It Has To Be A Universe Thing...In Just TWO Days.

It started with a delivery of 

Happy Face and flowers

from a dear, dear friend who winters in France

Then on the same day I was given this

amazing and simply beautiful book from a friend

who knows my heart...

The same day another wonderful friend sent me this 

deeply moving poem.

*****

Before you know what kindness really is

you must lose things,

feel the future dissolve in a moment

like salt in a weakened broth.

What you held in your hand,

what you counted and carefully saved,

all this must go so you know

how desolate the landscape can be

between the regions of kindness.

How you ride and ride

thinking the bus will never stop,

the passengers eating maize and chicken

will stare out the window forever.

Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,

you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho

lies dead by the side of the road.

You must see how this could be you,

how he too was someone

who journeyed through the night with plans

and the simple breath that kept him alive.

Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,

you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.

You must wake up with sorrow.

You must speak to it till your voice

catches the thread of all sorrows

and you see the size of the cloth.

Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,

only kindness that ties your shoes

and sends you out into the day to mail letters and 

purchase bread,

only kindness that raises its head

from the crowd of the world to say

It is I you have been looking for,

and then goes with you everywhere

like a shadow or a friend.

—Naomi Shihab Nye

****
Then - on the very next day the morning started

 with a

Starbucks delivery from a great guy.

Then in came a Shamrock plant 
from a truly special lady...
PLUS Delicious muffins from
a smiling friend...

followed closely by 

this gem from another good friend. 

Can you guess what it is?

Yep -  a FAB holder for my panels.

The gift below was a total surprise from a a 

dear lady I have known 

for many years, but we do not exchange gifts 

and she waltzed in 

and presented it to me with a 

beautiful coordinating bow.

Four place mats of nests and birds.
Love, love them!

 But wait ...it continues, 

NO it was NOT my birthday. 
I tell you it is a 

Universe thing...

A simply lovely pair of  

silver calla lily earrings. 

(I am wearing the other one!)

This gift is from a close friend 

who is going through

tough times and can still think of 

someone else.

She also brought these beauties 

in from her garden.

Then another neat guy gave me a tall

dog treat can,  and I 

opened it up to find this gem.

A great little bird nest safely resting 

at the bottom. 

Wait..not finished yet...

I arrived back home to find a box 

on my doorstep

from my wonderful 

(honorary)niece in Florida

This was hand made by an artist

with jasper and other wonderful  symbolic

materials.

She also sent me a card made from

a watercolor chart

made by her mother...my closest friend

for 40 years before she passed on.

I held it and had tears seeing her writing

and feeling the love.

So it is rather overpowering to think of the 

bounty of His Grace and Blessings 

in my life and these 

reminders poured all over me.

I have started painting again.