~ a story yet to tell…

“I would like to believe when I die that I have given myself away like a tree that sows seed every spring and never counts the loss, because it is not loss, it is adding to future life. It is the tree’s way of being. Strongly rooted perhaps, but spilling out its treasure on the wind.” (May Sarton, 1912 – 1995)

Here is a beautiful quote I just read this morning and decided to share on this Holy Weekend.  Some will read the quote as sad and others will feel significant hope and light.  No two people will read the quote in the same way, just as no two will see the image of the tree above in the same way.  Some will see a tree in late March or early April.  Others will see a tree in early December.  Some may only see the light of a dawn.  And then there will be those who only see the heart of light in the middle.  We see things as we need to and based on where we are in our own lives.

The root of TEAPOTS is that Sophia simply cannot accept that life seems to be going on as if her Memi, her beloved grandmother, never was a part of it.  A 12-year-old girl screaming to have someone remember and pay attention…before it’s too late.  Before everyone forgets.  And of course, in TEAPOTS the reader sees that through the “little things” — the symbols Memi leaves for Sophia, that her part in her granddaughter’s life will always remain.

In many cultures and ethnicities for centuries there was, and for many still remains, a very significant and impactful ritual of being in mourning dress for a year after the passing of a loved one. For some, the dressing in black remained for the widow or mother for the rest of their lives.  The symbolic reason was to hold in deepest memory and respect the person they loved so much.  The black clothing symbolized to the outside world their feelings of loss and sadness and the impact of that loss.  In today’s culture where and what are those symbols?  Are there any left?  How can a person show that they are still deeply hurting and sad?  Very rarely in modern times do we see someone dressed in all black to represent a mourning period.

What we miss in this fast pace life are the chances to stop and reflect.  Most symbols of years ago have been diluted or evaporated altogether.  We must hold on to what matters most and what helps a person through the passages in life.  Most importantly, above anything else, is to teach our children that honoring tradition and the past is the very root to keeping the memory of someone we love alive forever.