Winterberry

The leaves have long since fallen. Squirrels, chipmunks and mice have used those leaves to create cozy nests for their hibernation. The landscape looks barren and the North winds blow. Yet Mother Nature will always provide us with great interest….. if we take the time to look. The first snow has fallen, everywhere it is a blanket of white. Suddenly the clouds break open and the sun shines. The snow explodes into a sea of sparkling diamonds. Look carefully, survey the landscape, Movement will catch your eye. It's a chickadee, it's merry chirp a happy song in the quiet. Following its fight it lands upon a delicate shrub. The shrub is ablaze with red berries. The chickadee and a finch feast on the berries. It is a delight for the senses! The birds bellies are full, the eyes of the viewer have been delighted by the beautiful stark contrast of red berries in the midst of a blanket of white. Mother Nature has given a feast to many this day. This simple shrub, so delicate and hardy, has provided food and beauty. It is the Winterberry.

Breath

This pendant is for a friend. On the back is the Sanskrit symbol for breath. It is the first thing we do and the last. May you all be blessed with a friend who brings a quality of richness to all the moments in between.

Living Donor

I have written and rewritten this too many times to tell. A beautiful agate cabochon with the figure of a horse on it. As soon as I saw it, I tried to buy it, but anonymously, someone gifted it me! It sat on my bench for many many months. I designed several pendants for it, but none were truly inspired. Until a lifelong friend called. He is dying. His liver is failing and that is causing the rejection of his transplanted lung. His wife is 'collateral damage' in all of this. This is harder than you can ever imagine. The toxins aren't being cleansed from his body and this is affecting his personality as well. He wanted me to make a horse sculpture for his wife. Instead, I sat and sketched this pendant for him. We gathered for dinner and she opened her gift from him that I had made, in front of all of us. At that very moment I realized what I really do. I don't make jewellery. I capture moments, memories of love and joy and passions. I capture these so when he's gone she will remember the sweetness, the laughter and all of the joy that they shared. She will remember the innocence of those before moments. All of my insecurities about the quality of my work are washed away because they pale in comparison to his love, his request. A diamond for eternity, rubies for love and a horse, her passion. I weep for their struggle. His best option is a living donor. Here, in the North East, living donorship is low. Numbers and charts and a match are complex. So now what I am trying to do is bring awareness to the need of Living Donorship. It is not for the faint of heart, but it is for the brave and compassionate. I will not push this. I am simply presenting it in hopes of creating a spark in someone. Without it not only will my friend die, but so will many others who wait and hope. Life is messy, challenging, difficult, painful, gentle, loving, beautiful and wondrous. Life is a gift, treasure yours ♥️