On a recent trip to the craft store, I only planned to grab some glue, but as soon as I spotted this spool of yellow string I just had to have it.  To me, this string sings sunshine.

I used these cheerful strands of hemp string to make a tassel.

And then I used the tassel to make a necklace.

I ended up making two necklaces…one to keep and one to share.  So if you’d like a little bit of sunshine to wear around your neck, just let me know by leaving a comment to this post (the first one to claim it can have it).

Wishing you all a happy weekend with bright, beautiful sunshine.

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Once again it took me longer than expected to get back here.  I’ve been in a slump…thinking and worrying about all the terrible things that have been going on…tornadoes in Oklahoma, terrorism domestically and overseas and, basically, the injustices that have been occurring seemingly everywhere.  There is no doubt that we live in tough times.  I am grateful that for the moment my family and I and our loved ones are okay, but I still feel very weighted down by all that’s been happening around us (sometimes I’m too sensitive for my own good).  Sometimes feelings of compassion can be overwhelming…but I’ve been working on trying to see the bright spots in spite of all of this.

And speaking of bright spots, this past Memorial Day our family went into Boston for some leisure and simple togetherness.  We went to Quincy Market to window shop and people watch.  While we were there we saw some very talented street performers who gave us extra reasons to smile.

Our flag with blazing colors of red, white and blue was at center stage.  Seeing this made me feel proud and patriotic.

On that same day we also went to nearby North End for some Italian food treats.  While strolling around I happen to spot some more red, white and blue.  I love that this old neighborhood still hangs on to the traditional.

The flag below says it well -  it reads peace and freedom to me…which is something I’m pretty sure we all want and need.

And here’s a tranquil scene, graced by a single flying flag.

Sometimes a single statement is enough…like this one big, white star, which serves as a beacon of hope (the center piece at a place of worship in the North End neighborhood).

And speaking of stars, here are my own two (Bill and Brook are my very own personal beacons of hope).  I took this photo of them while we were at our favorite seafood shack in Maine a couple of weekends prior.  BTW, it was purely by accident that Bill and Brook matched the red, white and blue surroundings.

Switching gears a bit…I only recently felt up to looking through my photographs from Hong Kong.  This took me a while since I’ve been afraid of facing these photos (my emotions are still fragile as I’ve been processing the passing of my father).  I know this is normal and I know to give it time…yet it’s still very hard.

Okay, back to the photos.  As you’ll notice in the photos below, I’ve chosen ones that have colors of red, white and blue.  I love that signs of freedom (in our culture) are across the world…showing up in unexpected ways and places…

…hanging from above…

…stacked up in neat piles…

…and near the ground and underfoot.

Red cabs grabbed my eye as we sped by in our own taxi.

And I love that there were blue ones two, also speeding by (behind Brook and me).

Life speeds by. Some things we can control and some things we can’t…this is life.  And in this life we need freedom.  We need freedom to work, play, create…and love.  And through love everyone can be healed, happy, united and in peace.

Wishing you all freedom, love and overall peace.  May you feel it everywhere you go (and also within).

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It’s taken me longer than usual to make it back here at my blog…Spring has been flying by fast!  The season seems to have come and blossomed all too quickly.  However, I did manage to capture quiet, little moments like this one from inside our home looking out…don’t you just love the morning sunshine?!

Brook is almost through with her first year of high school…wow, where did this year go?  It’s so true that as each year passes, time goes by faster and faster.  And the faster it goes by, the more I feel I need to hang on to it…it’s hard letting it all go by, knowing it’ll be gone forever.

However, I’ve come to realize that some things do last forever…love does.  Even after our kids leave the nest, and even after our time on this earth is over, the love still remains…in memory and in our hearts.  Love can last forever.  These are some of the thoughts that led me to create matching necklaces (1 for me and 1 for Brook).  BTW, I just planned a summer trip for our family to visit Montreal and Quebec.  Originally, I wanted to go to France (especially Paris) but flights are so expensive this time of year.  Luckily for us, Canada is just a car ride away, where we’ll get to experience some French culture for less time and money on travel.  Sometimes it makes sense to be practical.

Here’s a look at the necklaces. Toujours means forever in French, by the way.

And here’s a look at the altered box (Altoids tin) that I made for Brook.

I placed the necklace on some tulle that rests on top of some shimmery mica flakes (which I first adhered to the inside of the box with craft glue).

And of course I had to include a special feather find.

One pretty white bead for my one wonderful girl.

Every time I wear my necklace I’ll think of Brook and how much I love her.  And I hope that every time Brook wears the necklace she’ll think of me…and how much I love her.  Wherever she is, and ends up going in the future, the love will travel with her…forever.

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This week both my sister (Lisa) and her daughter (Stephanie, who turned 21) celebrated their birthdays.  Back in February, while I was in Hong Kong, I scoured the Jade Market looking for pearl earrings for each of them.

I found these pretty, pale pink ones for my sister (pink’s her favorite color).

And I found these tiny creamy-colored ones for my niece.  As you can see, I created a special mini canvas for each of them.  I think these canvases make a lovely presentation.  And I like how you can express your thoughts to the recipient on the canvas…like how I see Stephanie as a bright star (“Star light star bright”).

Here are the two canvases together.  Two pearls for two girls, with warmest happy birthday wishes to both.

Creating a gift to present a gift…I like layering the love.

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This past Easter I was behind on my prep for an early dinner gathering with my sister and her family, so I improvised by collecting a few things from around the house to put on the table.  While choosing my elements I stuck with the simple…things that were useful and things within a neutral color palette.

Salt and pepper is a must.  I like both fresh ground pepper and a milder white pepper (in the egg shaped shaker).

Some spotted quail eggs and feathers add a natural feel.  And the bunched up string suggests a nest, which makes me think of home.

I love my home and I love my family…plain and simple.  Like this string, the love goes on and on and on.

Brook recently performed 2 songs with her friend at their high school talent show (the first one is on the subject of home and the other is a cover of an Alicia Key’s song).  This is the first time that I’ve had a chance to hear Brook sing in public and I’m so glad that Bill was able to capture it on video.  If you like, you can click here to watch it.

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This week has been a blur…with all that occurred at the marathon.

My family and I were there as spectators this year, as we have done most years.  We currently live in Hopkinton (which hosts the starting line for the marathon) and Bill is involved with town committees and for the past two years has helped organize official marathon events in town. Previously we lived in Brookline, which is next to Boston.  Bill grew up in Brookline and so did his mother.  Also, Bill ran the Boston marathon years ago when Brook was little (we watched him go by from our front lawn in Brookline, which was right on the marathon route)…our history with this race runs deep.

Last Monday, we headed off to see the race from Ashland (next to our current home town of Hopkinton).  For many years we’ve been going to the same spot to see the runners go by, and we always meet up with Bill’s sister and her family there.  Going to the marathon and bringing our kiddies is something that we all look forward to every year.

We go there to cheer on the mobility impaired racers…

…to watch the elite fly by…

…to see the crowds, and the look of determination on their faces.  It’s all very exciting, and very inspiring.  Every year this incredible scene moves me to tears.

But this year it was all too horribly different.  When the deadly bombings occurred, and all that followed, it scared me to the core.  And I am at a loss for words to describe the grief that I feel for the people who were killed or injured.  Yet at the same time, I can sense hope through watching how others (marathon volunteers, police, spectators, doctors) immediately went to the rescue, putting their own lives in danger while focusing solely on helping the injured.  Humanity is good and kind and loving…for sure.

Yesterday, Bill and I went back into Boston.  Originally, we wanted to go there to attend the interfaith service that was happening in the South End, but I got cold feet.  As we were driving towards the city I started worrying about the fact that there might be others out there crazy enough to want to hurt more people (I was afraid that someone might attempt to bomb or shoot at the service goers).  The terrible things that happened at the marathon bombing were still too fresh in my mind.

However, we still headed into the city in the direction of the memorial on Boylston Street…wanting to pay our respects and sort of hoping to find some kind of peace.  Unfortunately, the parking was tight so we didn’t make it all the way to the memorial sight…but what we saw all along the way was very reassuring.  There were a lot of people out, walking around and going to restaurants, and shopping even…it all felt very normal.  Except for the extra police presence and some blocked off streets, everything seemed okay…and I think I needed to see this everydayness to feel calmer again.

Here’s a look from yesterday.  A beautiful day on a beautiful street…

…with trees bursting with blooms.

The streets felt safe again…

…and the sky said the same.

Brook is back at school today (she was off last week for Spring break), and Bill will be at work.  I have some work myself, and then some errands to run…thankfully, things are moving back to normal for us.  Yet I know that for those who were hit hardest it will continue to be a tough struggle.  And all that I can think of to help is to reach out more to everyone around me, in our community and all around (let what moves us motivate us to make a difference).  Together, we can make the world a better place.  As Ghandi said “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”.  I think this applies whether you’re in West, Texas, or facing the floods in the Midwest or the earthquake in China or any other disaster.  We’re all in it together.

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As promised I’m back to announce the winner of the two books giveaway.

Mary, kindly get in touch with me with your mailing address and I’ll send you a mini-book necklace (please specify which one you’d like) within the next few days.  And I’ll also forward your address to Melody (she’ll be mailing you a copy of her book directly).

While you’re here I thought you might like a look at a fun and easy project.

The how-to instructions are found here.  And you can purchase the corked vials here.  These vials are special because the glass bottoms are flat (for easy display).  Both the instructions and vials are through Stampington…they have it all!

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My lovely friend Melody recently published a wonderfully creative book, An Altered Existence.  This book consists of 14 portrait photographs from long ago, and each portrait inspired Melody to write fictitious stories about life, love, birth, death, salvation, self-acceptance, and taking chances.  These stories have both a timeless and a modern feel, and I could relate to much of it…I have a feeling you might also.

Melody has very generously offered a copy of her book as a giveaway, which you can enter a chance to win here at my blog by leaving a comment to this post (I’d love to hear about your favorite Spring time memories or simply say hi).

In addition to the book (shown above), I’m including a mini-book necklace that I recently made as part of the giveaway.

Years ago I created this mini “dream” book necklace…

…with tea-dyed recycled dryer sheets for the pages and a hand sewn binding.

I was recently inspired to make some more and created the 2 necklaces below.  For the giveaway you have a choice of which mini-book you’d like to have, either the plain cover…

…or the “love” cover.

Both book charms have pages made of recycled dryer sheets as well as some sparkly bead accents.

And there are also some hand stitched details on the opposite side along with rustic looking hardware.

To recap, this giveaway will consist of 2 items (Melody’s wonderful book and one of my book charm necklaces).  One winner will receive both items.  To enter, please leave a comment to this post by next Friday evening (April 12th) and I’ll include your name in the hat.  Then I’ll be back the next day to announce the random winner.

Thanks for stopping by, and wishing you all a bright and beautiful week ahead.

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In the early morning as the sun is rising…

…I feel a wonderful sense of anticipation.

Through the thick of the trees I see the glimmer of golden light growing stronger and clearer by the second.

It is amazing to me how this ball of light can be so beautiful, so powerful…and so full of promise.  I am so grateful for these quiet, early morning moments alone, when I can more fully take in and appreciate the gifts of mother earth.

Below is a look at a necklace that I made that was inspired by the early morning glow of the sun rising from behind the trees.

Every time I wear this necklace I will think about the glimmer of gold that comes so effortlessly every morning.  And a deep sense of gratitude will settle comfortably within me as I move through the rest of the day.

Wishing you wonderful golden light in your every day.

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Last month while I was in Hong Kong there were some quiet moments that allowed me to see the beauty in the everyday.  Like when I climbed these stairs to get a closer look at some white, flowing things that were sticking out from behind a sign.

As I got nearer and nearer I saw that these figures suspended in the air were just plain ole common hanging laundry…

…yet they were so beautiful…so simple and so humble.   And I remember feeling calm as I looked at the orderly row of newly cleaned white shirts.

And the wooden clothespins…so charming, and again so simple.  I like simple.

On the way back down the steps to rejoin Bill and Brook (we were out walking leisurely around the streets of HK together), I was treated to one more special piece of everyday beauty. To some it may only look like a piece of crumpled up trash on a dirty-old windowsill, but to me it was a beautiful sight regardless of the throw away context.

During the last few weeks I’ve been thinking a lot about these two seemingly random sights of beauty.  And I’ve been feeling that these objects were somehow a connection to my father. He always wore plain white undershirts around the house (it was an everyday thing for him), and he was also an optimist (someone who could see the good side of things everywhere and anywhere, even crumpled up paper).

Memorial Service

My father’s official funeral service happened in Hong Kong last week.  This service was attended by my mother and our extended family as well as the members of their church community in China. Unfortunately, I was not able to stay in Hong Kong long enough to attend the funeral.  However, we have planned a second memorial service that will be at my childhood NYC church tomorrow, so that everyone from our North American church community can attend.  There will be 6 churches, all of which my father started many years ago, coming together…to share some peaceful words and music (the 6 church choirs will be joined and performing as one).

Below is a poem that I wrote for my father to be read at his memorial service.

A Life of Light
A life of light
begins from within.
And radiates to all, and through all.
From light there is love,
which begins from within.
And radiates to all, and through all.
Through love we live in kindness,
spreading warmth and comfort.
Which radiates to all, and through all.
May the light of love live on,
on earth and into heaven.

Thank you again kind friends for all your support through this tough time.  After reading your messages I’ve learned that many of you have also dealt with the loss of someone dear.  I suppose no one is immune to this hard fact of life.  Yet, we are all getting by…making the best of it and hopefully recognizing the good and appreciating the love.  It’s so true that there really is beauty everywhere…and within everyone.

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