20/05/2025
I just want to take a moment of reflection. Of gratitude. This is a photo taken by my sweet friend Jamie while she was visiting from NY with her beautiful girls. It’s a photo of my “half empty because life is busy and I am only one woman and everything is blended to order” product shelf. Initially I was judging myself because I felt like I should have done “better” to prepare for a photoshoot. I mean, who wants a picture of a half empty shelf that probably needs to be dusted!?
But then I felt a wave of emotion… you see, the photo you see here behind my tinctures is priceless and I put it here to remind me of why I am here. My purpose, my heart, and my origins. This is my great grandmother and great grandfather. We just said goodbye to my great grandmother last October at 101 years old. She was the rock of our family in SO many ways. She was a significant part of my childhood and I have fond memories of spending time in her garden just being with the plants. She was the first example I had of seeing the divinity in the flowers, in the medicine. The reciprocity of being in relationship with plants and recognizing God in the patterns of the leaves.
We lost my great grandfather to su***de when I was very young. Maybe two? I have very few pictures with him but I do know that he was her soul’s reflection. Her heart never stopped loving him. Through the pain and demons that he fought on a daily basis. Constantly feeling not enough and as though he was a burden to her. And she survived. After his death, she lived for her family with a constant hole in her heart. She was strength embodied. She was the fire of the feminine, the matriarch, and the Queen. And that’s why this picture sits on my shelf. One because I want to be reminded of her every time I have my hands in plants and flowers… but also because she taught me love, grace, strength, resilience, and to feel God in every moment.
I love you Grandma… and Grandpa. Thank you for the blessings and the lessons you imprinted on my heart. I feel you in my prayers and in my celebrations. Thank you for everything. And enjoy those peonies I know you’ve planted up there 🫶
