My Love Has Returned

Gregg is back at home after a week in Spain! It's so good to have him here again. I don't mind the fact that he gets to travel in his work - he loves it - and what makes him happy, makes me happy, but I am thrilled when he returns safely to me.

I had a busy week while he was away. On Monday, went to my friend Reba's house to make a stepping stone for her sacred garden space, in memory of her daughter, Hannah. Though I didn't know Hannah, our families have been on a similar journey. Reba was kind enough to ask me to contribute a stone. She has a good number of them awaiting placement in her garden, and I can't wait to see how they will all look when the landscaping is finished. I used a butterfly outline, and placed the pieces of glass within it while holding in mind the following story:

The Unknown Shore by Bishop Brent
"A ship sails and I stand watching till she fades
on the horizon and someone at my side says
She is gone.
Gone where? Gone from my sight, that is all.
She is just as large now as when I last saw her.
Her diminished size and total loss from my sight
is in me, not in her.
And just at that moment, when someone at my side
says she is gone, there are others
who are watching her coming over their horizon
and other voices take up a glad shout -
There she comes!
That is what dying is.
An horizon and just the limit of our sight.
Lift us up O Lord, that we may see further."

Wednesday, I went to Seattle to pick up 120 gallons (that's four 30-gallon tubs full) of fleece from the Guild Association. Some generous donor contributed this, and the kind people at the Guild office thought of our guild, and offered it to us. If you would like to make fleece blankets for the hospital, please let me know - you are welcome to share in this bounty!

I also took a walk in the sunshine at lovely Magnuson Park with a dear friend from high school days, who is back in town briefly (before heading up to Alaska for the summer - thank you for taking time to get together, Angela)! Afterward, I dropped off a batch of blankets and quilts at the hospital, and had visit with Julie, our beloved Childlife worker. Julie tells me that they plan to use my book in training their Childlife interns.

While at the hospital, I ran into one of the doctors who took care of Katie (Dr. Brogan). He told me that he had finished reading "Because of Katie," liked it, and wanted to share it with his staff. Another of the doctors told me that he has read it, and said that "it was well done." I also read an endorsement (on facebook) from a doctor who took care of Katie, and who has since moved to another part of the country.

A cousin who lives across the country, contacted me recently, saying that she had read and shared the book with the chief pediatrician of a hospital in her area. The pediatrician read the book, commented positively on it, and stated her intention to use it in training other doctors (thanks, BJ!). These reviews from doctors really encourage me to keep spreading the word and promoting the book. My dad continues to help me with this (thanks, Dad!). I appreciate all feedback, and feedback from medical professionals helps me to know that the book has potential to achieve its purpose. If you haven't ordered a copy, you can do so by clicking here

or using the links on my blog's sidebar. Please consider sharing a copy with your own doctor, or anyone you know who is in the medical profession. If you have already ordered a copy,

Thank you!

Feel free to leave feedback for me, as a review on the book's Amazon page (accessed by clicking on the ad above), in a comment here, or an email message.

During Gregg's week away, I worked on sanding and oiling our deck chairs. I have four more to go, but the two that I finished look much better, and ready for our spring and summer (which always includes days of rain). Here is a picture of the progress:  before

and after:

We've had many days of gorgeous weather, but they have been replaced by a streak of spring showers. On the bright side, beautiful flowers are blooming all around us, peeking through the lush greenery.

Lilac and

rhododendron, our state flower. This huge beauty is an annual feast for the eyes, which our neighborhood anticipates and enjoys. It has a "brother" cut from the same shrub, a few hundred feet down the street.