zena musings

Elliott in Bloom

A year ago I created a small memorial garden featuring a cutting from Elliott's clematis. This clematis was dubbed Elliott's because it's always in explosive full bloom glory on his birthday (June 10) and over the years I shot at least 12 or 13 of his birthday portraits sitting in front of it. You can see the clematis behind him on the left in his 15th birthday portrait below. My boy. Isn't he handsome?! He's also impatient to be done with the dang photo session so he can scarf down the pumpkin muffins the candles are stuck into. I always bake them specially for the honeys' birthdays.

Elliott passed in 2007 and I don't live in that house anymore, so last spring Bryon (my ex-husband) took a cutting from the clematis, rooted it and gave it to me. It didn't blossom at all last summer and I wasn't sure it'd survive our insanely long winter with record-smashing snowfall. I was overjoyed when I saw fresh greenery shooting from its base a few weeks ago!

I think about (and miss) Elliott every day, this morning even moreso because it's the first day of his birthday month. (June is also Lucy's birthday month -- hers is the 11th.) Today I was outside mowing and doing other yard work when I noticed... a FLOWER ON THE CLEMATIS! The very first flower on Elliott's clematis bloomed in Spokane on the first day of his birthday month!

Hurray Elliott! Hurray Mother Nature! And a great big thanks to God for today's gift in letting me know that my boy is still with me. :) :) :)

P.S. Just realized it's no coincidence I fixed Copper River salmon for dinner tonight. One of Elliott's many nicknames was Fuzzy Bear due to his resemblance to a grizzly bear, and many jokes abounded as to his looking like an open-mouthed grizzly fishing for salmon on the Copper River.

I definitely believe coincidences are one way God tickles us and maybe even shows off a little bit.

Summer Open Studio ~ Saturday, June 20, 2009

In the Spokane area? Mark your calendars! Our Summer Open Studio Party will be held Saturday, June 20 from 12 noon - 5pm. Twice a year we open our studio doors to let folks shop our candles in person. A few irresistible reasons to come:

• Save 10%-50% on everything in stock
• Receive a free gift just for stopping by
• See and smell the beauty of every candle and gift set we make
• Stock up on gifts for others and yourself in a relaxed atmosphere
• Enjoy scrumptious homemade snacks and sparkling summer drinks
• Meet the zena moon workerbees -- and dogs!
• Support a small, local, woman-owned business
• I'd love to meet you and/or see you again!

Saturday, June 20
12 noon - 5pm

1514 E 9th Ave
Spokane, WA 99202
(509) 534 1534

Everyday Sacred, Togetherness & Yoga Candles

I'm absolutely delighted to unveil three new candles this week!

everyday sacred ~ scented with lavender and peach, with the quote by Sarah Ban Breathnach, "Everyday life is the prayer. How we conduct it, cherish it, celebrate it, consecrate it." read more

togetherness ~ scented with rose and strawberry, with the quote by Piglet, "It's so much more friendly with two." read more

yoga ~ scented with aloe vera and lemon, with the quote, "Life is simple. Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat." read more

After a long, confusing but obviously necessary creative drought, I'm also ridiculously excited to report that several more new candles are almost ready to be unveiled -- including the one I asked for your help with -- plus I'm in the process of revamping some of my existing candles that have been begging for fresh new quotes for quite some time.

Fingers crossed I'll be able to re-ignite my writing as well, but at this point I'm simply content with one baby step at a time actions. :)

Name That Candle ... and receive one free!

Found a quote that I absolutely love and want to create a new candle for:

I will not let anyone walk through my mind with dirty feet.
—Gandhi

What do you think the candle should be called?

zena moon tradition is to send a free candle to whoever assists with its creation, so if I use your suggestion you'll receive one of these candles after it's birthed!

Sacred Life Sunday: Family

 

Today my Dad celebrates 35 years sobriety! At both 25 and 30 years we threw big parties for him loaded with friends and good-natured roasts, but this year he wanted to mark the occasion with a quiet family lunch. My brother and his girlfriend Monique drove over from Montana. We had a fantastic time!

Family now includes my girlfriend Heidi. She is my heartsong. If you've seen Happy Feet (Heidi's favorite movie) you know what that means. If you haven't seen it, do!

Sacred Life Sunday: Leonard Cohen

  

Thursday night I had the privilege of listening to and experiencing the majestic grace of Leonard Cohen. The Seattle Times ran a short but sweet concert review. Seeing him live was a dream come true! And sharing the experience with my beautiful new girlfriend Heidi enhanced the evening's magic. There are moments, sometimes strung together one after another in unbroken succession, when life offers sheer perfection. Thursday night was such a time.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.

Celebrating Earth Day with a Gift to You

I'm delighted to re-introduce our mother earth candles on Earth Day 2009. Scented with pine and rain, it features one of my favorite quotes of all-time, by Alice Walker:

We have a beautiful mother
Her green lap immense
Her brown embrace eternal
Her blue body everything we know.

To celebrate, I'm giving away a FREE mother earth candle ($10 value) with any order* placed today and tomorrow. It won't show up in your shopping cart -- and you don't have to use any special coupon codes -- just place an order in any amount and we'll automatically include it with your shipment!

*Valid only in the continental U.S. Not valid with misfit candles. Offer ends 4/23/09.

Sacred Life Sunday: Of Workerbees and Dobies

Sunday is workerbee day at zena moon, which always includes playtime with the Dobies.

Lucy getting some love from Colleen and Sami. And looking like a six month-old puppy!

Max is Silas's favorite boy in the world, and Max loves Silas right back. Yesterday I took Silas to watch Max's baseball game -- Cheney is currently ranked 3rd in Washington state -- Max hit six RBI's! Silas was a lazy lump o' Dobie playing with Max today. They walked over to the park and laid down. This was taken after they got home.

Sacred Life Sunday: Fullness & Joy

Between the Dobies, March Madness, a trip to Los Angeles and the breathtaking blossoming of a new relationship, this month has flown by! Think I'll just share a few photos today...

Lounging Dobies after a good romp outside.

The reason I'm smiling even more brightly these days.

LA sunset.

Picnic on Malibu Beach.

Hi, remember me? :)

It has been a long time since I've written much of anything substantial here, but now that my Flickr 365 Days project (a self-portrait every day for a full year, which naturally for me meant writing as well) is finished, I have more bandwidth for blogging! And I'm glad, because I missed writing here and I missed reading your blogs as well.

So what's new in zena moon-land? A bevy of new candles are in the works! They include:

discernment
freedom from guilt
gay pride
girlfriends
intention
listening
mama's timeout
meditation
midlife mojo
releasing the past
sacred space
self-respect
spiritual guidance
stillness
yoga

I'm very excited about them and wish they were all ready now. :) My creative process with candles involves prayer, patience, pure unfiltered intuition and simply showing up with the necessary tools: my hands, hot wax, colors, scents and gemstones. They're born when they're ready, and not a moment before.

I'm also going to offer monthly candle-making classes beginning this spring! Once I settle on the dates I'll post the schedule here, and/or you can signup to receive the zena moon newsletter and easily stay tuned that way.

On a personal note I am doing better than ever. I'm thoroughly enjoying my freedom and my life as a single woman at age 45! I'm dating (scary but fun!), texting, flirting wildly, crushing, having amazing new experiences, running with a new pack of lesbian friends, nurturing new and old friendships daily, socializing out the wazoo and spending good quality time with good quality women. Life is incredibly rich and savory, and for a while now my heart has felt like a big fat red round beaming Buddha. I feel like I'm thawing out and coming to life after a long deep freeze. It's now exactly two years since God pulled the rug out from under my life -- marriage ending, sudden move to Spokane, Elliott's passing -- and if you've followed my blog you know I've been open and honest about the incredible pain and difficulty -- not to mention length -- of the grieving process. Healing takes time and work on many different levels. It sure isn't a barrel of monkeys, except for the shit-throwing part. But I'm grateful I was present for all of it, and for myself, and I thank God I'm on the other side. Because where I'm at now is beyond good.

I have experienced and lived over and over again the promise quoted on my faith candle:

"When you come to the edge of all that you know and are about to step into the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: There will be something to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly."

More soon. I swear!

P.S. Check out DailyOm's 10 tips for Staying Grounded in a Big City or Busy World reposted over on Women at Rest.