Weekend Journal

HEALING

That is the word that best describes my past week.  My spider bite is mending well and my leg is back to 98% of normal.  My cold/virus/whatever is finally subsiding and losing it's powerful grip on my energy.  I'm looking forward to a new week with renewed creativity.

This past week has been a rough one for me.  I spent hours sitting in the sun, watching the birds, thinking of the projects I had no energy to attempt doing.  I fought  battled the force of guilt that kept popping up telling me what I could or should be doing when what I obviously needed to do was just take it easy and allow myself to heal.

"Appreciation is the highest form of prayer, for it acknowledges the presence of good wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts."  - Alan Cohen

In the midst of my misery, a package arrived.  Keith spotted it on the front stairs when he arrived home from work.  Neither of us had any idea what it could be as Keith went back to the front of the house to retrieve the mysterious package.  "It looks like you got something from your friend, Barb", Keith stated as he returned with the package.  

I was so excited!  Barb and I had spoken by phone several weeks earlier and during the conversation, Barb asked if I would be willing to except one of her Soul Dolls.  She said she would surprise me with one sometime and I never thought of it again.

(Barb and I have become friends through the Internet and our mutual love of art.  We've never met in person but hopefully will soon.   I was also honored and privileged to review her book, Normal Doesn't Live Here Anymore.  It's must reading for those of us facing aging parents and who may one day find ourselves in the situation of being a caregiver.  I highly recommend this book!)

When I opened the box, I immediately felt how much love was packed into it.  The handmade, hand-written card and the carefully packaged postcard and ATC greeted me before I met my new Soul Doll.

What struck me immediately was the bird theme.  Birds have been popping up in my work recently and have a very spiritual connotation to me.

As I carefully unwrapped my doll, I literally gasped when I pulled her from her protective cocoon.  I could feel how much love she had been created with, and I could sense immediately that she was an intuitive creation.  My horrible photography just doesn't convey how special she is or just how much of herself Barb put into her creation.  

Barb's attention to every little detail is stunning.  From the felted body, to the beaded bird fetishes, to the tiny necklace, to the detail on the back (complete with envelope that contains a small gift and treasured note), to the bird charms, Barb included so much on this beautiful creation.

Since I'm so far behind on my blog reading, unknown to me, Barb blogged about my doll before she sent her to me!  You can read all that Barb had to say HERE.  My doll also has two sisters.  You can see and read about them HERE and HERE.  All of these "sisters" are spectacular, but how Barb knew to send me the exquisite bird themed doll is uncanny.  Barb, like your friendship, I am grateful and will treasure you both forever.

And as we enter a new week, I'll continue my WIP.  (Can you see the bird on the left of the face?)  

And yet another bird appears in this WIP.  Do you see it?

I hope you're enjoying the weekend, and I hope you're finding ways to express your own unique and creative nature.

CELEBRATE * LOVE * CREATE