Love Letter for a Wednesday - The Year that has Past.
It has been a year of lots of ups and downs. A time of rejoicing and a time of grieving.
Firstly I would like to thank you all for your beautiful uplifting support. Your kindness and love have carried me through the past 4 and a half months with the death of our dear Mother, Lona. Such a challenging time and grief can be a journey of so many ups and downs. Some days we are all over life and others we want to go underground.
I have shared my journey through my Daily Thoughts on my socials as a way of allowing others to hopefully share their own journeys.
Life is not all rainbows and sometimes we need to share the hard stuff.
What I am so grateful for this year is the time that we were able to spend with Lona. We were not granted this precious time with Franny or our Da. I am forever grateful for this time.
Our beautiful Trix had a year in the UK, changing our family dynamics to a very male based family. By the time you receive this newsletter our Trix will be home. To say we are so proud is an understatement. A huge year for her, losing her Grandmother, being away from home for nearly 12 months in a foreign country but what she has gained and her own personal growth is enormous. As parents we build the nest and encourage the flight, hoping that their wings take them on a journey of discovery. We never wanted to ‘clip’ their wings but give them strength to soar on rising wind currents.
My special year of painting full time and facilitating my Art and Wellbeing workshops has been so lovely. A few casual days teaching has ticked off the beautiful chance to be back in the classroom and enjoy the beautiful students of Jugiong Public School and St Joseph’s in Boorowa.
I have worked on some special projects this year. Launching my first tea towels, “Party in the Back Yard” dedicated to dear Lona. She loved a special tea towel to take as a gift to someone's home or to hang on the stove as an ornament rather than to use.
I also dedicated my Solo Exhibition “Home”, which was hosted by the Beautiful Longtrack Pantry in Jugiong. It was just so beautiful and cathartic to work on this body of work.
I know many of us will have empty chairs at our tables and this is highlighted at Christmas. I wish you all love, softness (as a special friend says), peace of mind and body, hope and joy in the coming days.
Remember that we are all doing our best and everyone’s best is quite different.
Speak our feelings in a gentle way and ask for what we need to help navigate these emotions.
Drink water.
Check in on our friends and family.
Somehow try to embrace the specialness of Christmas and in the end, it’s the way we make people feel that is important because the ripple effect of this is contagious.
The above is my intention.
May we continue to light a candle for those who are doing it tough.
I will end my December Love Letter with this quote
“What is Christmas?
It is the tenderness of the past.
Courage for the present and HOPE for the future”.
Agnes M. Pahro
All My Love to you all and much gratitude for your love and support this year,
Love Steph xx