TAKE A CLOSER LOOK, THEY ARE THERE....

with Aunty's great grandson and my godson far right and his fiancee left

How memorable was your Memorial Day (kick off into summer) weekend….take a closer look. If you are anything like me perhaps it was even better than you think.

Mine started out quite startling and harsh and ended up full of blessings and joy. As I stood there this morning waiting for my water to boil to splash over my Nantucket Blend coffee I realized I had just had a superior weekend full of blessings. And the reason it is such a big deal to me is I am the type of person who always has ten million fantasies going on about everything. So, when I think of Memorial Day weekend, I imagine being on Cape Cod, or partaking in a big family cook-out with Jimmy Buffet music playing and all my relatives there. Of course it’s 80 degrees and sunny. Then I might feel bad if I don’t get to do something like that. But let’s face it, not everyone gets to have idyllic and perfect vacations with each holiday. And, when I think of everything I experienced this weekend, I may not have been strolling about Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard with my entire family (which has been a long-time summer dream of mine) but, I ended up feeling truly blessed.

My weekend went something like this. First of all I might add it was cloudy and cold most of the weekend here in New England. I spent Friday at Mass General Hospital with my boyfriend who is dealing with an extremely serious and complicated heart disease. The procedure he was having was rather surreal and given all the worry and anxiety surrounding it I almost collapsed. Needless to say standing in the hospital waiting room I couldn’t have been any further away from those Norman Rockwell-ish holiday fantasies in my head, but, then the blessings started to come. And this weekend they came in all shapes and sizes.

A dear friend who knew I would be at the hospital all day came by to comfort me while I waited. We sipped Tulsi Tea and meditated at a secret Zen room we discovered.  Later that day my boyfriend pulled through the tests and procedure okay. I went home to sleep. On Saturday still a bit shaky, out of the blue, while I was working an old acquaintance came into the shop and after only a brief chat she took off her angel necklace and gave it to me. She had no idea what I have been dealing with. She simply said, her name is Grace and she was meant for you!

After work that day a kind and generous friend who I might add was a special friend of Aunty's too had just returned from Italy came to my home bearing gifts including a gorgeous Christmas ornament from Venice and homemade tiramisu! She had taken cooking classes in Italy, scoured all the local Italian markets when she returned, and it was the best tiramisu I have had! Even my angel Grace was smiling. 

Later that night my boyfriend and I watched one of the best documentaries we have seen: Muscle Shoals. I highly recommend it. The music and the people in it were all amazing and I was really feeling good.  The main person in the story Rick Hall is a major inspiration. I think there needs to be a monument to him.

the Shoals

Sunday morning my neighbor and friend put a copy of the New York Times at my door.  What a treat. A while later as I sipped my Nantucket coffee I enjoyed an hour long phone conversation with my mother. We laughed over funny stories and people from our past and remembered with much affection some of our beloved and departed family members. It was on that note that I went outside to gather some flowers and brought them to place at Aunty and Uncle D’s grave. Something told me they were so glad to see me and I felt connected and loved!

Then, having accepted an earlier invitation I drove over to hear Auntys’ great grandson (a talented musician) play the drums at a local tavern. I ended up spending the day with my cousins (Aunty’s granddaughter and her kids, Aunty’s great grandchildren). There were hugs, and stories, music and burgers, and future plans made. My godson (Aunty’s great grandson) asked me to stop by and see his new nearby home for the second time. It was spectacular especially out back where he just put up this Moroccan tent with lights overlooking his big backyard. It may have been cold but my heart was thoroughly warmed by now.

Monday, Memorial Day, I caught up on some work (many of you know I have some magic up my sleeves having created a sublime new product and am on the brink of unveiling something out of this world fantastic)! And speaking of amazing, another delight this weekend a friend took me to lunch at Organic Café in Beverly, Mass. This organic and raw restaurant is so good I wish I could eat there every day. I could really feel every cell in my body smiling with each bite and thanking me. We dined on fancy arame noodles dressed in creamy sesame ginger sauce, sprouted buckwheat pizza, and washed it down with a mint matcha latte. And no kidding, it truly was delicious.

Later my boyfriend and I got invited to dinner by a dear friend we both admire. She is the epitome of an artist in every aspect of her life and cooks everything from scratch. There is never a crumb left. We took a rain check (something to look forward to now). But just knowing that someone you look up to this much cares enough to invite you to dinner and drop soup off at your door when you are going through tough times is a precious gift and blessing. 

After dinner at home we poured coconut oil over our organic popcorn and watched the film Whale Rider (a film I had first seen at the Nantucket Film Festival). That movie is utterly enchanting and so well done. I went to bed with a big smile. And when I woke up today, Tuesday morning, after the long holiday weekend, I realized that I was a lot closer to Nantucket and a perfect Memorial Day Weekend then at first thought. If you look closely at any holiday weekend whether you are vacationing or not, my guess is there are so many blessings right under your nose. And a wonderful thing about blessings is, the more you recognize them the more they come…..especially when you are particularly grateful!

Can you count how many blessings there are in my story? How many were sent by Aunty?

With love,

Renee, and that Angel on my shoulder, Aunty