Some Words of Wisdom

"The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it."  ~ William James


I have been thinking about this.  My grandparents left behind stories and legends.  My grandmother carefully documented my grandfather's stories and respectfully saved them over the years.  He was not only a sculptor, he was actively involved with the community he lived in and with the Native Americans in his state.  Both of my grandparents left a mark on me, eventhough  my grandfather died when I was 6 months old.  I have always felt like I knew him!  He passed on to me his love of nature, he passed on his handmade swing (it is out of the family, but exists on the porch of the house he built so long ago)...I sat on that swing as a child and looked out into the yard and onto a large man-sized rock which was covered in roses and under which lay his ashes...On the cliffs visible from the house were sculptures of wild animals, and I would look at those as I fell asleep in summers on the screened-in porch.(After catching fireflies, of course!)  He even had a bear as a pet--a bear named Cinnamon who stood taller than he.  But that is a story for another day.  My grandfather believed in being honest and had true character, a trait dominant in much of the family he left behind.
He was not wealthy, but at one point had quite a bit of land.  He and my grandmother gave the land away long before the last survivor died.  They just were not that interested in monetary gain. Somehow they got through their lives anyway!  No 401K for them.  Just the lillies of the field!

"Something that will outlast it"..Stories, legends, character, memories of a grandmother, widowed at 55, who spent time with grandchildren....She loved to play scrabble, checkers, crosswords.  She loved to make chokecherry jam, cookies and cakes.  She loved to take walks with me and we had hiking sticks.  She loved lilacs.  I loved her laugh.  I loved the way she could comfort me just by being there and really hearing me...At her funeral my mother said, "She will be a hard act to follow."  And indeed, she is a hard act to follow.  I think of her almost daily and see myself becoming her in some good ways.  I may never be as good a grandmother as she was, but I have my memories! 

Henry James was right....and they left something that would outlast them!

Quote...What Prayer Is by Gandhi

"Prayer is not asking.  It is a longing of the soul..." Mahatma Gandhi

Something to think about as I wear my milagro bracelet today. 

The miracle I receive may not come when I ask for it but when I truly am ready or need it...

It may come in another form...It may come when I least expect it...or by another name...

Life is a beautiful mystery that unfolds one minute, then one day at a time...

Remember, God's time is the right time...

A miracle for Connecting Borders and a Milagro Bracelet hard at work!

Yesterday ticket sales were not what they should have been for the High Maintenance Bitch fashion show in Seattle, proceeds going to Connecting Borders (non-profit) benefitting an orphanage in Peru.

I decided to wear my new Milagro bracelet in the hopes that they would sell enough tickets so there wouldn't be a loss.  I said prayers, rubbed the little milagro and waited.  No phone call about anything....

This morning I got a wonderful phone call from my daughter saying they SOLD OUT of tickets and that everyone had a wonderful time!! 

I listed one of the bracelets on Etsy yesterday, too, before I knew.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/75742454/vintage-milagro-leather-bracelet-wire

I am including an Amazon link to the book where I got the idea...

Read about the wonderful fashion show in Seattle for Connecting Borders!

Connecting Borders is a non-profit humanitarian group that is diligently helping orphans in Peru.  The group is putting on a fashion show in SEATTLE, WA. friday, June 10, 2011.  The models will each be "wearing" a real dog!  If you live in the Seattle area, please plan to attend.  Or if you can donate cool items for inclusion in bags for the VIPs (such as media) please donate...

http://www.connectingborders.org/

Fate of Dogs ACEO greeting card for charity

There is a wonderful fashion show planned for this coming Friday, June 10, in Seattle.  The charity is Connecting Borders which is a non-profit that benefits Peruvian orphans. 

Anyway, the idea came up for me to create something for gift bags for media people and I jumped at the chance to help in some small way. 

For the fashion show the models have to"wear" an actual dog in some way - imagine that!  So my project had to feature dogs in some way, or at least that is what I decided to do. 

Remember the old saying that people begin to look like their dogs?  Or is it the other way around?  I created an art card with that in mind, and made greeting cards with my collage.  It was very time consuming as each card was hand-embellished and had a ribbon on top, etc. 

I am going to try to show you a reprint of the card, sans ribbon!

Quote by Katherine Hepburn..

"If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased." - Katherine Hepburn

Yes, one person is pleased - You!  Trying to please others sometimes works and sometimes it doesn't...Sometimes it is worth it and sometimes it is not.  But being true to yourself and your own path makes one authentic.  There has to be balance, though.  We want to be liked and this is often the motive for pleasing others.  When being liked is the motive, we are giving away our power..When the motive is unselfish and not based on our being liked, it is another matter entirely.

I always liked Katherine Hepburn.  She had a unique personality and character.  One of the best compliments I ever got was from an employer who said I reminded him of her!  It still makes me happy to think of that...