M - Message of Love & Hope

If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give.
~ George MacDonald

Today's post is dedicated to my Soulfairygodmommie!

We are at letter M, and I did not wake up with a word like I usually do but Soulfairygodmommie indirectly gave me my word for today via mail.

When I opened the mailbox on the way to picking up middle daughter from school, I saw a huge flat envelope lying in it, and although the littlest and I were running late, I was too excited to just leave it behind unopened!

The mail was from my long standing dearest online/blogging friend, my source of inspiration through the years, specially at the most crucial turning point in my life.  

One amongst those small special circle of positive influence in bringing me to photographing nature the seasons; instrumental in animating me to appreciate the beauty surrounding life; the inspiration for the pictures family and friends often have told me has had a calming effect on them.

My heart was glowing as I wore the bracelet around my wrist, and bike along the country, on my way to pick um middle child with littlest, feeling so very  loved.

As I wore the bracelet, I felt as if my friend was giving me that encouraging, reassuring squeeze of her hand, like how she touched my life with her simple but empowering words  of taking baby steps towards life again, four years ago.

When the girls and I finally reach home again, after spending a carefree afternoon -  so relieved that is finally Friday (!!!), I read aloud to them the note that came with the bracelet.

Perhaps they would not understand completely what it meant to me, but I am very sure they felt the joy I had over the message of love and hope I received this afternoon, like the liberating joy I felt over the message of love and hope four years ago.

Online friendships means as much to me as the friendship I have offline.  I never differentiate it as online life versus, real life friendship. The former is as tangible for me as the latter.

It is a long story to tell but my connections in the internet has helped me reach out in my personal life when I could have easily disappeared and sink in the daily existence of unhappiness, just flowing along the ebb of life - lifeless.

Friendship across the ocean, I can say with much conviction could be more powerful than the one in one's close proximity.

Again,  my heartfelt thanks to a treasured friend, my fairygodmommie, who has  with simple words made a huge impact to my well being.  May you continue to inspire and touch lives, as simple and as powerful as you have mine. 

Do you have friendship(s) across the ocean?  Have they made a huge impact in your life?


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♡ Lucky ♡

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 I've always considered my self to be blessed with a charmed life because of my wonderful family and cherished friends...

Today, we had to call Omi B last minute to help us bring the girls to school. The littlest is sick and since I always need to bring the littlest along on the bike when I do the school ride with the older girls (except when P is free from work or has a later start in the day) I had to stay at home too.

The littlest hardly slept through the previous night because she was crying from pain, the source of which we could not tell specifically because she cried in her sleep.  This morning she was running a temperature, had a clogged nose and when she woke up she complained of having pain in her throat.

P was relieved when he called Omi B and she was already up, and is available to help out.  She has been our support in times of many emergencies not only this year but many times in the past years since we moved to be together with P.

But I felt a bit down because it is still a source of stress for us to find a consistent way to bring the girls to school, that will not be too dependant on my being healthy or the littlest. The last weeks of battles  with my health(stomach flu, cold virus etc) affected the girls going to school. Admittedly, this has pulled my spirit down because it reminded me of the hard times I had while they were going to school in Germany and I was suffering from chronic depression.  Although in hindsight those hard times, were times I experienced a lot of  love, extra ordinary support and caring coming from family, friends and concerned people from the community.

Still, even with the knowledge and assurance from people concerned, that it does not hurt to ask for help, it still is hard to do so.

When the girls came home, eldest was carrying two packages.  I was too distracted with the littles that I did not get the mail, but eldest always checks the mail box anyway because of letters or packages that might come from Oma H.

Today was such a day, there was a package from Germany with pictures from their last month's Spring vacation.  AND a package from our friend in CA, USA!

The littlest wanted to open the package from USA right away, but I told her it will be more fun if we wait until Dada comes home to open it with us.  She happily agreed and had the teatime I usually served when Omi B comes to visit or brings home the girls from school.

Talking to Omi B always calms me because of her positive spirit.  Teatime with her almost replaces breakfast/teatimes dates I had with my girlfriends in Germany, whom I all sorely missed.  She gives me the same feeling of total acceptance for who I am, and reassurance that everything is going to be alright at the end of the day.

Littlest opened the package after dinner, when Dada finally came home from work, and as I put on the earrings that were inside for me, I could not help being teary-eyed.  My heart squeezed and I felt this warm gratefulness in my being.

I was reminded by this thoughtful gesture that if I keep holding on baby steps, of taking one day at a time, in time I will be able to personally celebrate this unique bond of friendship with people I shared my inner-most thoughts during the times of my struggles, and who have inspired me with their own inner-strength and their love for life. The gifts were not only symbol of friendship for me but symbols of hope being eternal; it reaches across and covers the entire globe

It was a great coincidence that the gifts arrived today at St. Patrick's Day, and 3 days to my birthday 39th birthday.  I guess you can say, I am a gal who loves coincidences and interprets what some would view as something random, as signs, and messages from the universe.  I say, the world needs a couple of numbers to fill the statistics under the category: hopeless dreamer. :)

Happy St Patrick's Day to all who celebrates it!

To a special friend, from CA, whose heart is huge, warm & generous, a loving message:  I am so lucky to be considered  your friend, thank you for the wonderful gifts, your friendship and your inspiration!

Quotes to positively affirm this day:

A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.
Bernard Meltzer

Friends...they cherish one another’s hopes. They are kind to one another’s dreams.
Henry David Thoreau

My father always used to say that when you die, if you’ve got five real friends, then you’ve had a great life.
Lee Iacocca