Art Journal Page

"Even the saddest things can become, once we have made peace with them, a source of wisdom and strength for the journey that still lies ahead."
--Frederick Buechner

You've been warned...this one's a tearjerker, but it does have a happy ending!

I don't usually post many personal stories, but I'm long overdue for an art journal page and this is on my mind.

My little niece would have been nine years old this month. This is the only picture we have of her looking at the camera with her eyes open. Within a few hours she was unconscious, never to open her eyes again.

She was a perfectly healthy baby, full term, but due to a tragedy during delivery (and a good dose of medical negligence) we lost her. The placenta ruptured and the baby lost 75% of her blood volume during the birth.

It's been a long hard road since then, trying to understand why, then trying to understand that I'll never know why, and learning to accept it. Just this year, after nine years, I am finally making peace with it.

Which makes my newest little niece's birth so sweet! I would not have the deep joy of seeing her healthy and strong had I not experienced the bitter contrast of her sister's tragedy. Now I never take life for granted and realize what a miracle life is.

The End Of An Era

Sorry to have left blogland for a week or so but I was thinking of you all. Things have been uber-busy in my shops and then I had to go out of town due to a death in the family. My last grandparent died this past week. It is the end of an era, no more grandparents are left. Now my parents are the grandparents and life goes on.

I went for a peaceful walk in the cemetery...well, as peaceful as it could be with three boys ages 4, 6, and 13 following behind! I took these photos to share with you.

A black swallowtail butterfly hovers around a red azalea.

And the grand finale...I was very moved by this headstone...Latin for "We had loved, We love, We loved".

My Buddy

Today is the second anniversary of the loss of my #1 son and buddy. He was our "kid" for 15 years and was as spoiled as they come, but very sweet and well behaved!

Except when it came to unattended food. There is one incident that is still talked about in our family which he will never live down...the time he climbed on the dining room table and ate my Dad's birthday cake! Fortunately the party was over and we'd all had a piece!

One of his favorite holidays besides Christmas was Halloween. Here he is dressed up as a bumble bee! He would wait at the front door for the trick or treaters to come. When we opened the door to pass out candy, he would stick his head in their bags to see what yummy things they had! He never stole anything, I think he got his jollies by sniffing all the candy.

Here he is tubing at the lake! He got such a kick out of it, but we only let him ride into the cove, not on the main part of the lake...it was just too choppy and dangerous. And yes, he's wearing a lifevest! He loved riding in the boat, swimming, and looking for fish in the water. A pleading look..."Mom, the puppy is chewing all my toys up! And he's on MY rug!" He used to pick on his "brother" and I tried to warn him that his brother would grow twice his size, but he didn't listen!

However, he was still the boss despite his size. He'd gobble his own dinner up and then stare at his brother until he successfully intimidated him out of his meal! We wondered why he was gaining so much weight, while the other one was losing it!

I miss him and probably always will, but am so thankful he was a part of my life. I have so many fond memories of his antics! He was a lot of fun!

Remembering my buddy

It has been a year since I lost my little friend of 15 years. He was such a beautiful dog, very peppy personality, and a lot of fun to be around. This photo was taken on his last day. He was so tired and just worn out from a long life. I miss him.