All year long, I have been in the mood for nothing ~ glorious nothing. After a tough 2015, it was bliss to begin 2016 luxuriating in slow, slothful, living.
But, yesterday, my friend, Liz , (aka Mrs LeapingTracks) , introduced me to her zippy new blog, LeapingLife, and my fingers suddenly twitched, and expressed a desire to add a little something to my gaping, indolent, whole lot of nothing.
And this is what happened; my collage homage to those we loved and lost in 2015 ~ pets included.
In this collage, ‘Best Beloved’, I superimposed one of my mini-meadow photos on an old photo of a beloved friend who died last October. She was an important presence in my life for nearly 45 years. In the collage, the lighter area is the photo of my friend holding my baby son. The lightness represents my feeling that she remains nearby, but just ever so slightly out of my reach.
Best Beloved
The second collage is ‘Best Beloved’, subjected to some more tinkering.
The heart of the matter is love.
I used a Picasa editing setting called Heat Map, and, to my delight, my friend’s pale image became a green heart-like shape. Entirely appropriate since she had very green thumbs and one of her great loves was gardening.
Speaking of loves, what/who we love and how we love, Su Leslie asked me back in October to participate in the 3 Days 3 Quotes challenge. It’s a bit late to enter the challenge, but here is my contribution from a passage, (I Corinthians 13 ), which is pertinent to this post, and which always inspires me ~ “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Ain’t that the truth! Love, the heart of the matter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This post is dedicated to love, loss, life, and love, and, in particular to my friend ( and her family), and to Lavinia and Rick. Lavinia turns loss into life by adding plants to her garden in memory of loved ones.
My friend’s family asked us to remember her by donating to the Millennium Seed Bank http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/collections/millennium-seed-bank/about-millennium-seed-bank coordinated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (What the excellent video on that link if you have time. ) Both are wonderful ways to express our love for one life, and all life. And much more useful than the collage homage. 😉
© silkannthreades
silkannthreades 
I love the photo! The falling Borage flowers are beautiful and filled my garden this past summer. There is just something about a garden and the passing of life. It represents the never ending circle, and what a beautiful way to remember and commemorate your friend!
Thank you for your kind words. From your blog photo, it seems you have a beautiful garden. I have a few plants in my garden to honour special people in my life. Do you?
I don’t but I think this is a beautiful idea and I will be doing this as I plant this year. Thank you for the touching idea ❤
🙂 🙂
Just chanced upon your blog, Gallivanta. Love the collage homage, with heart light shining through.
Thanks so much ‘saswa’. 🙂
You are welcome! You can call me Sally. Or Art and Soul. Sally’s a bit easier and more personal. Plus it’s my name! wishing you well
Thanks Sally!
Beautiful image of the outline of light almost within reach. It says both here and not here, and still shines for you. Great idea to donate to the Millennial Seed Bank. The continuation of life and love.
That’s how it feels; here and not here. I also feel that way about all the older members of my family who have passed away. And I miss the conversation of my little old cat most dreadfully.
On the subject of the “glorious nothing” with which you began this post, I thought you’d enjoy a three-and-a-half minute video I just came across:
http://www.c-span.org/video/?404344-1/book-discussion-art-stillness
I did enjoy it, thank you. I am pleased to be reminded of Pico Iyer. I haven’t read his books but I have enjoyed his Ted talks, and ,for years, I have thought the most useful subject schools could teach would be the art of doing nothing. You can imagine the blank stares I get to that idea. 😀
This is such a touching post. My heart reaches out to you as you redesign your life without the physical presence of your friend. Your collage is so beautiful. Sending love and friendship your way.
Thank you, Letizia. I appreciate your good, kind words.
Beautifully written. The donation to the Millennium Seed Bank is such a wonderful idea, another way that your friend and her relationships with people leave positive footprints in the world.
So sorry for your loss.
Psalm 34:18 ‘The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.’
ML
xx
Thank you for that lovely Psalm, ML. Broken hearts and crushed spirits are strange old things, and, even stranger, we would be lost without them.
thanks so much for reading and following my blog, i enjoy yours as well – best, beth
🙂 I am hopelessly slow with reading but I do hope I will be able to visit you more often.
Touching post, death is never welcomed but we must go on…I hope you and your friend’s family find peace..God bless you…
Thanks for your kind words, Daniella. I am looking forward to meeting some of my friend’s family next month. It will be good to talk.
love the tribute to your friend//so creative!
Thanks Flora. Hope you are well and thriving.
I like how you got a glimpse of eternity through the green heart that symbolizes your friend with the equally green thumb. And I’m sorry your time with her was cut short on this side of heaven. Love.
It’s forever.
Blessings ~ Wendy
Thank you, Wendy. The green heart was an intriguing revelation. My friend was loved dearly by very many people; the love and her story will continue in a multitude of ways.