And Even More to the Reward....

Well if my last entry wasn't enough to make you cry, the saga continues.  Here is the email I received from the woman who bought the Mary medal for her mother....I hope she doesn't mind me copying this, but it is just such a wonderful story it deserves to be shared.

Here it is:

~ What a "Wonderful"surprise.....
Thank you so much....You have to know that you made my mom's heart smile today.
I first have to tell you what happened right before I went out to get todays mail.
I was sitting at the dining room table, mom was on the couch, crocheting, she says to me, what is that nice scent....smells like wood. I went over near to her and did notice a scent of what smelled like fresh cut wood.
See my dad was a carpenter......yeah....so I said..."dads in the house".....she smiled and said....wow, its strong!!!!
Well, we absorbed the moment and gave each other a hug.....
I now went to get the mail.......
We received the package, I hardly could control myself. I brought it over to my mom and sat down next to her.
I asked her if she remembered what had just happened and she said "yeah...dads in the house".....I said...."He really is here with us mom, and he wants you to have this"
Wendy I had to share this with you, because no matter the miles between people, there is a force that connects us all...If people could only realize this, the world would be a happier place.
Mom looked at the box and in wonderment said,"He wants me to have this?"  I watched, as she carefully took the box out of that heavenly sack. She kept looking at me and then the box, her eyes were showing wonder....as she lifted the cover off and slowly took out the cushioning from around her surprise, her eyes filled with the biggest tears I have ever seen. She looked at me,then the medal and said...."Thanks babe!!!".....{directed to my dad}
I told her how I found your shop and she said...tell her THANK YOU......
You are a thread in the quilt...........God Bless you and those you Love......You made two hearts really happy today!!!!Thank You bunches. You're a gem!!!!

Wow!  Such a powerful thing!  The string of emails to follow were so powerful to me personally that they have actually made me question my belief in a higher power.....and helped to restore my faith in humanity.  I have always believed in "something" bigger than me, I mean, how can you not?  There are just too many things that can't be completely coincidental in life.  But this.....just wow.  It turns out I got something from these women that I too needed - some loving light in a very dark place that I had slipped into.

I now know why I HAD to buy that medal.  It was meant for this lady's mom, and it was meant to come from me.  I was meant to learn something from the whole thing.

So.  Was it the Virgin Mary that was giving me the message, this learning experience?  I had been fascinated with her image for months before any of this happened, and in my heart I think I know.

Make that three hearts happy, Therese.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

For the Better

If you have been keeping up with me, you know that I quit my job in early June this year.  Now that I'm 2 1/2 months in to my new journey, I can, with 100% certainty, say I am happier for it.  Are all my problems solved?  No.  Are all of my anxieties gone?  No.  I don't think I'll ever be completely free of those things (who is??).  This was not an easy process, and I'm not done yet.  I still have a few mountains to climb.

One thing I did gain (so far) was some self respect.  I stood up for myself.  I had no idea it would feel this good!  I'm proud of myself for the first time in many years.  Makes me wonder why I have such a hard time telling people how I feel.  Do I make how they feel seem more important than me?  

Another thing I've noticed is a change in how I see things.  I have the time to really SEE things:  the blue of the sky, birds flying, the green of the grass....  Everything looks like it did to me when I was very young...more vivid, more real somehow.  

This is probably the best summer of my entire life.  I hate to think it will end soon...kids going back to school, leaves starting to turn...it's inevitable.  Maybe I will SEE things this winter that I haven't in many years and learn to love it too.

Ah, Summer Flowers!

One of my favorite things on earth is the back deck on my home.  We added the deck several years ago because there was no way to the back yard on the back side of the house.  In the logical place to have a deck door, the previous owners had a very large window.  It was begging to be knocked out and turned in to the gateway of a great place to relax in the summer.  So that's what we did!
Since I've decided to become unemployed, I often have my coffee in the early morning sun.  I love soaking in the rays before it gets too warm for me and I must retreat to central air.
These are some photos of some of the many flowers and veggies I grow in pots on the deck:

I hope you are enjoying your summer too!