your gift, your duty

in the depths of my soul, i believe that we all have a gift... there is something special that each one of us has to offer...


in the depths of my soul, i believe that with the joy that accompanies discovering what it is comes a responsibility to share it for the good of our fellow planet dwellers... 

'the greatest gift is a portion of thyself.'

~ ralph waldo emerson

on joy

'when you wish someone joy,

you wish them peace, love,

prosperity, happiness...

all the good things.'

~ maya angelou

i was delighted to have been gifted by beth hemmila of hint jewelry ... we all know, love and  appreciate beth for her ability to distill a feeling, thought or concept down to its very essence - no small feat... her small treasures carry with them not only beauty but an incredible weight of meaning... and, as i have mentioned to her a number of times, i love how you can feel the imprint of her finger in the back of them... the connection with a person, feeling their intention and energy when i wear one of their adornments means so very much to me... on a daily basis, i have her lotus charm hanging around my neck... 

so i was delighted to have this double necklace - but here is what blew me away... without ever having said anything to anyone, without choosing this one, she picked the perfect one for me at this moment... for i always love any of her charms and finished pieces associated with peace or trees... truly, this one came in a bit from left field... and yet that is what makes it just right... it was something i had been neglecting... 

bluebird

joy... 

'joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm

and our intelligence aglow.'

~ helen keller

what? you  might ask... let me explain... in trying to 'inhale' and 'exhale', to find peace, i was getting through the day, the week, which can turn into months and years and YOUR LIFE... i laugh with the kids, don't get me wrong... but i had lost my connection with joy... with letting go... having become guarded and being more of a quiet, contemplative person it is easy for me to delve into all kinds of feelings of the serious nature... but i had forgotten the other... 

this meant a lot coming from beth... she was one of my first etsy 'meets'... she featured a pair of my earrings on her blog almost a year ago... at a time when i didn't even know what blogging was... she was the thread i followed in coming into this world... and she knows, i hope, how very much i appreciate her... 

so thank you, beth, for a gift that probably meant more to me than you know - 

'joy delights in joy.'

~ william shakespeare

so while you are being present - don't forget to smile! 

just perfect -

when my son was young, i had nurses in my home 12 hours a day... naturally we became very close and would give each other gifts... there was one nurse who taught me the most wonderful lesson... she would give one perfect thing... and it wasn't necessarily big, it was always so thoughtful and 'just right'... i had always made people gifts, but somehow thought it was never enough... but she shone a light on the whole gift-giving dynamic for me... and i will be forever grateful... 
in this blogging world we become close to people... and all around us we see people sending off gifts to each other - a very generous group that loves to share... nurturing & supportive... i recently did a swap with cindy... and what she sent took me right back to that nurse... don't we want our gifts to be reflective of thought, of something personal and meaningful? well, cindy didn't have anything available in a shop... and i thought she just HAD  to... 

wordy block earrings

and now she does... what is really neat is that she explores so many different media... handcarved stamps, jewelry, polymer clay, felting, etc...  i really encourage you to take a look - and ask her to make more! i can see those printings on canvas turning into a version of prayer flags when strung along a string...
i am going to share a wonderful quote from her etsy shop - alchemy of life...


"You must understand the whole of life,
not just one little part of it.
That is why you must read,
that is why you must look at the skies,
that is why you must sing,
and dance,
and write poems,
and suffer,
and understand,
for all that is life."
J. Krishnamurti


best luck cindy on your new journey!

joy

cindy pack of cindy's art and soul is having a huge summer giveaway! you should shoot over to her blog to check it out... she is offering a $50 gift towards finished jewelry or components... all you have to do is answer her question -

'what brings you joy?'
(besides winning a giveaway!)

what i made of my gift

'life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity and responsibility
to give something back by becoming more.'
- anthony robbins

mellisa at chinook designs asked for some help naming this glaze color in her blog... she liked my suggestion which was blue spruce and gave me this beautiful pendant! it was a gift - but i felt like a kid who had won a prize! this gift has given me the privilege, opportunity and responsibility to give back by helping it to become more!

i love the deep texture, line and natural motif that it possesses... i did not want to overwhelm the pendant but to enhance it... thinking about blue spruce, took me to large shade tree, took me to sanctuary... thinking of a summer breeze moving the large branches, butterflies fluttering & dragonflies buzzing brought me to movement... and so i dangled a single bead from pinocean off of its own chain behind the pendant... other than that, i chose only 3 more components... a perfectly colored blue/green spacer bead from linden avenue designs (that i had just received - perfect timing), a green porcelain bead and a vintaj filigree drop that reminded me of a pinecone... sounds so simple saying it, but it took a long time to figure it all out... i kept leaving the room and coming back just to look at it through the different stages...

'he who leaves the pine-tree, leaves his friend,
unnerves his strength, invites his end.'
- ralph waldo emerson

thanks mellisa for the opportunity to work with this piece! it was an honor...