So many, many of our phone calls were joyous times where she would tell me stories about her life, her loves (only one man, and that's my Dad, who's also in Heaven with her, but she loved a lot of other things and people too), and her adventures. WOW she had a very exciting, challenging life, since Dad was a civil engineer with Exxon and from the beginning of their marriage they traveled all over the globe where he spearheaded lots of different projects which are to this day making huge, positive differences in the lives of the communities he worked in. I am proud to be his daughter.

I did something I had NEVER done, because this was Mom's private abode, and these were her things. I went through the drawers of a bureau that was still there (will be auctioned along with a few other things, and yep, that feels weird, but I prayed that every single thing that ends up in auction goes with blessings for those who re-home these treasures so they feel joy and love and enjoy giving them new life and appreciation). 

I had made a list of things I wanted to look for, and I had talked out loud with my husband about them on the porch as we do a lot of talking on the porch, always have and always will. One of my happy places for sure. So I had this little list - a photo of my grandmother and grandfather, a particular photo of my sister all dressed in evening finery and playing the piano at a formal event we had attended, and Rob and I had talked of other things, such as, "How old was the oldest member of your family?" Mine was 102, and that was my Dad's grandmother Ellen who loved art and pottery and creativity and I still have a lovely "cabbage bowl" she painted and glazed, which I served home-made Thousand Island salad dressing in one year for one of our many family barbecues. 

Great Grandmother Ellen's beautiful creation!

All nicely glazed inside too!

Isn't she just beautiful?! Great Grandmother Ellen XO

My Great Grandmother was amazing. She never remarried after her husband was killed in the war. They'd only been married three years and she loved him and stayed loyal to him for the rest of her life. Raised her son on her own. She lived in a one-room cabin with no running water and no electricity for most of her life. Had an outhouse and chamber pot. And she'd cook a chicken for supper and store it in her oven (with the heat off) for three days, snacking on the leftovers with no worries whatsoever. Wonder if she knew something we don't...I know she knew how to be fierce and gentle at the same time.

We also talked about when we lived in Japan and my parents bought my sister and me the full-on Japanese traditional wear, including the kimono, all the accessories to go with it, including the shoes (called zories), and the "socks" made especially for wearing with zories since these shoes are made like verrrry fancy flip-flops with the toe thing so that the "socks" have that shape for your foot, space for the big toe and all the other toes go into the other side, and they have the most beautiful brass fasteners that slip into embroidered stitches to hold them on. They're made of silk. Very fancy. I came across the "socks" but the kimonos and all that good stuff were gone. My sis and I were 6 and 4 years old when my parents dressed us like that, which I'm sure they did for special occasions only. We were occasionally allowed to put those things on later when we were in the U.S. but not really allowed to "play" with them. I liked that it showed my mother's embrace of all the various cultures we found ourselves immersed in during our travels. And there were a few other things on my list that were special.

So I was in that room looking through those drawers and what was the very first thing my hand was guided to? An old gold 9 x 12 envelope, which, when I opened it, held THAT photo of my grandparents! And what was the second thing I encountered? Loose in the drawer just floating around, OMG! A snipped out newspaper article about my Great Grandmother Ellen - oldest resident at nursing home dies at age 102! WHAT?! Yep. They were all with me, right there - my angels. So I put those special things aside to bring home.

It's THAT photo that I wanted of my Gammy and Grandaddy and TA DA!
There it was right at my fingertips in the most unlikely drawer!

Oh also I came across a love note from my father to my mother when she was heading into yet another challenge, in which he said, "darling, with all my heart, mind, soul, and body, I love you." Oh my heart! I carried it around with me for several days and now it's in one of my treasure boxes. Sigh....

I love how he not just underlined but added little circles,
which I often do in my journals, didn't know he did it too!

Ah such sweet love, "with all of my heart, mind, soul, and body, I love you." Now that's some lovely encouragement for what she was going through at the time, which I don't know any details of.

So here comes the magic. Someone who's 90 or even 80 and struggling with physical challenges isn't always the sunshine kid on the block, understandably. But there was a time when my Mom was truly happy, and more creative than I knew. I came across a letter she wrote to her parents, and out of all the correspondence in that place that was put into garbage bags, THIS letter was among some papers that had not been trashed. And it is AMAZING. It's Mom and Melinda, both of my lovely recently passed angels in their glories, and reading it, I felt Mom was showing me what she made of her life before her hardships, and that's the key phrase. What SHE made of it.

Incidentally, Mom always apologized to my sister about her birthplace, which was Elizabeth, New Jersey, because her other two kids were born exotically overseas, my brother in Malaysia, and me in Rotterdam, Holland (now called the Netherlands). Mom and Dad had various periods of time in the U.S. between overseas trips over the years. Get a load of the old Western Union telegram they sent to let Mom's parents know about my brother's birth!

Yep, no phones that far away, no internet,
no reliable communication but Western Union was there!

I will upload photos of her letter about my sister so you can see the beautiful cursive handwriting we were all taught. And my mother and father and grandparents were taught so precisely you can hardly tell their handwriting apart. (I learned to write cursive in England when we lived there for two years so I was taught differently and my handwriting doesn't look like theirs, much to the frustration of my teachers here who tried to correct it but their efforts didn't take, HA!) But I'll also retype it for those who might find it hard to read. This letter is HILARIOUS because my mother wrote the whole thing from my sister's point of view, as if my baby sister were writing it. Such imagination! It's Mom's storytelling talents shining brilliantly! Here we go:

Mom wrote on the front "From Melinda" and herein lies the magic.
Notice the 3 cent stamp? HA!

Page 1. You can click on the image to enlarge it.
Isn't her handwriting so pretty?!

And here is what it says:

Saturday afternoon - Feb 1

Dear Gammie and Grand-daddy,

I just woke up from my nap. Daddy is spray-painting the trunks in the living room, and the paint smells so bad that Mommie and I came in here in the bedroom and shut the door. I told Mommie to bring pen and ink so I could dictate this to her while we have plenty of time.

Guess what I surprised Mommie and Daddy with this morning? My first toophy!!! 'Course I knew all the time it was coming in, but I tried to be so good and I didn't fuss one time this whole week. Mommie discovered it when she was feeding me my breakfast - she kept hitting it with the spoon. Finally she stuck her finger in my mouth and next thing I knew she was yelling at the top of her lungs for Daddy. He jumped out of bed and came running fast as he could! Well, I never saw such excitement in my life. I didn't...

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know my toophy was so important but it must be, cause all the neighbors have come to admire it! (Aunt Edna, Martha, and Aunt Pat.) I'm beginning to feel right proud, too, and I try to grin as often as I can so everyone can see my big accomplishment.

If you wonder what's wrong with Mommie's writing, it's my fault. I keep trying to see for myself if she's writing what I tell her to. They're both sitting on the bed, and I crawl over to her at least ten times a minute - just checking!

I can get about real good now. I don't crawl the usual way. I drag my tummy along and use my right foot to push - if you see what I mean. It sure gets me where I want to go! How I love to explore down on the floor. (That's where I am now - Mommie just put me down so I won't tear her paper.)

Much Later

Mommie decided this afternoon the....

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paint smell was too strong for us, so we went down to Aunt Edna's and spent the whole afternoon and had supper (Mommie cooked theirs down there and Aunt Edna ate with them). Daddy had opened all the windows while he was painting, and the house was so cold. My pajamas with the feet sure felt good when I went to bed.

(Mom's NOTE: Melinda is asleep now, but she told me what to write, so I'll finish now!)

I had the very best time at Aunt Edna's today. I stayed on the floor for the whole afternoon (her rug is so soft) and went from one end of the living room to the other. Gee - I got dirty and how nice it was! Mommie gave me a real good sponge bath before I ate supper, and changed my clothes. I felt kind of funny having a bath in someone else's house!

After I ate, Mommie sat me in my...

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bath tub on Aunt Edna's counter and I really found some interesting new things. I took all the tops off the canisters. Evidently I wasn't supposed to do that, because Mommie moved them away before I had a chance to taste all the funny things I found. She gave me some spoons and a pan to play with. Isn't it a wonderful noise when metal spoons bang on pans?

Life is so interesting now. I have such fun looking at all the things Mommie and Daddy have. I don't know why they keep saying "no-no" to me all the time. All I'm doing is looking and learning.

Did Mommie tell you that Sharon and her mother and daddy moved today? Mommie explained to me that their lease expired, so they had to move. I didn't care much, because Sharon wasn't much fun to play with. She's....

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just a baby! I have loads of fun with my best friend Patricia. She can't crawl or sit up yet, but she tells me she's just lazy! She just doesn't know what she's missing.

Grand-daddy, I hope the slide at Meadow Creek is starting to look better. You are working too hard! Please be careful and do try to get plenty of rest.

Gammie, Mommie has told me all about all the new clothes you're sending me. They're so excited to get the packages. The snow-suit, galoshes, and shoes came Thursday. I've already worn my new blue-checked panties and I just love them.  My tummy is so fat my other rubber pants are about to get too little. Mommie called me a butterball. I don't know what a butterball is. But I know what a ball is, 'cause I have two that I play with all the time now. They're rubber balls, not butterballs, though.

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Anyway, we all love my navy blue snowsuit and it'll fit me next year if I can just grow "up" instead of "wide." We like the shoes and galoshes, too. Daddy says he can't wait to see me in the galoshes!

Mommie and Daddy have told me we're going to take a long, long trip soon. I don't know what it's all about. I wish we were coming to see you. I would love to show you all my tricks - and I'd like to play with Smokey Joe (the dog).

And another trick she did often was take her shoes off as soon as Mom
had put them on! Here she is with the laces undone and also taken right out of the shoe.

And here are those sweet little shoes, which I have today.
Thanks for saving them Mom.

I wasn't going to tell Mommie, but she held my mouth open today (I wish I had some top toophies so I could have bitten her!) and discovered I'm going to cut a second toophy very soon. It makes me spit up a little, but it doesn't hurt. I try to be a good girl most of the time, but there's so much to see and do. Did you ever eat a magazine? Daddy's....

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"Posts" (magazines) taste so good. So does the newspaper.

I found out not long ago that I can make funny noises. I can scream and squeal real good, and I can whisper too. I'd rather scream and squeal! Mommie laughs at me when I get real quiet when the TV singing commercials come on. I know a lot of the different ones now, and listen and watch my favorite ones.

Dr. Baruch scratched me with a pin and made a great big sore come on my leg. It's getting well now. Mommie got a cellophane shield to put on it and maybe one of these days the scab will come off and I can take a bath again. I have missed my bath. I love the big tub Mommie bathes me in now.

Yep, when we're traveling we get a bath sometimes in the kitchen sink!
All good!

Well, Gammie and Grand-daddy, I will have to stop dictating to Mommie...

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now and go to bed. I will write again soon and tell you all about that new place we're going. I know I'll be the best-dressed baby in Holland, thanks to you two. Mommie and Daddy surely do appreciate all you've done for us - and I do too.

Nighty-night. Please pull Smokey's tail for me and give his ears a good tug.

Smokey Joe is being held by my Gammy on the right XO

Mommie and Daddy send their best love to you and here's a big hugs and kiss XOXO for both of you.

Oodles and oodles of love to my sweet, sweet Gammie and Grand-daddy - 

Melinda Page

Close-up of Melinda's "mark" XO

Ah, communication in those days. Mom desperately wanted to talk
with her parents before embarking on the long trip to the Netherlands.

You can see how strongly she felt.
Anything to get in touch and please reverse the charges!

A couple more treats for you that I came upon: Mom was a TREE HUGGER! Yeppers!

Look at that adorable girl just huggin' away!
We had more in common than I knew!

Mom, Dad, Gammy (left) and Grandaddy (right)
very early in their relationship. War years,
and isn't my Dad handsome in his uniform?!

You know what's going on here with Dad and Melinda?

Eskimo kisses! (Rubbing the noses across each other).
We did butterfly kisses too, which is eyelashes fluttering against the cheek XO

SO MUCH LOVE and happy times!
Let's celebrate those and hold them close!

So, after this long post, I'd like to encourage you to be creative and show appreciation for what your family members have done for you and with you. Have FUN with it - 'cause you never know how long that can last and how many hearts it may touch and inspire along the way.

Thanks for checking in. More to come, as always...big blessings and hugs coming your way from us.

Namaste,

~Jen

Cupcake Day, Relationships and Signs XO

Jessie's Orchid

Today is the day we celebrate my Sweet Jessica's Earth Birthday every year. She was born April 29, 1988, and died January 9, 2015 (of complications from Lyme disease gone untreated). And you know what? The relationship continues, not just between the two of us, but also for all of those who were close to her while she was here. Next photo shows how she acknowledges that with love.

See the shape of that root?
Isn't it darling? It's love.

I had the fun and good fortune to be invited last year to mount a posthumous exhibit of Jessie's photos (she was a professional photographer) at one of the galleries in my little town, and it was soooo wonderful to be able to do this. Some people who attended bought some framed photos, some bought prints, and some bought copies of the two books I wrote, sharing our story and many of the things that helped and continue to help me find happiness, peace, pleasure, and love amidst the missing of Sweet Jess's physical presence. 

I bought this orchid to add a touch of beauty to one of the tables at her exhibit and it flourished there in the gallery for a couple of months. When we went to pick it up along with the leftover framed photos (several of which now grace my walls and bring smiles and joy), we noticed that it had developed one of those roots that weave their way out of the pot, and WOW, it was a perfect heart shape! 

A year has passed, and the first blooms of the orchid dropped off as it went to sleep for the winter. But it stayed healthy, and WOW, this spring it has LOTS of new blossoms on it, plus that little root still hanging out and sending its message of love. That little root touched my heart when I first saw it climb out of the pot and shape itself and it continues to bring joy as it becomes a little old shriveled part of the plant that I will never clip off. While the aerial root was fresh and juicy, it nourished the plant, and the thing I like the most is that when it experienced its natural "passing" it never stopped sending that message of love and making my heart sing. And that's how LOVE is. Even though it takes a different form when we pass, it's still singing into our hearts and souls. All the time!

And that's the thing about relationships. Even when our beloved has gone back to what I like to call "True Home" and sometimes call "Heaven," where there's love and welcome in our hearts, they do a million things in their spirit forms to let us know they're with us. I just LOVE that! Thank you Sweet Jess for your love, your serenity, your peace, and your joy, we can feel it even now XO

Marigolds and Blessings!

If you've read my books, Coming Alive After Death: Recovery from Grief, and Letters from Celestial Jess: Afterlife Messages from my Daughter, and if you've experienced the passing of one or more beloveds, you know that sometimes we struggle pretty hard with a whole bunch of things all bundled up in what we call grief. My books take you on a journey that can be very helpful to you in finding ways to regain your sense of balance after catastrophic loss, and much of that is very personal; there's no right or wrong way to grieve the passing of our beloveds, but there are some wonderful things happening in this beautiful world that I'd like to share beyond what's in my books, to bring hope and healing and balance and peace to those still struggling. That's where the marigolds come in.

I had the insane great fortune to be able to meet a woman I absolutely adore, called Roni Ashford, and the story of how we met is kind of wonderful and serendipitous, cause that's how the Universe works : ) She (check out her website linked from her name) is an amazing woman: a teacher, a giver, a lover, a storyteller, a person who teaches and celebrates the beautiful things about different cultures and has won some impressive awards in that capacity. She's also worked on several children's books for Disney that are directly related to the Coco movie, and her relative, Matt has authored a story also put out by Disney - Matt's website is equally impressive and he's good people indeed!

My little story about how I got to meet these two special people is that Roni was attending a meeting in which a former customer of mine who bought a very special custom-made Mala attended that same meeting and he had it with him. 

The custom-made Mala - bead was also commissioned
from my fave bead artists in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Roni got to see and hold his Mala and she decided she'd like one or two for herself, so he gave her my contact information (after more than a year, I'm so appreciative he still had it and shared it!) and Roni and I chatted like old, old friends from the getgo. Working with her is a pure pleasure, thank you Universe for bringing us together!

Well the marigolds come in because I had watched the Disney+ movie called COCO, and it is a wonderful story about how a culture different from the one I'm used to in the U.S. celebrates those who have passed, and also shares a very satisfying story of recovery from betrayal. 

Marigolds feature largely in their celebration, but the storyline is also really special, great for kids of all ages from 5 to 105 years old. So the point is, it is no accident that the Universe brought us together so we could meet and talk (could talk with this woman for hours and wish she lived next door, you probably would too!), and what I discovered was that there are so many people working for good in the world, and we just don't hear enough about them so I'll share a little here.

Coco is about death, and there are so many things that touched my heart when I saw it, but one that sticks with me is that, unlike our rather commercial candy/costume/materialistic customs during Halloween in America, this culture in the movie Coco sets aside a period of days once each year, in which they gather in community with others to talk about their beloveds, to put their photos upon a special shrine or altar in their homes and/or churches, to light candles, to say their names, to tell stories, and some to have picnics near their final resting places in the cemeteries. 

One of the lovely things about this custom is that it gives us a chance to experience connection with our beloved and yet frees us up once the occasion is over to focus on our lives and activities, knowing we can go back to the special place to commune whenever we feel the need. And you know what? I believe to my toes that when we do that our beloveds DO come near to share their love with us, though not because we've laid them to rest in what we call a cemetery, but because they FEEL us wanting to connect, and wherever and however we choose for that to happen, they DO respond, beautifully, as in the orchid that I feel Jess worked with to share her message of love at precisely the time she knew I'd be doing her exhibit and others would be attending. I had no idea that orchid would do that and never realized it until I was at the gallery towards the end of the two-month show when the root had taken form. Just so cool!

So the point of all this is that our beloveds don't just "live in our hearts" or "memories." They're quite present and loving whenever we are open to sending our love to them and receiving it from them.

Jessica's lilies XO!

Another gift that I received from the Universe when I was considering how to honor my daughter on her Earth Birthday this year was when I went through my photos to find the marigolds, which I knew I wanted to include, and in the process, became enchanted by photos of our yard going back several years, and the beauty we created with our focus and attention all those years when we were working hard both at work and home. Sometimes we lose sight of that when we feel mired in grief and it's so refreshing to be reminded of our capacity to create, to love, to make beauty. The lily above was a tiny plant that my son gave to Jess one Easter when she was here, and we popped the little single stalk in the ground many years ago, and to this day it continues to grow and even has several new shoots this year so it'll be pretty marvelous very soon! LOVE ! WOOT!

Peonies I picked for my kids
whenever they visited in season XO

While Sweet Jess was here healing, the peonies bloomed and I put some in her bedroom many times during the short period they were flourishing. Those peonies continue to bloom, and it makes my heart sing to know she loved them and they brought her pleasure, and they continue to thrive and bring us pleasure too. Another lovely, refreshing reminder of history and how it is woven into the fabric of our lives and hearts.

So on this Cupcake Day, I'm celebrating my beautiful daughter Jessica, plus all the other wonderful relationships in my life in which I feel loved and I enjoy loving back. May your life also be filled with loving relationships near and far XO!

Hugs and kisses from me!

Sweet Jess XO!

Check out Coco
and you'll never feel the same about marigolds again,
and maybe a few other things too.

Thanks Disney, thanks Universe, and thanks my Lovies near and far, you know who you are!

This year we've chosen to make pistachio cupcakes with buttercream icing, and we will share with other Lovies cause all we need for us today is one so we are giving away the rest XO Happy journeys and adventures Sweet Jess. I love you forever and a day!

Namaste,

Jen

 

I Am An Elder - What That Means To Me

 

I realize more this year than perhaps any other that I have reached the stage of Elderhood. And it is an honor. Or it can be if we make it so.

I have perhaps more loved ones and friends and beloved pets in Heaven than I do down here. And though I look forward to when it is my turn to go to True Home, I keep waking up every day, and though I do not feel any urgency around getting things done, I feel a kind of peace about synthesizing my skills, talents, passions, and abilities and a strong desire to "do" things rather than collect things. It feels excellent.

With the recent passing of my beloved sister, who was an amazing person - nurturing, loving, so smart, fierce, independent, and giving, I have been on hiatus. I had to stop. And I stopped a lot, while I loved her the best I could during her long illness. And during that time I didn't know it, but something was happening inside of me that has brought me to this place just a bit beyond reflection to action in each of my days.

What was happening was that I was receiving very beautiful messages from all kinds of sources, including books, movies, Nature, relationships, and things I witnessed happening to others all over the planet and those close to me as well. These messages led me to this place where I find myself evaluating myself and my life, to a synthesis of all that I have experienced, both good and "bad," and to stepping into a sort of new way of being where I no longer react, but choose very deliberately and consciously to ACT.

So this brand new year, 2024, brings about lots of changes in my life that are most welcome indeed. They include successfully getting 100% out of debt, having funds to devote to our home renovations which were put off during the years we devoted ourselves to the kids who are now grown and doing well on their own, and coming into the position where I am now "rebranding" my professional self, my business, called Dreamkeeper Creations, and all the activities involved, which have always included writing, painting, and beadworking, and will hopefully continue to include each of these. I am very excited to see new changes as they come about and very excited to be going one step at a time on this new pathway built upon all the years that have come before this one.

I consider it an honor to be granted this time that brings me to Elderhood. In our American youth-oriented society and culture it is not well respected. But I know that in other cultures Elderhood is very much respected and revered. And I choose to adopt many of their beautiful teachings and carry them as blessings as I learn how to do this with grace and serenity and joy.

I am proud of my wrinkles and I am focusing on the positives as I navigate my new experiences of Elderhood, and I wish joy to all of those who have also managed to stay with their Earth journeys to reach Elderhood. 

May we love the Littles, and the Youngsters and the Adolescents and the Young Adults and other kindred Elders with all of ourselves XO May we be good examples of what is possible despite the challenges. May we receive love that warms our hearts and keeps us excited about all the possibilities of Life on our wonderful blue planet XO

These are my prayers for today.

Namaste,

Jen

New cabochon necklace captures dreams....

Inspired by Disney's Big Friendly Giant story.

Dreams do come true. Especially when we apply a little imagination and a lot of action.

This beautiful cabochon necklace came about when I fell in love with the cab itself. A glory of colors reminiscent of the Aurora Borealis, that magical light that comes from our Creative Source, no matter how we define it in scientific terms (for those, too, are certainly within the vast realms of our Source).

I am sorry I do not have the name of this cabochon's creator, but I do know that the artist worked in layers with fire and glass, which is composed of tiny bits of gemstone and elements of Earth herself. 

I thought I had my own ideas for its embellishment. 

My ideas, hm....

But as I've found over the years, the muse has other ideas and she doesn't hesitate to nudge my logical brain aside and sashay her way in with magnificence. How can I not listen and hear and act upon her urgings? At first, I looked with my logical brain at the colors in the cabochon, and rummaged through my sead beads, pulling colors that the cab might suggest, yes, lime green, a very special bronzy-gold, blues, purples, turquoise, and flashes of color we hardly never see here in our real world. But something wasn't sitting right about it. It just didn't want to come together. 

When I finally sat down to work on it, suddenly I noticed a bowl of jet-lined topaz seed beads that contain just about all the colors in the rainbow and shimmer in the light. They called to me, PICK US! Well, who am I to deny the muse? So I did. 

The peyote stitched border, in which I listened.

I sewed and sewed into the wee hours of the morning with these shimmery seed beads, and when it was time, I picked up the tiny bronzy-gold 15/0 beads to do the inside, which is what you have to do to make it tight so the beautiful cab will never fall out. Each stitch bedazzeled me, as I listened to old movies on the TV in my studio. And I did not sleep until the borders were done around the cab. They never tangled, which always tells me she's so happy to be made, and she looks forward to life with her new caretaker. In working with the initial border, I have to use a thread that's very, very long so it'll go around with no break, no knots, no new introduction of new thread. And tangles can happen, but when they don't, I know it's a bit of magic happening and I just LOVE that!

She had something to say about her necklace straps.

The next step was to choose the beads for the straps that would compose the necklace. I had a couple to choose from: some round ones that had the iridescent colors of beautiful hematite, or the rondelles, which you see here. She most certainly wanted the rondelles. They are not "pinchy" as flat heishi beads can sometimes be, they're smooth yet their shape blends beautifully with the cab, which is mostly horizontal. So another night passed with old movies and me sewing, sewing, sewing.

Up and back, up and back, pay attention!

To do the necklace straps, I use 6lb WildFire line, which has a final tensile strength of 24 lbs on each side, so it's strong, and it will last a long, long time, given proper care, after all, it's jewelry. Easy care means don't get it wet and give it some light attention with a soft cloth now and then. She has a gold-plated magnetic clasp, which makes for really easy on/off but is very strong so she will not come off until you're ready to take her off. I'm picky about that. She also has wire guards protecting the cording next to the clasp so it won't rub against the loops of the clasp. I go through four times, and yes, I have to pay great attention to every single needle insert to make sure I pick up all the seed beads and don't skip any (otherwise the thread will show, a total no-no) and don't pierce any thread that's already in there. I'm good at this now.

An indication of size with my liberty quarter.

She's not too big and not too small, just right. So the next step is to trim all the purple ultrasuede from around the cabochon and attach the backing so the threads and knotting won't show. I always do the necklace straps separately in case there might be changes needed later so I don't have to redo the whole piece, should changes be required. She called for tiny gold-plated accent beads to introduce the necklace straps and I just love them. 

Does she want fringe?

One of the last steps before I do the final backing and border is to listen and see if the cab wants fringe. Well you all know I'm a total fringe girl and would deck myself out in Western leather with fringe all over the place, plus Bohemian beading with fringe down to my navel, but I must listen and she was very discreet. "Just a bit," she said. So I did. And then I glued the final backing on and had to wait 72 hours for the glue to cure, because I found out the hard way that if I don't wait, I get glue brainy working on it and sniffing it so close to my face and my pupils dilate and I feel just awful. But after 72 hours it's all cured and no more fumes to escape. 

So finally the ultrasuede backing is on and I trim it with my special super sharp scissors, praying that I don't cut any of the border threads, which I keep close to the piece itself, and I can sew the shimmery beads around, going through them twice so they sit all aligned and beautiful. And voila! She's done! Just waiting for her adventures with you. She helps you to keep your dreams close and never give up on them XO

TA DA!! Here she is! In a bit of evening sunlight. 

Twilight time for this photo, and the cabochon that has captured a dream or more, inspired by The Big Friendly Giant....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1fZg0hhBX8

She will be available at Art a la Carte in Bellefonte in the next few days. Or contact me at dreamkeepercreations@gmail.com.