My Beautiful Angels

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Life is constantly changing.
Souls enter our lives.
Some stay just long enough
To make a real difference.
Others go
And take a piece of our hearts.
But love... true love,
No Matter its intensity or duration,
Lasts forever.
Angel wings represent this to me.
They enfold me.
They protect me.
They guide me.
It's that quiet voice, that whispers to me.
It's that seemingly unknown instinct,
Warning me from the distance.
They are my lineage, my ancestors gone on before me.
Angel wings are also my children.
Loving you,
Laughing with you,
Praying for you,
Elevates my soul.
Because of you,
I learn more than I teach.
My capacity to learn and love grows day by day,
In direct proportion of what I have to what I give away.
These wings are a symbol of my love and devoted friendship to you.
No mother is more...proud
Of the young women you are,
The accomplished women you will become.
Wear this on your journeys,
May it sparkle as brightly as your future.
In all these endeavors, may God protect you,
And remember...Your Mother Loves You.

Merry Christmas to all of you, Violets.  God grant you peace and love and beads in the New Year.

Sunrise was at 5:58 a.m., 70 years ago on Tuesday, June 6, 1944. Operation Overlord's "H" Hour was set for 6:30 a.m. The weather was foul, the visibility was slight, and the seas were rough. The invasion had been postponed repeatedly due to the mercurial nature of the North Atlantic. However, the Allied High Command decided that on this day and this time, Normandy would be the place where necessity and destiny intersected. 160,000 Allied servicemen from Navy officers to Army infantry made their way to that 50 mile stretch of coastline. Battered, wet, seasick, and cold these men...boys...would bludgeon their way through bullets and bodies to make their heroic and anticipated entrance into World War II.
When I think of these events, my mind's eye sees them in black and white film footage and photographs. I hear the narrators on the "Movietone" newsreels announce the "beginning of the end" for Nazi Germany. These patriotic images, propaganda films and songs cemented "reel" icons of bravery into our collective consciousness and popular culture.
I was lucky to know a "real" hero. My Pappy, Kenneth Burris, fought his way to the shore in D-Day and was present in every major European Theater engagement until a concussion grenade ended his military service in April of 1945. Pappy was 23 years old with a wife and two daughters when he landed on that strip of sand so many years ago. He was not unlike several of his brothers or childhood friends that joined to serve our nation in its time of need. These men were not unlike so many soldiers after them, that continue to bear the burden for our security. So on this Veteran's Day, in honor and memory of my patriarch, I would like to thank all of those who have served in the armed services in my own family and in your's. We, the people, salute your sacrifice and service.

Egon...

Say It Aint So

I lost a good friend this week, Harold Ramis.  I never actually met him, shook his hand, or had a chance to tell him how he influenced my life, but he was my friend.  I was a child of the eighties.  Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Danny Aykroyd, Brian Doyle Murray, Chevy Chase and the extended creative families from Chicago's Second City, National Lampoon's, Saturday Night Live, and SCTV  helped to create and mold my sense of humor.  I remember when I was a little girl, sneaking into the living room after everyone had gone to bed, turning on the television and watching Todd give Lisa "Noogies," Jane was apparently an "ignorant slut," and the newscaster was Chevy Chase...and I was not.  While I didn't understand all the jokes at that time, I became addicted to the laughter, to that unexpected element of surprise, and to the rhythm of comedy.

Almost every funny quote I repeat, or funny scene that often plays in my head has Ramis's fingerprint on it. Where would we be without the "Deltas" or Caddyshack to quote on the golf course?  Let alone the classic comedies that he wrote, directed, starred in, or sometimes a combination of the three jobs for an impressive career for 30 + years in comedy. ["Dying is easy, comedy is hard."-Edmund Kean]  Here are just a few:  National Lampoon's Animal House and Vacation, Stripes, Meatballs, Back to School, Ghostbusters I and II...

As a writer, I fell in love with Ramis's ability to make people laugh and think at the same time.  He was able to spotlight the conflicts and inconsistencies of the human condition while showing the individual's power to grow, develop, and succeed.  All of this was done with a wink and a smile nudging the film goer to feel better leaving the theater than when he arrived.

My favorite Harold Ramis project was without a doubt, Groundhog Day.  Through this film, I felt I met Harold Ramis, the man.  He was a voyager that sought to find the importance of the life he was given.  His quest to learn what was important...what made life worth living... was a joy and honor to watch.  I also think that casting Bill Murray was genius.  Who better to move from one day/ life to the next so seemlessly, always lovable even when he was portraying the most selfish and despicable of human emotions?  This opus of tedium, monotony, sin, redemption, and salvation is a work of art for my lost generation of "do-over" kings and queens.  I watch it several times a year.  I am always surprised by how it effects me.  As I personally accumulate more life experiences, I see new depth and dimension in this film each time I view it.  I think that is remarkable.

Perhaps comic, Seth McFarlane, summarized it best when he wrote, "Harold Ramis was a brilliant, shining example for every comedy writer hoping to achieve excellence in the field.  He will be sorely missed."

Here's to finding all those answers, Hal.  I so wish we could have had more time together.  Thanks.

Rene Lalique

 

     Many of you that read my posts know that j'adore Art Nouveau [circa l895-l9l5], specifically the jewelry design of this time period.  The Art Nouveau movement did not last for many years, yet it is a very recognizable and collectible art form in not only jewelry but painting, sculpture, glass, ceramics, architecture and numerous objects d'art.

     Art Nouveau became a rebellious response to the industrialized and overly replicated works of the late Victorian Era.  This movement was also heavily influenced by Asian art that began to flood the European markets in the mid-l800s.  Asian art was fluid and organic with an emphasis on the natural world.  Art Nouveau artists adopted these curving, sinuous and dynamic lines with the emphasis on the objectified female form in a myriad of fanciful, natural settings.  One may also find highly stylized critters such as butterflies, dragonflies, bats, birds and reptiles.  Finally, if one is a botanical lover, these artists interpreted  flowers in seductive shapes and lines that imply graceful movement.  My personal favorites are the poppies, orchids, and irises.

     One of the icons of the Art Nouveau movement is Rene Lalique.  Lalique was a genius at using non-traditional materials such as glass and horn combined with beautiful gemstones and metal to achieve his fanciful and magical designs. Rene Lalique was born in April of l860 in the village of Ay, France. Lalique showed artistic promise and at the tender of age of four, he was apprenticed to the goldsmith, Louis Aucoc. At the age of l2, he entered the College of Turgot where he studied drawing and design. He then moved on to the Crystal Palace School of Art Design. After a brief time in England where he worked as a free lance artist, he returned to Paris where he worked for jewelers with names like...Cartier and Boucheron.

     By the l920s, Lalique had perfected the glass work for which he is most famous.  As the Art Deco movement became popular with its clean symmetrical lines and architectural design, Lalique cemented his place in art history in the areas of home decor, lighting design, ornamental design for the new burgeoning automotive industry, and of course...jewelry.

     Lalique lived and worked as one of the preeminent French artists in Paris until his death in May of l945.  His work is still sold and collected in the secondary market, as well as shown on display at his own museum, Musee Lalique in Paris. His last direct descendant, Marie Claude-Lalique was also a glass maker. She died in April of 2003 in Fort Myers, Florida.

     Lalique was a gifted artist.  A Mozart of metal, if you will.  His designs light the imagination and create a universe where anything was and is possible.  He orchestrated a world that the rest of us could only see in our dreams.  Long live the dreamers.

New Designs for a New Year

This is my salute to mysterious moonstone and labradorite.  The first two necklaces are 36" strands of moonstone and labradorite.  The third strand is an l8" strand of l2mm round moonstones.  Since I am a "more is more" kinda gal, I always try to show you designs in fabulous groupings.  This set looks wonderful with everything.  As always, if you are interested, please contact me via message on Facebook's No Shrinking Violets page or by email listed at this site.

The love of the Far East may be found close to home.  The first two strands are one 36" necklace composed of jade, peridot, turquoise, labradorite, Tahitian pearls, and amber.  The large locket is really a hunter's case from an old pocket watch.  I removed the broken watch and what is left is a beautiful locket that is actually large enough to hold memories.  I am showing this with two estate pieces that I have saved over the years.  The first is a gold filled, nephrite jade bracelet [circa l970] and a lovely pair of brass and enameled earrings [circa l950].  Enjoy, dear friends.

Stephen Webster's Seven Deadly Sins

I'll be honest,,[I have to be in this article]...I look at A LOT of jewelry.  In fact, one could say that I am obsessed with it.  I study it, draw it, design it and fabricate it.  So when I see something that truly inspires my imagination by the fabulous design and the extraordinary materials used, how can I not possibly share it with you?

Today while perusing Pinterest, I found my newest passion...artist and jeweler, Stephen Webster and his artistic clarification of the 7 Deadly Sins.  The Seven Deadly Sins have been taught for centuries.  They first became popular as a didactic tool for the Roman Catholic Church in the early fourteenth century.  These sins, being explained in the Book of Proverbs 6: l6-l9 of the Holy Bible, are said to be the sins from where all other sins originate.  These "mortal" sins may lead to the eternal damnation of the sinner as well as those he pulls down with him through these acts. Throughout the years, these archetypical examples have become a cautionary cloth woven into the realms of religion, history, art, literature and even a few modern motion pictures for the modern student.  So of course, when I saw Webster's ironic interpretation of such weighty subject matter in a medium of art and expression that is so near and dear to my heart, I had to post these magically transporting designs.

PRIDE-  This ring is composed of anodized titanium, amethyst center stone, diamonds, pink and blue sapphires.

GREED- This ring is yellow gold and diamonds.

WRATH-  This is my personal favorite.  I love the intricate design of the hands and the malevolent color palette being offered to the wearer.   This ring is red gold, blood red garnet in the center, diamonds and rubies.

GLUTTONY-  This ring is white gold, orange citrine, rubies and white enameled teeth.

LUST-  This ring is white gold, Tanzanite in the center and diamonds.

SLOTH-  This ring is yellow gold with a center stone of aquamarine, rubies and diamonds.

ENVY-  This ring is white gold, black rhodium, huge peridot, black and white diamonds.

These rings range in price from £l5,000.00- £98,000.00. Perhaps the pocketbook is in as much danger as the soul?

The artist, Stephen Webster is a well established jeweler in England.  He is very popular with celebrities and the English Royal Family.  This particular collection that I shared with you today first debuted in June of 20l0. Webster was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire [MBE] in 20l3 for his 37 years training and skills in the British jewelry industry.

For the New Year

                At forty-one years of age, I carried the sum total of my life’s experiences.  I tried to forget the past, to forgive the pain.  I vainly attempted to learn from my tears, from my poor life decisions and from my negative reactions to stressful situations and people.   As the reader may have guessed, I did not succeed.  My pride, guilt and martyrdom were too heavy.  The excessive weight that I bore, much like Atlas of old, day and night without reprieve began to hurt me physically.  My inner turmoil began to manifest itself in physical maladies that were beginning to affect the quality of my life.  My dreams haunted me and a healing, peaceful sleep often eluded me. 

On a vacation in the warm Florida sunshine, I found myself swimming in a pool alone.  There were no laughing children splashing or playing “Marco Polo,” no smell of coconut tanning oil in the air or bathing beauties sunning, and no music blaring in the distance sharing the next site of Casey Key’s never- ending beach party.  The pool’s water serenely mirrored the cloudless turquoise sky above me so that there was a sense of the infinite with no beginning and no end; just me or perhaps the occasional bird flying overhead fishing for his next meal.   I was not a fisherman, only a solitary voyager enjoying my weightlessness in the soothing water. The “soulful” quiet allowed me to think and feel without environmental static or interruption, a rare occurrence in my hectic existence and tired mind.   It was on that day that I prayed an honest and earnest prayer for guidance and direction.  I admitted that I needed help and that I could not do it on my own.  The response I was given was remarkably swift and direct.  I did not have to wait for a mystical sign for a third party to interpret.   I did not have to roam the desert of my own existence for forty more years. The unknown word that God gave me in response was “Shalom.” The word was spoken softly but undeniably over and over in my ears gently as the ocean breezes caressed me.  I later discovered that this is a Hebrew word that means the “Peace of God,” which I interpreted as the supreme peace, the peace of all peace.  However at that moment, I instinctively knew that the light and mercy of God had found me finally willing to listen.  I knew that the Holy Spirit would always be by my side as my intercessor and ally.  As I floated in the warm water, I imagined myself a baby in the womb.  I was protected and peaceful.  There was no future or past, only resting in the blessed assurance of the healing warmth of my creator’s love.

                  Even though I gave myself to the light, what I call the universal greater good, it does not mean that I never lose my way in darkness or face unfair criticisms.   It does not mean that I am immune from becoming frustrated or angry by the fellow travelers that I encounter along my life’s path.  Perhaps the most difficult lesson is that the enemy of this peace can often come in the person of those that are supposed to love unconditionally.  I was raised in an environment that emphasized religion and judgment.  As an adult, I see that this education was sadly incomplete in terms of love and forgiveness.  The wise traveler does not stumble into these holes mired in mindless ritual and hypocrisy, but rather mushes forward with the truth of his or her faith to light the path.  This light is the unending and uncompromising love of our Creator.  One must also beware that the overwhelming unhappiness of others is often a powerful vortex that may try to extinguish our Father’s guiding light and healing love from the innocent pedestrian that is unknowingly being pulled under by its intense negative energy.   This kind of unhappiness is self-centered and self absorbed.  It does not seek an answer to the problem but would rather roll around in the muck and gloom bemoaning his or her bad circumstance.  Do not travel with such companions.  These people may not realize how dangerous they are to your positive existence.  These sad individuals want someone to stay with them in their hole, feeling that the only way they may be truly understood or helped, is to be miserable with them.  “Misery loves company,” is not just a saying.  Only through prayer and guidance can these weary pilgrims be saved.  Encourage those that seek to drain your energy, but do not give your peace away.  This advice is not meant to be judgmental, but to protect the reader from unnecessary pain and disappointment.   When I am blind-sided by these unwarranted attacks, I repeatedly say the healing word that was given to me and that I now share with you, “Shalom.”

 Many times in life, people get bogged down in verbiage.   We love labels in this country.  What are you?   Identify yourself.  Are you a Democrat, a Republican?   Are you Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Pagan or Atheist?   I certainly do not claim to be a religious theologian.  I do, however, know what I have experienced in my own life.  I do know that there is an omnipotent force in our universe that cares for each of us.  This force seeks to create order from chaos and wants each child to thrive in their respective environments. Healing energy is available to each of us.  We are all chosen for abundance.  We are limited only by our own rules of order and pride.  The expense of this peace is not cost prohibitive, just a simple and honest request.  So right now, at this blessed present moment, promise to be an agent of light and love in your own life and those lives around you.  The New Year is a time of physical renewal and resolutions to be healthier and to take better care of our physical beings.  Why not then be more mentally and spiritually healthy?   Promise to give your faith feet and walk in light and love.

I know that it helps, because it helped me.  When I become overwhelmed at times, I take a moment to center myself again, pray and regain my Shalom.  I never want to go back to that anxious, reactive person that I used to be.  I am free.