When I get a message, I listen. This week I'm working on not one, but two completely separate projects that encourage the reader to collect words that speak to them from a book or magazine. OK. After a challenging day today, I actually really kind of enjoyed this activity as I was winding down between work and preparing dinner (Pumpkin, Feta and Cilantro Quesadillas if you're interested). These are the words that called out to me. I'm going to let them rest for a day and then I will return to them and see what develops (poem, art journal page, prose . . .who knows?) Words are great, aren't they? And I believe our subconscious has a great time stringing seemingly random words together to express what needs to be expressed. So this will be interesting . . .more to come soon.
So, I was selfish this weekend and made a couple of projects just for me: A bookmark for the new book I'm reading and a pendant. The tiny bead dangles on the bookmark are something I would never have thought I could do in the past, but June inspired me, so I gave it a try! (She really is the master though.)
I really had a nice weekend. I was grateful to be able to help out Breaking Up Walls with their incredible Gracie's Feast on Saturday--so many wonderful people I met. Then just relaxed on Sunday, made some stuff, ran errands with my Mom, made some tasty gnocchi with pumpkin-gorgonzola sauce for dinner . . .you know, that kind of day. :-) I wish you a wonderful start to this fresh week. A fresh start to give to yourself as well as to look for ways to give back to others. xoxo
Do you ever feel like you are talking to a wall? Or like the mic isn't on? In this world of virtual communication especially, sometimes it can seem like we throw words out there (tweets, FB status updates, blog posts, blog comments and so on) but they are never "heard." It's not true. YOU ARE HEARD. PEOPLE ARE LISTENING. And the chances are great that many good and positive things you have said have brought pause, happiness, insight or joy to someone even though it has seemed like your words simply evaporated like the steam from the espresso machine because you didn't get an actual response. What you say is very powerful, so don't stop sharing. Even if they don't let on that your words had an effect on them, if you keep quiet, they will never benefit from the gift you have to offer and you just can never be sure whose day "out there" you might be a positive part of. We care what you say, we do.
I'm beginning to see the value in putting trust in something that is pure and good. Trust is challenging for the obvious reason--when we offer up ourselves in love there's a chance of rejection, an opportunity to be hurt. It's true, there is that risk. But when it's offered/extended without strings attached (wow, can that be a tricky one), and is just put out there for what it is, there's really nothing to fear--nothing to lose.
Thanks so much to everyone who left me a comment on my last post. It's a beautiful thing seeing each one of you wanting to extend love to someone you know and care about.
So who did I choose? Really, let's be fair--there is no one person more
deserving of love than another person, regardless of their situation.
We are all equally deserving of love, so I'd like to offer a pendant
to each of the people you suggested. I really appreciate you giving me
this opportunity to get outside of myself and focus on trying to make
someone else's day just a little brighter. It will take me one more day at least to finish these up (still need to do the wire work), but I will email you
individually to ask you for the address of the person you suggested.
Hope you're having a good weekend. xoxo
Jane said she needed more blog posts, and because I love Jane, here is a brand new post! Don't ever say I don't aim to please.
So tell me, do you know someone who is struggling, sad, having a hard time at the moment? Someone you think has lost their way or forgotten just how beautiful they really are? Leave me a comment and tomorrow (or Friday) on my lunch break I will choose someone and email you for their mailing address, and I will send them this pendant in hopes of bringing them a bit of joy. We all need a reminder now and then just how valued we really are. xoxo
Side note: I thought I should add . . .I'm happy to make more than one. . .
Sometimes I forget that not everyone in the world is on Facebook (Incredible really . . .) and that perhaps I should update here every now and again not only my emotional outpourings and philosophical musings, but also stuff I've been enjoying making. :-) So, without further ado, here is a sampling.
