Reflecting today....this date, this birthday. For forty years Shannon and I shared this number, 5/17. This is my third one without her and it still feels so different. We are all learning to navigate a landscape that continues to change, aren't we? Of course we shared alot more than a calendar date. We shared a room, a wedding gown, a family....and very special connection that some sisters are lucky to have.
This art shows a partial peek at an assemblage box I made in her memory. The small deer is a gift from Laure because she knows it's one of my signs for Shannon. It's set inside a matchbox; that's how small it is. Raised above the trees, to symbolize heaven. Set over a paper wing. And there's the pink rose, of course. The red wire - did you spy it? An "x", a secret kiss from me. Another sign we have for Shannon is a snowflake, added in digitally because I couldn't resist.
In the last post Pat shared some wisdom, which I was so happy to learn. It was a perfect thing to focus on right now as I work in my sister journal today. Doesn't it amaze you when that happens? Something is dropped in your path just when you need it. Like this: "The Japanese have a concept "aware" that can't really be translated into English but means something like "the heartbreak of beauty of the moment"--the idea that something so beautiful just hits you in the heart when you realize it will be gone soon." That is new to me. I love that there is a word that captures the ephemeral beauty that is fleeting. Like a snowflake. Like a rose. Like a deer in the woods. Like a little sister who is dearly missed.
