Day #162: Jean Whiton's Birthday

# 162

Happy Birthday, Mommy!!!

Inventory:

The first thing that having my computer allows me to do is build up inventory.  What I want to do is have enough variety in my inventory to give customers some ideas about what they can have.  An example is anyone can order cards of any of the prints that are hanging in my show, or any of the images on my cards can be made into prints.  I need to now create a way to order on my FB page and I need to create a display board for my vendor table.

And I would still love to create a portrait on the spot photo box for the vendor tent.  I think I can do that.

6/11/2009

This was taken on Mom's 90th birthday.  I love this picture.

Five years ago Mom turned 91. Kora, Annie and I went down to Connecticut over the weekend.  Kora had been in India and had brought Mom healing water from the Ganges and a silk shawl.  We brought her peonies, her favorite flower, and Annie brought her a fairy. We needed magic that year.

I remember I had just photographed my porch and when I printed the picture it showed a ghost.  Lots of people have offered me reasons for the unknown presence in that picture, but I never did figure it out.

Yesterday I was driving up a small hill in very shaded area and on the side of the road was a column of golden orange light about 8 feet tall and about a foot in diameter.  It made no sense, but I registered it as a spirit and didn't question it until I was past it.  I looked back and it wasn't there.

Is there something about early June light that creates unexplainable spaces of brightness?

Day #161: Taking care of the Universe

#161 

How do I put into words what I am thinking?  About a year and a half ago my friend, Gregg, made a serious attempt to convince me that my project and my intentions were so right on for me that I should give into it and accept that the Universe would provide.  Part of me agrees and part of me is skeptical, yet I've chose to move forward as though I believe.

A month ago my computer blew up right in the middle of a true productive time.  It stopped the book dead and cut me off from my photos and my poetry manuscript edits and my original mothers.  I was like, "wait a minute." and I have wrestled internally with the concept of dropping everything and finding a new life.  Then two important things happened.

The first thing that happened is my old mentor from college came and read some of my stories and stated that I could not quit now.   That I have really interesting stories and data and that it is a piece of important work.  To have an academic, a very bright academic, proclaim this caught me up short.

The second thing that happened is a woman who is a friend of a friend and has always been friendly towards me, but not a close friend, came forward and gave me a present of a new computer.  I'm not sure how much proof I need to believe in the work, but I am so grateful to Weezie and am sure happy to have my new toy and a new friend.

But I feel I have a responsibility to all of this.  It's not just about the book, it's not just completing the book and being true to the women's voices; it is about taking care of myself while I do it, too.  In the past month I have not been as conscientious about self care, and i realize it really is a responsibility to others, too.

All my life I have said, "leave me alone, it is my body, my life, it is not yours."  But if you are going to believe the Universe will take care if your intent is positive and good, you have to be good to yourself as well, and take care of yourself for the Universe and others, too.

I know this may all sound like mumbo jumbo, but I really am thinking about it all.  If I am going to take from the world I have to be responsible to it and that means taking care of me in order to do the work.

Ok, so I am back up and running.  The blog is back up regularly and my 365 Day project is up-to-date.  It makes me very happy.

Thank you all who have been taking care of me through out this.  Thank you, thank you.

As of tonight I am back on tracks.

Love you!

#160

June 9, 2015

by Emma

#159

Day #160: A reflection

6/6/2015

It is a most perfect day.  I am once again sitting in my backyard listening to a multitude of birds including chickens in a far off neighbor's yard.  There are splashes of color all around poking through glorious greens, I know how abstract painting was born.  Looking at a clump of yellow lilies behind white cottage roses against a weathered fence is stunning.

It maybe 75 degrees and the breeze is light but frequent.  I couldn't imagine a more comforting and beautiful spot for this Sunday afternoon after 2 weeks of whirlwind activities.

I let go of my own baby daughter 43 years ago.  Since then I have loved several baby girls.  My niece Sarah was born four years later and she ws so much fun; so smart, and very quickly became my good pal.  When she was round three my mother and brother Geoff cleaned up my old childhood brass bed and gave it to Sarah.  I remember lying in it with her and teaching her that it was a boat that she could sail away in to wherever she wanted to go.

Since Sarah there has been Moriah, Grace, Maddie, Kora, many new grand nieces and friends' daughters, and by an amazing act, Emma was born into our lives.  For fourteen years I have been blessed to be close enough to watch her bloom, to watch this smart talented baby with an astonishing ability to process auditory information grow into a young woman who can draw and design and paint, act and sing and hug.  I can't imagine loving her anymore than I do.  It is short of a miracle.

The past two weeks I have seen her learn gospel, sing beautifully in a top-notch concert.  Make some new friends.  I have seen her and her friends' products from a five month journey of writing plays, directing, acting and producing them.  In this process she had to let go of her vision enough to engage others in acting in her play.  She had to hear her friends' visions and help sculpt their plays and they had to learn to communicate their ideas and feeling, to apologize and accept criticism.  The products were incredible.

I watched her befriend baby goats and help clean out stalls, plant herbs, build a plant box and make medicinal treatments.  Invite a butterfly onto her hand and have it land peacefully and hang out for a bit.

I have watched her face having to leave a school that has been a home to her for almost six years and to be a part of a graduation ceremony full of love, humor, reflection, wisdom and respect.

I am floored by her and although the past two weeks has been a whirlwind, I wouldn't give any of it up.  For me it was inspiring.  I don't think I could be any more proud of her if she was my child.

Instead, I just have to thank her parents for sharing her.

6/2010

Day #159: Looking for my feet again

6/5/2015

What education is all about.  

6/6/2015

I know I have said this a lot recently, but I do believe I will have a computer to do everything on today or tomorrow.  Then I will be up to date on photos and text.  I actually wrote something yesterday in the loveliness of my backyard surrounded by birds in 74 degrees. Astonishing Day.  It allowed me to get my wind again and feel back on my feet after two weeks of beautiful craziness. This picture is metaphoric of how I feel about this past couple of weeks.

6/6/2015

I had a few friends graduate from G.C.C. on Saturday, too.  I taught non-traditional students and one by one they are graduating while holding jobs and being parents and all of them active in their communities.  This is what community college is about and it inspires us all.

Day #157: Saturday Evening

#154; 2015

#155

#156

An entire five days of brilliant experiences with wonderful photo opportunities and absolutely no computer until this evening. 

#157

6/6/2015

I witnessed the most beautiful graduation this week.  Next week I will post thoughtful and interesting posts.  Really, soon....

Day #154: Update

Day #153 6/2/2010

It is possible that I will have a new computer by the end of the day.  Here is hoping.   Meanwhile I have had no way to download photographs in the past couple of days, which really is too bad because I have taken some really beautiful ones.

SOOOONNNNNN.....

6/2/2010

Day # 152: Blessings

#152

I will have a show hung at Greenfields Market on Wednesday.  We will have a closing instead of an opening on Sunday June 29, 2015. 

The rain continues, thank God, but I may have to turn on the heat tonight.  I remember the summer of 1975 and my Mom and I rented a house in Vermont for the summer.  I was alone in it for most of the month of June and had to start a fire in the stove almost every day.  I remember being very frightened by it.  That was 40 years ago.  

I feel so blessed today.  I felt overwhelmed when I woke up.  The concert is over and we are on the last week of Emma's time at GCS.  So many emotions have been running around my house, almost out of control, but not quite.  And then, someone offered to lend me money so I could put up my show.  And then someone else offered me something else, and someone else, another something and all of a sudden I felt saturated in blessings, like the rain.  I am so so blessed.  So all of my issues are not solved, but I feel solid again and able to make some new and good choices.  Thank you, Universe, and my wonderful friends.  

And to top it all off I got to meet a brand new member of the community.  Meet Daisy and her family.  Such beautiful girls, and Mom, too.