My soon to be 95 years old mother-in-law called last week to ask if I could help her put on a garage sale. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona and this would entail a 7 hour drive, plus bringing everything to set up a garage sale, as she has never had one in her life. As my husband and I loaded up saw horses and pieces of plywood to use as tables we discussed the reasons for this unusual request. In January, his mother had been diagnosed with lung cancer and from everything we had been told, she probably had anywhere from 3-6 months to live. She says that she has never felt better in years and does seem to be doing really well considering the diagnosis. She has outlived her husband and a brother and most of her friends. She considers that she has had a pretty good run and has told us all that she is ready for whatever happens. With that in mind, she decided that getting rid of some of the "stuff" she had would make it easier on all of us that would be left.
     The day after we arrived, we endeavored to get her to tell us what she wanted in the sale. After much procrastinating, she decided that we would start in her china painting room and cull out all the books that could be sold. Lordy, I have never seen so many cookbooks, mostly vintage, in one place! Now this is a woman whom most family members would agree, with the exception of one or two items, was decidedly not a good cook. But, I guess hope springs eternal and she was trying to be better by just reading Betty Crocker. Every book she placed in the pile came with an anecdote or a memory of someone that had to be told. We were getting nowhere fast and still did not have much to put in a sale.  My husband came in to hurry the pace and basically just increased her audience by one more body.
    Sale day arrived and we set the make-shift table up and placed what items we had managed to gather and price on display. Now, the wait. The first cars arrived and customers started to poke around the "stuff" that she had accumulated over a long life. We were amazed how well these old cookbooks sold. My mother-in-law was impressed enough to go in and bring out some clothing. As I worked the concrete sales floor and took  nickels and dimes, quarters and dollars, she sat in the sunshine and talked to the strangers and neighbors that had stopped by to see what treasures that they couldn't live without.
     She didn't make much money and we didn't get rid of much "stuff" as she just couldn't seem to part with much. But, I think she had a good time and I re-learned something that I had forgotten. We all have stories and we all yearn to share them. It validates us and we feel that we have accomplished something in the passing along of our tales. So, when someone shares a story with you, smile, nod, touch their hand and know that you have lifted a life and made someone feel precious and above all, heard.

Cycles

I  pulled this card from the beautiful "The Goddess Oracle deck just a while ago. I was a little surprised to pull it. I used to get it in my pre-menopausal and peri-menopausal days, but that is long past. What, I was wondering was what it was trying to say to me? 

For women, our days and years are measured by our bleeding cycles. More importantly, how we feel about ourselves and how society sees us is measured by this, too. When you are young and vibrant and FERTILE you are looked at one way, with a value. Maybe for the wrong reasons, but that is the case. When you are older, it is a different story. Here in the West, we worship, chase, idolize Youth. Our older women are pushed aside. Just at the time when we no longer have the worries of continuos child care and at a stage where we have gathered so much information, both classically and intuitively, we are ignored. We even think of ourselves as unwomanly, thinking that we have nothing of value to offer the World. If the outside won't honor us, we need to do it for ourselves. Take stock of your assets. Every life experience, each moment of joy, every agonizing bit of pain, each night of sorrow has taught you something. Every older woman carries a bit of Chiron, the wounded healer, inside of her. Your hand, your words, your very heart can change how some one else sees their day, their partner, their children, their friends, their World. They will listen to you because they will feel that you have been there, done that. You can walk your talk. Don't be shy or afraid. Don't let the World push you aside. Share yourself. You are a gift.

http://www.amazon.com/Goddess-Oracle-Deck-Book-Set/dp/1572815469/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330014634&sr=8-1

For many of us, our lives have played out like an old fashioned melodrama. You know what I mean, "You must pay the rent! I can't pay the rent!" Going from one life crisis after another and all the while, waiting for the "hero" to come and vanquish the evil and take us away into a "happily ever after". Well guess what? YOU are the hero! Not only that you are the script writer and you play every role, every character at one time in your life or another. Now is the time to take charge! Be the producer and the director, after all, you are working with the best talent on the planet! (applause, applause)

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