As I mentioned in my blog: funny how grief is: musings on baseball, bracelets, and tears, my mother ordered 8 ornaments every year to make sure she got one free. I wanted to send something special to my mother’s sister, even though she may not recognize/realize the implications. I had two ornaments from which to chose: the mayflower wreath* of hope from 2009. The artist’s commentary was:
“As each new Mayflower appears, the promise of hope is alive. With its enduring blossoms and bright foliage it brings anticipation of new beginnings and fresh starts. The Mayflower is the first wildflower to emerge from the shadows of winter and welcome the arrival of spring. Let this delicate flower’s ability to survive through the harshest of conditions inspire an inner strength and faith.”
I kept the tree of life ornament. Somehow, it didn’t seem appropriate to send after a year of death.
“Look at a tiny seed and wonder at the extraordinary changes that will transform it into a majestic tree. With its high-reaching branches and deep-spreading roots, this tree becomes part of the great circle of life that links all living things. The Tree of Life reminds us of the greatness beyond our own lives, and the connections – past, present and future – which are such a part of who we all are and will become.”
A friend sent me this year’s ornament: the dragon fly.
“The dragonfly reminds us to embrace change, living life to its fullest. It leaves the underwater world it has called home for years to live at the whim of the winds in its brief time as a beautiful flying being. One can never know what extraordinary adventures may be awaiting us just beyond what our eyes let us see. Let the winds of change carry you in directions of which you may never have dreamt.”
Butterflies and dragonflies**: are these the totems/omens of 2011? Each is delicate, fleeting, beautiful, transitory, and suggest movement, embracing the moment, and letting the wind take you where it will. So, as/where I go in 2011, so too shall my blog (I hope).
* all ornament descriptions and images are from Amos Pewter
** with a gift certificate left over from last year, I bought my husband a pocket naturalists guide to dragonflies and damselflies (James Kavanagh) that arrived weeks before the ornament!
PS: sorry the print turned out so small; it was much bigger in live writer. I thought I’d try a new font for 2011, but obviously this one has to be around font size 18 to be readable without a magnifying glass! LOL
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Thanks, Mo. In Mary Poppins, a shift in the wind meant change was coming. I think Mary blew in from the east (I’ll have to watch the movie again to be sure) and left the same way. Guess I’ll be looking for a nor’easter to blow me in a new direction.
Those ornaments are beautiful. I especially like the fact that you sent one to your Aunt, even if she doesn’t know the symbolism behind it, you do.
The descriptions that goes along with each ornament are lovely When you first talked about these ornaments and your Mom’s tradition I looked at the whole online catalog. I could spend a lot of money buying their things.
And let the wind take you where it will my Friend!
mo