Gifts, a give-away win, a gardenia bloom

 

Good morning everyone ~ I hope today is a good one for you wherever in this wide world that you are. It is chilly here this morning, 52 and feels like it is 46, the high is supposed to be up around 70. Finally, some lovely winter weather for us. It is gray, windy and looks like it might rain.

It is warm and cozy in our little cottage. I am so glad we insulated the attic a couple of years ago and put down a floor up there, it has made all the difference in winter and summer. Plus, most of our windows are double paned and that helps with the elements and keeping the noise level down from outside.

I can’t say thank you enough or tell you how much your comments, emails, cards, notes and gifts mean to me. We’ve not met in real life, yet you send love, hope, encouragement and inspiration to me on a daily basis, and it is all a gift from God and I thank you.

Yesterday was a pretty good day. I worked and cried a time or two there. Once was while talking with a female friend who does painting and other restoration on projects there at work. Mark and I met her in 1980, so we’ve known each other a long time. We had a good cry over losing Mark. She said she’s always loved him and she just can’t believe he’s gone, and she doesn’t know how I am handling it. She said she’s heart broken over pets and she just can’t imagine my loss of Mark. It felt good talking about Mark with someone who knew him. We cried and laughed over our memories.

By the end of the day, I was feeling excited to get home. I don’t know why, I just was. I could sense/feel that I am going to make it, it’s just really rough right now. I know where Mark is, and have a feeling that he is cheering me on with ‘Atta Girls’ from heaven and that makes me excited, excited to carry on. God is with me even though I don’t see Him physically. I see him and his workings in other ways throughout the days and nights. His words in the Bible speak to my heart and soul. This little home of ours is our haven, created by us and I want to continue on here with love, grace and thankfulness for as long as I have left to me in this life.

This week I received a sweet gift with a beautiful photo card from Georgianna. I have been an admirer of Georgianna’s work for quite some time now. Her photos are exquisite and touch me heart and soul. I love her photos of not only flowers, but of Paris and her views of what she saw there. DH and I were in Paris in 1973 as part of our 2 month, back-packing trip by Eurail after Mark got out of the Navy and before we headed back to the states. We were in Paris in the springtime, and oh how lovely it was and we’ve talked about our memories of being there many times through the years. Georgianna also makes these sweet little heart talismans and I love the one she sent me. It has a butterfly and butterflies always make my heart feel happy when I see them. They are so beautiful and carefree. Thank you Georgianna. If any of you would like to be visually inspired and transported to another world filled with beauty visit Georgianna here. Plus, she has these beautiful photo books online for your viewing pleasure. Paris: Les Fleurs, and Gardens of South Carolina. You will not be disappointed.

The first of my two give-away wins has arrived and I have been enjoying it and been encouraged and inspired too. This is a book of real stories, and one of the authors is dear Grace Peterson. She has two blogs, one on her gardens and life and the other on writing. This book is very good for me at this time in my life. Do visit Grace when you’ve got a chance. Her gardens and photography are wonderful and her writings lovely and from her heart.

I was contacted via email recently by Karen of Quarry Garden Stained Glass. I have known Karen for many years, even before we were both blogging and we have become friends emailing back and forth. She had posted photos of their quarry garden in a forum we both visited and I was hooked. She and her dear husband Carl have created gardens of beauty that people from all over the country visit, weddings are photographed there too. They put a lot of hard work into their gardens and it shows. They also have help from sons and friends. I love Karen’s sense of humor, her photos and stories. They are building ‘Castle Aaaargh’ which is quite a feat and it is fascinating to watch the progress. They also make beautiful stained glass works of art. Mark always enjoyed seeing pictures of what Karen and Carl were up to next, and hearing about Carl’s latest creations in metal. Carl and Mark would have liked each other in real life as they had so much in common.

Anyway, Karen contacted me asking if she could make a small stained glass window for me and asked colors and whether I liked geometric designs, flowers, etc. Well, I wrote back and said yes, I’d love one of their creations and thanked her for thinking of me. I told her hearts and flowers, and colors.

Yesterday when I came home from work, there was a pkg. awaiting me and it was from Karen and Carl. I was excited to see what they had designed and created with love. They wrapped it really well and it arrived safely and I was relieved and know they were relieved when they read my email saying so.

Here is how it was wrapped, layer upon layer all snug as a bug in a rug.

When I first saw it I started bawling of course, and called out Mark’s pet name that I called him. He would love this too. It is perfect.

In Karen’s card she wrote that she designed the panel with the love Mark and I had in mind.

Years ago I wrote “Love is the blending of two hearts, two souls, two lives.” I also used to doodle two hearts like in her design, so this is really special and meaningful as she didn’t know that, she designed it from her own heart.

I had to grab the camera and head out to the caravan to get a picture there with the little statue I had put out there a couple of months ago, awaiting the day that Mark would be out there working on it again.

 

Here is another photo of it sitting in the living room window. It is beautiful. Thank you Karen and Carl.

Here is the next gardenia from my bud loaded bush and I just love it’s reflection in the copper lamp base.

One of my followers asked me to post a wedding photo. Here is a link to a post I made for our anniversary 8 Sept 2010, with a photo from our wedding day.

Thank you all again for visiting, reading and your comments. Being able to blog about my love and feelings about Mark and this new transition really helps, as does all of your love, hugs, prayers, support and encouragement.

Now it’s time for me to get going for the day. I want to back a batch of Mincemeat cookies.

FlowerLady

***

The road that is built in hope

is more pleasant to the traveler

than the road built in despair,

even though they both lead to the same destination. 

Marian Zimmer Bradley