Big Timber, Big bonds
September 10, 2011
Last week I was blessed enough to accompany my friend to her Montana ranch. The few days there were filled with horse back riding with kids, and taking walks to the river to find heart shaped rocks. It was an easy going adventure, until our last day when my friend's daughter got accidently hit in the face with a skateboard at a ranch we were visiting. It really affected me and I had some anxiety after that for a few days. Mostly because I was reminded how random accidents can be, and how delicate and fragile our children are. My friend was actually remarkably calm about it, even when we had to go to the very small town of Big Timber to get her daughter stitches. At one point I took my daughter and her son to the Hospice (the emergency room/hospice were in the same place, really!) to break the tension. At the hospice my daughter befriended a sweet older couple that were holding hands. They had been married and living in Big Timber for 60 years. I suddenly had a deep, fierce, longing to have that sort of mate and family. I went to the courtyard for air and felt the sting of a few tears. It had been a long day. I looked at the metal roof, the branches above moving in the wind, through the window I could see an elderly lady, all alone, wig eschew, nodding off in her wheel chair, the wind picked up, and at that exact moment a beautiful feather floated down to me from up above somewhere in the sky. I took that as an omen. We can make up our families. We can create our bonds. They may not be the traditional ones we all were raised on, but the time we spend with good friends, making dinner, playing with their kids, or getting stitched up in Big Timber are what make up an authentic family. I felt at peace then and very, very grateful.
This week is an exciting week full of vanguard roses! Meet Nena Niesson and Valerie Grandury who both survived cancer and now are on missions to bring us beauty and health. We have guest contributor Alisa Ratner who shows her favorite nesting treats, and Beatrice the beautiful craftswoman.