NOTE: I am going through my old files and am doing a cut and paste of previous memories….
March 16, 2010….St. Patty’s Day
Pa is at our new home…how funny it is to be saying “our new home”….and here I am at the trailer, cleaning, organizing as it seems like a never ending process….purge is at the top of the list. Monday, the full moon was in Pisces…and according to my dear friend Corina, an astrologer, she advised me that between 2:00 and 10:00 PM Monday nite, it would be the best time ever to make a list of what you want to manifest. And I did as I was told…it will be interesting to see the results.
It’s Wednesday and I haven’t finished any of the projects that I started …my intention was to do a lot of projects on the computer nd low and behold…no internet service. Ordered our own line today…yet another delay on what I wanted to accomplish…it’s all about organization, knowing where anything is at at any time. Is this delusional or what?
Washing dishes this morning, had my frequent visualization of the day I purchased a set of dishes at the flea market….maybe about 27, 28 years ago…can’t remember exactly but what I do remember is so vivid in my mind. It was a very beautiful Spring day, similar to today’s weather. In the “olden days” as we refer to those days of “extremely limited funds” days when we were struggling financially and some of our extra money actually came from selling things at the flea market. When we first met, I actually had a job of tracking Garage Sales held in the City of Salinas, where I worked in the Finance Department when Richard and I first got together. I had the opportunity to know of garage sales as residents actually had to register with the City as only 2 garage sales a year can be held at any residence. When people registered, I would ask what items they were selling and if it was any interest to me I would mention that I would love to come, but I would not be in town that day…and it seems like 99% of the time, they would invite me over BEFORE the garage sale. I was able to get some really good deals and then we would gather our “finds” and periodically sell items at the flea market to get extra money.
Getting back to that memory of that day 28- + years ago……we had gone to the flea market one day and Richard was a few “booths” away from me when I saw a beautiful set of dishes….a complete set of real china….altho I knew the tea cup design would not fit our household, as mugs were more our style, I wanted the set anyway. I fell in love with it, what can I say. I asked the price and I think it was $50.00….not a lot of money but in those days it was a matter of keeping the electricity on and having food on the table for the 5 of us. My heart said yes, but my logic and reasoning said “what are you thinking?!”. I went back to tell Richard about the set and my thoughts….he said, well let’s take a look. I picked up the dish carefully and showed it to him…the pink rose design…flipping the plate over to view the info on the back, as if I knew what would be valuable or not….the man said if I took very good care of the set, he would let me have it for $35.00. How could we resist…..As the time I was in my 30’s…the gentleman was perhaps in his late 50’s or so. He was by himself…no lady present. He told me that the set belonged to his mother and he hated to part with it but he was not able to keep it. I promised him that I would take very good care of them. I brought them home and we used them for “nice occasions”…the girls knew to be careful with them.
June 14, 2010
After the Loma Prieta earthquake, only 4 dinner plates remain, but it doesn’t erase the memory of my promise to take care of them….and since that day I’ve experienced the sadness of losing many family and friends dear to my heart and for me, there are no “saving for a special day”…everyday is a special day. The beautiful pink roses have faded and long after the last plate is gone, the memories will remain and not only of the gentleman at the flea market and his memories of his mother, his childhood, his losses, but of my memories…..So as I use those dishes every day, I honor my immortality…a reminder that we are here with purpose but for a blink of an eye in time, in the big scope of things.
As we have purged during this “downsizing” of our lives in our 60’s, it is even so obvious that being in the “now” is so very important. I now understand how that gentleman felt selling his mother’s “stuff”…to total strangers even, knowing that process of “letting go” of the material, knowing that we are in a constant state of change in our lives and “things” come and go, but the memories will always be there. That memory can be there in a blink of an eye, a deep breath and I love it when it brings a smile to your face and in your heart and yes, sometimes tears. Crying is the body in a state of “purging”….a release, allowing the process of sadness or joy to flow and to allow the body to feel the surrender of the sadness and the energy of the joy, allowing us to go forward. …otherwise you slip into that “I’m going no where” mindset….which makes me remember Rev. Emily Sanford at Unity one Sunday….telling us that when you feel you are going no where…focus on being in the now as no where also spells “Now Here”!
My friend Erna called me Sunday nite and it was a wonderful surprise to get her call. Especially when it it is not a call to advise of a death in the family. She’s moved to Washington years ago and we talked about “coming home” to California and she said it would be unlikely at this point in her life. She is 18 months older than me. She lives in a 2 story Victorian home and is now realizing those 20 +- steps is now a challenge. We talked recipes as she is a wonderful cook and makes the most delicous Pear Butter and now that we have a “farm” w/pear trees, would love for her to come and stay awhile to help me perfect her recipe. We talked about the “old days” growing up in the Boronda area of Salinas. The only “gangs” in those days were in reference to your co-workers in the fields or in the sheds.
