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.
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