each day comes bearing its own gifts.
untie the ribbons.
~ ruth ann schabacker
. . .
dear ollee n bee ~
well my lovelies, it has been a while but you know you are in my heart with each beat ... xxo
i write today about gifts ... gifts of life, love, friendship and treasures.
just over three years ago, a gift graced the wonderful land of blogging when a certain special someone began sharing her love of treasures with the world. the loveliest gigi thibodeau, writer/wordsmith, photographer and collector extraordinaire created the magpie's fancy ~ the beginning of a collection of treasures for us all to cherish. from her very early days, i was drawn in to her gift and knew i had found a great kindred spirit and am so blessed to have the gift of friendship develop over time. i have truly fancied this fun, sincere, delightful girl's magical weaving of words accompanied by her stunning photographs. when she tells a story, you are riveted and transformed and leave feeling like you have just lived her words. magical, i say again.
gigi has been faithful to sharing her fancies and recently celebrated her three year anniversary! being the kind, generous and gracious soul she is, gigi offered a giveaway of a most unique kind to celebrate her milestone. you might say she really went the extra mile on this! *wink*
the winner would travel in gigi's mind and heart for a week to london, england where she would thoughtfully (and sharp as a mapgie) pick up treasures for said lucky winner.
yes, dear ollee n bee ~ the winner was me! eeeeeeee!! i was delighted beyond words, to say the least. although gigi and i have never met in person, i felt very strongly that i would indeed feel like i had been tucked into her pocket on her adventures and couldn't wait to see what treasures she would find.
as my parcel of treasures made its way across the miles to me, at the magpie's fancy, gigi took us on sensational tours of each enchanting spot she sought and discovered on her travels in london town. each image is perfectly striking, capturing the very essence of jolly ol ...
mmmmm ... capturing the real flavor of greenwich
oh, you've got to take time to stroll along with the market magpie ... seriously.
the exquisite richness of street shots
. . .
meanwhile, back on the canadian prairies, this girl stood vigilant by her country mail box knowing that soon her gift of friendship and treasures would be arriving any day ...
then, on a day when i would need it most, i lifted the squeaky lid of the old mailbox and there it was ... my parcel of treasures! eeeeeee!!!!
it felt so neat to hold it, knowing that gigi had so lovingly gathered and packaged and wrapped and wrote on the outside
... and now i was holding it in my hands ... really really special.
i absolutely, positively adore how creatively gigi added delightful treasures as details ... xo
gigi thoughtfully wrote a note describing where each treasure had been found!
oh the joy of pulling back the colourful nesting to seek what was within ... : )
this sweet little wooden spoon ~ so smooth to my cheek
a package of polka dot straws (for mojito season ; ) ...
oh, the delightful details ~ the sparkly butterflies,
and then ~ a surprise cardboard tin that 'said' tea, much to my delight held this darling blue dish ~
perfectly cupped and sized for the little wooden spoon ~ awww
. . .
oh! there's more! isn't this too much fun?
by the way, another gift that day was that my very creative son, twin b,
was home to capture my delight step by step ~ thanks, jess! ... : )
what's this? a vintage wooden spool with deep lavender coloured velvet ribbon ...
(i really do touch pretty much everything to my cheek ... mmmmm)
oh my goodness ~ look at this ~ how did gigi know i was such a soap aficionado?
the most silky, luxurious lavender soap with sprinkles of dried lavender on top,
wrapped in lovely paper and tucked into this waxy and kinda worn, perfectly cool cardboard 'tin' ~ divine.
such sweet lavender coloured candles tied up with ribbons ...
and then ...
nestled deep within, catching and reflecting the sunlight were these three absolutely gorgeous
murano glass eggs ~ i can't take my eyes off of them!
with great gratitude, i cherish my parcel of treasures from gigi, from london to portland to me ...
but the biggest gift that i receive every day and will treasure most is her friendship.
thank you again, dear gigi ...
xxo
...
i mentioned earlier how gigi's gift had arrived on a day when i needed it most.
less than a day before i lifted that squeaky old mailbox lid, the woman who gave me the greatest gift ~ life ~ a life filled with nurturing, nourishing and teaching right up til her final breath, slipped from this world. it was in the darkest hours of having the gift of my mom's life taken away that gigi's gift of light and joy and happiness and thoughtfulness arrived. it was uplifting and more importantly reminded me to embrace and accept the little treasures that each day gives us. each day does come bearing its own gifts. it was something my mom believed in and instilled in me. the one thing she requested was to leave a message of hope, so i leave you with this quote i found ...
some see a hopeless end, while others see an endless hope
~ author unknown
...