Mother’s Day 2011 is coming up on the 8th of May

Mom with her Mom & Aunts

Mother’s Day means different things to different people.

I would like to share my own personal story of this particular holiday.

The year was 1989.  In February of that year my Mom was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. Within three months of that diagnosis she was in the hospital spending what would be the last week of her life. Both my sister and I were told that the end was near so we got on a plane to be at her side. We had previously taken turns going down to visit her but this time we were both there.

With Mother’s Day approaching as we arrived to be at her side, I had a card for her that I wanted to be able to give her. I knew that this would be my last Mother’s Day card for her. Little did I know then that my Mom had saved many of the cards I had made for her over the years. Some went as far back as 6 years old.  I now have those cards in my possession and I treasure them. After our loved ones pass on, cards and photos are reminders of our time shared on this earth.

If Mom were alive today she’d get a kick out of the fact that I continue to make Greeting Cards as a way to express myself. I love that others want to give the special people in their lives an art card that I have made.  I get to learn something about the person giving, as well as the person receiving, that card. When I learn enough to add that special something to the card, there’s a great feeling.

I wish all the mothers around the world a very Happy Mother’s Day.

Tourist for a Day

Wax figure of my right hand

I admit it. I did a touristy thing in my own backyard recently. I had help though. I bought a groupon aka discount ticket, to Madame Tussauds Hollywood so I could check out just how good or bad the wax figures were of all those famous people we have come to recognize so easily.

Upon approaching the entrance, one is greeted by none other than Nicholas Cage. Who knew that he would be in the news as of late, not for starring in a new movie but for charges of domestic violence. Well they say any publicity for actors is better than none, so OK.

I tried asking Nick for his side of the story but all I got was a cool stare from him. At least I got my photo op with him.

There are three levels to explore on one’s own inside the wax museum. There are worse ways to spend an hour and a half I suppose. I was amazed at how good a handful of figures are. Some looked very real. Others, not so real.

With a hundred photos in my camera, I was ready to have my right hand preserved in wax. Did I mention that the groupon included a complimentary wax figure of one’s hand? I stood in line waiting my turn for that. The little boy ahead of me started crying uncontrollably when they lowered his hand into the tank of water filled with ice cubes to set the wax. It’s the longest 30 seconds. For a moment I had to ask myself if I really needed this waxy souvenir to bring home.

But then I saw how wonderful the finished product looks. One can be very creative. You choose the color of the wax and the way the fingers are held. As an artist I could not resist the opportunity to create. So when it was my turn, I gave up my hand to the young man, trusting that he’d do right by me.  And yes. The little boy was right. That water was very cold. Fortunately numbness sets in pretty quickly.

The Blue Eye Amulet

Blue Eye Amulet Choker/Necklace by Lynne Dee for Spiral Happy

I got curious about the blue eye amulet.

I have to admit I didn’t know that much about it before googling the term. 

Here are some excerpts from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

The evil eye is a look that is believed by many cultures to be able to cause injury or bad luck for the person at whom it is directed for reasons of envy or dislike. The term also refers to the “power” attributed to certain persons of inflicting injury or bad luck by such an envious or ill-wishing look.

The idea expressed by the term causes many cultures to pursue protective measures against it. The concept and its significance vary widely among different cultures, primarily the Middle East. The idea appears several times in translations (of the Old Testament). It was a widely extended belief between many Mediterranean tribes and cultures: It started in Classical Greece and later passed to ancient Rome.

Attempts to ward off the curse of the evil eye have resulted in a number of talismans in many cultures. As a class, they are called "apotropaic" (Greek for "prophylactic" or "protective," literally: "turns away") talismans, meaning that they turn away or turn back harm.

Disks or balls, consisting of concentric blue and white circles (usually, from inside to outside, dark blue, light blue, white, dark blue) representing an evil eye are common apotropaic talismans in the Middle East, found on the prows of Mediterranean boats and elsewhere; in some forms of the folklore, the staring eyes are supposed to bend the malicious gaze back to the sorcerer.

A blue eye can also be found on some forms of the hamsa hand, an apotropaic hand-shaped talisman against the evil eye found in the Middle East. The word hamsa, also spelled khamsa and hamesh, means "five" referring to the fingers of the hand. In Jewish culture, the hamsa is called the Hand of Miriam; in some Muslim populated cultures, the Hand of Fatima. However, it is considered a superstition to practicing or religious Muslims that any symbol or object protects against the evil eye. In Islam, only God can protect against the evil eye.

In Brazil, the equivalent for the evil eye is called olho gordo or "mau olhado" (loosely translated as "fat eye"). It is said that, when a person compliments something that someone else has, the owner should be cautious about who the other person is. That means, if the compliment is sincere, there's no harm done; if it's not, then the other person intends that thing to be either theirs or gone. Usually, it is believed that a future damage to the thing complimented comes from the envious person who complimented it.

In closing,

May all your compliments, given and received, be sincere. (-:

Earn Your Growth

What do you do when you come upon a wall also known as fear? Do you retreat or do you climb it to get to the other side?  To be human is to have fears. But fears serve a purpose.  They are there to allow us to make a choice. Face them and you realize they are no longer a fear. Instead you have done something you didn’t know you could do and you feel more confident. But if you choose to retreat and not climb that wall you will miss out on an experience.

Becoming aware of the wall is really the first step in challenging yourself to grow.  Fears come in all sizes. Sometimes they are masked as something else. Procrastination and laziness may be the mask. Whatever stops us from leaping into unknown waters can be fear lurking its head.

Ask yourself this question. What did I do today I was not sure I could do? And remember that when things are too familiar, we don’t challenge ourselves.

Challenge yourself and you will grow!