Month: February 2012

On Becoming a Crone

On Becoming a Crone

Author: Belladonna SilverRayne

Why is it so hard to admit we’re growing older? Why do we fight it tooth and nail? Society and the media as a whole, wants to show aging as something to be fought against, to be put off as long as possible. Why? Look at any sit-com, news broadcast, music video…. it’s all about being young and “beautiful”. Youth is made out to be the epitome of what we all want to be. Who wants to get old, right? Wrong!

I will be 45 on my next birthday. A fact that, when said out loud at first, made me mentally cringe. “Me? 45?? That means only 5 more years till I’m 50!!” After I said it aloud several times, and really thought about it, I could say it with confidence. Yes. Me. 45 going onto 50.

And I love it! I am moving into the Crone stage of my life, and enjoying every minute of it!

I loved the Maiden stage, when I was young, supple, carefree, and self-indulgent. Who among us didn’t? Life seemed so simple, so easy to handle. And it was. My biggest worry was what outfit I’d wear out to the club to dance and make merry with friends.

I sowed my oats, looked out for number one (me, of course) and just basically did my own thing. I moved at the speed of light, never really stopping to appreciate the things around me, never really taking anything in. Just “doing”. As I got a little older, I met the person that would become my husband and the father of my kids and we began our life together.

And I grew.

Then came Mother-hood. My body showed great evidence of the birthing of my children, as did my energy levels, emotional (in) stability, and newfound patience. I now had three other human beings, put on this Earth by me, all looking TO me to provide, nourish, teach, and love. Wow! As they grew, learned, made mistakes, and matured, I did as well. I managed to learn along the way to slow down a bit, to really notice things as they happened around me. I watched and listened a little more carefully now. I loved every moment, good and not so good, watching these amazing people who were once actual, living parts of my own body, turn into individuals, all truly unique within themselves, seeing them overcome hurdle after hurdle. Such a reward in life I will never receive again. Or will I?

I divorced my husband, and watched my kids growing older, going out on their own, and beginning their lives as young adults.

And I grew.

When I first began my Pagan path, I was still in what is considered the Mother stage, my kids were still relatively young and “needed” me in a mommy way. I was still very fertile, and the idea of having another baby sometime was not out of the question. Time passed and that idea faded, along with my monthly menses. (Can’t say I miss them much!)

It took me quite awhile to realize that I was no longer in that stage once the Croning period began. I wanted to fight it, to deny it, all for vain reasons, I’m sorry to say. I wanted to cling to that youth, or at least the image of it. Or so I thought. Now, after having met, gotten to know, and come to love, many admirable women, all in the Crone cycle of life, I am fully aware that I too am at that stage. And come to find out, it’s not so bad after all!

As I move into my Croning time, I don’t look at it as an ending, but a beginning, very akin to giving birth (only this time, I don’t think I’ll need all the medications!) . I will be giving birth to my Self. I can allow my Self to now grow, learn, and experience life, as I once allowed my children to do these things.

I am eager to gain more wisdom as time goes by, as the Great Wheel turns, and as season drifts into season.

I am learning to cherish the lines on my face, as each one stands for some lesson learned, some path walked down, perhaps a hardship suffered and come through stronger because of it.

I have begun to admire my stretch marks as battle scars, won not on the field of some war, but fighting to bring life into this world, one wonderful child at a time.

I now embrace the fullness of my softened body, knowing that even though it may not bring life into this world any longer, or be as taut and supple as it was two decades ago, it can still allow for pleasures, for physical support, and for living life in a healthy, Goddess-filled way!

I am now allowing my mature mind to expand and create in ways that it could not in the past.

I enjoy the younger ones coming to me, asking for my opinion, needing a particular sort of comfort that only someone my age can offer.

I am now ready to walk towards the end of my path in this particular life, knowing that even though it comes towards me quicker than ever, there is still much to gather, much to pass on, but still much MORE to learn and take in.

In Pagan societies (as well as many others) Elders are looked to for advice, comfort, wisdom, and as examples. Who better to follow than a grand Crone or Sage, not past their prime, but fully embracing it, fully aware of themselves as human beings? I so hope to be such an example, to my children, my Pagan brothers and sisters, and non-Pagan friends, alike. I want to show what it is to age gracefully, to accept that life is a never-ending cycle of birth, growth, death, and re-birth, in so many ways. I want everyone to see that while youth has it’s merits and perks, so does growing older and wiser.

Whatever stage of life you may be in as a woman. Maiden, Mother, or Crone, realize the absolute beauty of the moment, embrace it for all it is worth, and live each cycle to the fullest. Know that you have earned all that you are made up of, inside and out. And fear not, for Crone is not the end of the line, it is the goal we, as women, all strive to attain.

Cosmic Calendar for Monday, February 20th

Slow your tempo across the board as the universe takes a well-deserved siesta. Except for a gentle and peace-loving Moon-Venus 60-degree sextile pattern (4:29AM PST), a dreamy-visionary Moon-Neptune parallel (7:13AM PST) and a logic-enhancing Moon-Saturn parallel (11:33PM PST), the cosmic scene is relatively quiescent. Love vibrations increase in wavelength – thanks to the Moon-Venus and Moon-Neptune contacts. Allow your multi-faceted personality to express itself with an experimental and improvisational tone to match the lunar currents flying high in Aquarius. Continue enjoying your affiliation with groups, clubs and organizations that fit well with your outlook on society and cultural values. Think more about your exalted destiny on Spaceship Earth rather than superficial interests. Join forces with like-minded souls who are trying to help their fellow human travelers awaken to their global citizenship. This is especially the case as this Monday evening morphs into Tuesday morning when a torrent of cosmic aspects arrives in concert with the Pisces New Moon.

Calendar of the Moon for February 20th

Calendar of the Moon

Ash Tree Month

Color: Pale Blue
Elements: Water and air
Altar: On a cloth of pale blue set a great bowl of salt water in which are set many shells and stones, a shell full of salt, incense, and the figures of sea-birds and fishes.
Offerings: Wash something clean, or air it out.
Daily Meal: Either fish or seafood, or poultry.

Nion/Anthesterion Invocation

Call: Now is the time of wind and water.
Response: Now is the time of sea and sky.
Call: Now is the time of the Gods of weather.
Response: Now is the time of the great waves.
Call: Now is the time of terrible flooding.
Response: Now is the time of needed rain.
Call: Now is the time of battering gales.
Response: Now is the time of winds of change.
Call: Now is the time of fear of change.
Response: Now, and always, change will win.
Call: The wild winds disturb our dreams.
Response: The wild winds awake our minds.
Call: The heavy rains flood our hearts.
Response: The heavy rains water our future.
Call: The sea will sweep us away.
Response: The sea will bear us up.
Call: The sea is cold and unending.
Response: The sea is the source of life.
Call: We are ships on the lost expanse of the ocean.
Response: We are winds that call to one another.
Call: We will brave the wind and water.
Response: We will bring together mind and heart.
Call: We will come home safely after wandering.
Response: We will anchor safely after our journeys.
Call: We will come through wind and water!
Response: We will come through wind and water!
(Repeat last two lines twice more.)

Chant:
We will come through wind and water
We will come through sea and sky

Calendar of the Sun for February 20th

Calendar of the Sun
20 Solmonath

Day of Tacita

Color: White
Element: Earth
Altar: On a white cloth lay a single lit white candle and a bell.
Offering: From the moment of Auge until Hesperis, there is to be a rule of silence in the building. The sole exception is the reading of the invocation. After the Hesperis ritual, silence resumes until the following morning.
Daily Meal: Soft food that does not make crunching noise, such as soups or cooked grains.

Tacita Invocation

Goddess of Silence,
You whose stop the tongue
Before it can speak harm,
Before it can speak lies,
Before it can gossip,
And finally
Before it can say anything
That is not necessary,
Teach us about the still spaces
Between ourselves and each other
Between ourselves and our path
Between ourselves and the Gods.

(The person doing the invocation then rings the bell, and from that moment on, silence reigns again. All sit in meditation about the altar for a time, and each may leave quietly when it seems right.)

Correspondences for Monday, February 20th

Monday Pictures, Images, Comments, Graphics
Correspondences for Monday, February 20th

 

Magickal Intentions: Psychic Sensitivity, Women’s Mysteries, Tides, Waters, Emotional Issues, Agriculture, Animals, Female Fertility, Messages, Theft, Reconcilliations, Voyages, Dreams and Merchandise

Incense: African Violet, Honeysuckle, Myrtle, Willow, Wormwood

Planet: Moon

Sign: Cancer

Angel: Gabriel

Colors: Silver, White and Gray

Herbs/Plants: Night Flowers, Willow Root, Orris Root, Birch, Motherwort, Vervain, White Rose and White Iris

Stones: Carnelian, Moonstone, Aquamarine, Pearl, Clear Quartz, Flourite, Geodes

 Oil: (Moon) Jasmine, Lemon, Sandalwood

Monday belongs to the Moon. Monday’s energy best aligns itself with efforts that deal with women, home and hearth, the family, the garden, travel, and medicine. It also boosts rituals involving psychic development and prophetic dreaming.

The Wicca Book of Days for Feb. 20th – The World Tree

The Wicca Book of Days for February 20th

The World Tree

According to Norse cosmic myth, the universe was sheltered and sustained by the world tree. Yggdrasil, an Ash. Yggdrasil both absorbed and gave out the power of life by tapping into and drawing from the Spring called Urd. Another of its tap-roots extended into the frosty Niflheim, and a third, into the land of the giants. Nine realms in all were supported by Yggdrasil, including Asgard, the home of the Gods; Midgard, the world of human beings; and the province of Hel, where the dead lived. An eagle inhabited the upper branches of the tree, while a dragon lived at the bottom, as did four stags, each of which embodied a cardinal direction.

 

“Get a Handle”

If your besom breaks and it is necessary to replace it, make sure that you either buy or whittle a handle that is made of Ash. For not only does today fall during the Celtic tree month of the Ash, but the Ash tree’s wood both symbolizes Yggdrasil and is exceptionally durable.

Today’s Affirmation, Thought & Meditation for February 20th

Have a Good, Great Week Pictures, Images, Comments, Graphics
Today’s Affirmation

I am lighthouse rather than lifeboat. I do not rescue, but instead help others to find their own way to shore, guiding them by my example.

 

Today’s Thought

I have give you words of vision and wisdom more secret than hidden mysteries. Ponder them in the silence of your soul, and then in freedom do your will.

Bhagavad Gita (1st or 2nd Century)

 

Today’s Meditation

Dressage

This is a disciplined form of horse-riding in which the horse responds sensitively to the rider’s wishes. The object is to achieve harmony between horse and rider. Imagine yourself as a dressage rider:  focused and present, you engage n seamless communication with your horse. Translate this into your relations with yourself. Be at one with yourself, full aware and able to choose how you respond to the world in each moment.

Happy Presidents’ Day, All My Dear Friends!

Presidents Day Pictures, Images, Comments, Graphics
Good Morning to ya’! I hope the majority of my readers have the day off. I know not everyone can have the day off. We still need our gas stations, grocery stores and of course, our Dollar General Stores, lol! We call our Dollar Store, the West Paducah Wal-Mart, lol! I know it has definitely saved the trips to Wally world and town since it has been built. The poor country grocery store is about to go out of business. I told the friend at the Dollar Store if they would put in a meat counter, the grocery store would go under. But I would hate to see it go. It has been out here for over 50 years and has become a local landmark.

The Dollar Store and our local grocery was not what I was planning on writing about today. It just sort of happened, lol! I know I am getting older and now I take time to reflect on things that I use to not do. One of those things happens to be President’s Day. I know there has been oodles of Presidents but the one I think about in particular is Abraham Lincoln. Why I don’t know. Perhaps I was Mary Lincoln in a previous life, lol! He was a great man in a very turmoil time in our country’s history. The war was horrible o say the least. Can you imagine going out on a battlefield and across from you is your brother, father, neighbor or another acquaintance? I can’t. Then to think you were the President that had the sad duty of ordering the troops into war. President Lincoln must have had a lot on his mind and a very heavy heart. But he had a very noble cause and I believe if he had lived, he would have treated the South appropriately. I also believe he would have made us a better country. Unfortunately, we will never know, his life cut way to short. To think John Wilkes Booth thought he was going to be hailed as a hero. What on earth was wrong with that man’s thinking? It has been recorded that Booth killed Lincoln because he loved the South. He might have loved the South but I don’t believe the South loved him. The South had just signed a Peace Treaty calling for the end of the war. Then Booth kills Lincoln. I know papers were found that linked Booth to the Southern capital at the time. But I believe one of the Generals destroyed those papers. But I guess in history, John Wilkes Booths is a person I can say I truly loathe. In my opinion, he killed one of the greatest men that ever lived.

On this Presidents’ Day, there are numerous Presidents we can honor and admire. I am sure each of us has their own. But today, I am taking time out to honor President Abraham Lincoln. Take a moment to honor your favorite and say a little prayer for them.

Happy Presidents’ Day!

Water Magick

Water Magick

The properties of water are both constant and variable at the same time. Water exists on the Earth in three forms: solid (ice), liquid, and gas (evaporated). Water magick is very versatile; it incorporates techniques that bring about changes both within and without. For water magick to occur within, one must consume the water or call upon that aspect of the self. For it to occur without, one must bathe in it, swim in it, cleanse with it, etc.

Not all liquid magick belongs in the realm of water. For instance, brews that incorporate vinegar or alcohol as the primary ingredient fall in the domain of fire.

The magickal properties of particular types of water can be used for the following purposes:

Creeks and streams:  Purification, harmony, cleansing

Dew:  General health, eyesight, beauty. Dew is said to be especially powerful if gathered at dawn on Beltane.

Fog and mists:  Creativity, balance, partnerships

Ice:  Transformations, balance, creativity

Pond or lake water:  Peace, contentment, relaxation, self-reflection.

Rain water:  Energy, protection, cleansing. The first rain that falls in the month of May is considered sacred to the Water Witch

River water:  Cleansing, moving forward, protection

Seawater:  Health, magickal power, manifestation of goals. An old Welsh belief states that a spoonful of sea-water a day will ensure a long and healthy life.

Snow:  Transformations, balance

Spring water:  Growth, holy water, cleansing, protection, prosperity

Swamp and  waste water:  Banishing, binding

Waterfalls:  Power, energy, success

Well water:  Healing, wishes, intuition

The Water Witch also has an attachment to the ares surrounding the water, which can be used for the following magickal purposes:

Beaches:  Rituals, spells, fascinations, meditations

Harbors:  To promote abundance and prosperity; to serve as an aid in banishing things

Riverbanks:  To increase personal power

In Santeria practices, water from particular environments is offered as food to specific Orishas, as follows:

Ogun and Babalu-Aye:  Pond water

Oya:  Rain water

Oshun:  River water

Yemaya:  Seawater

In addition, Santeria incorporates the use of a special cleansing water called omiero. Omiero is comprised of sacred herbs, belonging to the Orisha being petitioned, and water. It is steeped upon coals to bring out the magickal properties. The making of omiero is complicated and has a full ceremony attached to it. The resulting product is used for initiation purposes.

Water Witch Lore – Water Horses

Water Horses

Here is yet another dark little tidbit about water. In Celtic regions, there was a creature called a water horse. This creature was so powerful-looking and enchanting that once see, a person could not help but wish to ride on its back. If he tried, he would soon regret it. It would run so fast that a human would not be able to catch his breath, whereupon the horse would plunge back under the water, carrying the rider with it to a watery grave.

Thought to be most prevalent in the month of November, these magnificent creatures could shapeshift into human form. In this capacity they were known to eat their victims. It was said that the only way to kill a water horse was to hold it over a roaring fire until it melted.

In Scotland, this creature was known as the water bull and was a guardian of the entries into the fairy realm.

Water Witch Lore – Legendary Rivers

Legendary Rivers

River in general have some rather dark folklore about them. In Scotland and Ireland, superstition holds that each river demands one life as its due each year. Rivers are a common theme in mythology as gateways to the other side, the land of death. The river Styx, for example, was the portal to the land of the Underworld.

Styx was considered so holy that to swear by it was sacred, even for the Gods. The person making the promise was bound by the river to tell the truth. The water was undrinkable  – it would cause even a deity to lose their voice for nine years. If one swore an oath by the Styx and did not keep it, Zeus himself would force the oath breaker to drink from its waters.

In order to cross the river Styx into the land of Hades, one had to pay the ferryman, Charon. The ancient Greeks buried the dead with coins under their tongues to ensure that their loved ones would be carried safely across.

Styx, which translates to “river of hate,” was only one river in the Greek Underworld. The other four rivers in the Underworld were as follows:

Acheron:  The “river of woe”

Cocytus:  The “river of lamentation”

Phlegethon:  The “river of fire”

Lethe:  The “river of forgetfulness”

In Norse folklore, the Underworld was known as Niflheim. It was ruled over by the Goddess Hel. It was said to have eleven icy cold rivers, which eventually emptied into the river Styx. The river Slith was a combination of floating blades, blood, tears, waste and poison. The river Gjall was called the “river of echoes.” It had many waterfalls, strong currents, and bones floating in its waters.

Though the connection between rivers and the Underworld in folklore may be a dark theme, rivers have their light side too. It is said that no vampire, demon, ghost, or attacking spirit can follow one across a river.

Rivers with an inspirational overtone far outnumber the darker rivers of myth. The Nile, the Ganga, and the Niger just to name a few, are thought to be life-giving. Millions of lives depend on the waters from these rivers. The Nile River is said to be responsible for Egypt’s existence, as it could never be what it is without her power. The people also credit the river with growth in the areas of friendly personalities, generosity, and love. When it comes to rivers in general, the Water Witch understands that sitting on a riverbank and watching the sun sparkle on the water is actually a way of soaking up the love of the universe.

 

An Air Ritual For Calling the Wind

An Air Ritual For Calling the Wind

The first step to working with the Elements is remembering what it felt like in the past when you encountered that Element. Remember and focus on as many details as you can. What did the wind feel like on your skin? Was your hair tousled? What smell was in the air? Did the wind whistle or howl? As much as you can, relive the experience in your mind. This puts out to the Cosmos that you are ready for this experience. You are open.

Practice going through your day noticing what the wind and the air around you feel like. In the evening, try to recall as much of the experience as you can. This is like an ongoing meditation. The more you do this, the easier it will become to call up the Wind. You are focused.

The first few times you call up the Wind, do it alone. Company can distract you from your magick. Also, these things take practice and your first few attempts might not put you in the Witches’ Hall of Fame, it’s between you and the Wind.

Go to an open place outdoors. Higher ground is better. Use an athame, if you have one – or your extended arm, if you don’t – and draw a magick circle around yourself to mark you sacred space. Open to the experience of the Wind moving around you. Focus your mind and bring up images of more Wind blowing all around you.

Try to incorporate as many senses as possible when you remember wind and visualize Wind. Now reach down and pick up a handful of dust or grass. Holding your arm out to your side and slightly above eye level, slowly let your hand’s contents filter through your fingers. Watch the air between your hand and the earth catch the offering. You may want to quietly chant, “I call the wind. I call the air. I call the mother’s breath.”  Now concentrate hard on experiencing wind. Focus as hard as you can. Hold the feeling for several minutes, and then stop. Clear your mind of your wind images completely. Wait for the breeze to pick up and the wind to answer your call. Be confident.

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

In those moments when we quietly sit with mind centered on the fact that God is only good, and that no situation devious or twisted in appearance, has any power except that which we give it by dwelling on how terrible it is – then, there is hope.

If we can become quiet enough in our own minds to know God is good, it will produce one of those times of sweet serenity that settles like an invisible veil between us and our troubles. In those moments of growth and faith will come peace that passes all understanding.

It is good to live an active life, but some of life’s most productive moments are not when the mind and body are hurled through hectic hours at a furious pace. Life offers many tender and beautiful times that demand nothing and give only a quiet calm that will never come in pill form.

Contrary to the belief in any power except God’s, there is a happy medium. It does not come simply by demanding, and there are times when it can be touched on only so briefly. But even in our sore travails there is a time when life finds balance and we live in harmony with God’s laws.

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – February 19

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – February 19

The Old Man said, “you are both ugly and handsome and you must accept your ugliness as well as your handsomeness in order to really accept yourself.”

–Larry P. Aitken, CHIPPEWA

My Grandfather told me one time that any person who is judgmental to another is also judgmental to themselves. If we want to be free of being judgmental, we need to first work on how judgmental we are to ourselves. If we quit judging ourselves and start accepting ourselves as we are, we will start accepting others as they are. Then we will experience a level of new freedom.

Great Spirit, let me accept myself as I am honoring both my strengths and my weaknesses.

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February 19 – Daily Feast

February 19 – Daily Feast

We all discover at some time or other that it is painful to love. Caring about something, about someone, about some place is a great joy. It does make us vulnerable, easy to get to, easy to touch, and hard-pressed to hide our emotions. Some bit of us wants desperately to hide what we feel for fear that it will be taken the wrong way. But even more, we are afraid of revealing more than we are willing to share. A reserve of our own thoughts and feelings keeps us from depleting all that we are, keeps us from giving away that part of us which generates life. It keeps us able to love and care deeply. Despite all the pain that goes with caring, we would not have it any other way.

~ The earth has received the embrace of the sun and we shall see the results of that love. ~

SITTING BULL

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Daily Motivator for Feb. 19th – Wholeness

Wholeness

Do something positive and valuable in one area of your life, and every other part of your life will benefit from it. The joy you create and experience in one setting will go with you into other situations.

By the same token, any negativity in one part of your life will exert unfavorable influence on other parts of your life. Everything that is a part of you is a part of all of you.

When you work to improve your skill at one task, it brings added confidence to all other tasks that you undertake. When you nurture a true sense of peace in your home life, your life at work becomes more calm and peaceful as well.

No single part of you can be separated from the wholeness of who you are. Each thought, each action, each feeling is connected to all others.

Your health, your career, your family, your faith, your learning, your interests and enjoyments are all intertwined with each other. And as such, you always have countless specific opportunities to nurture and lift up the whole of your life.

Give your very best to each and every aspect of your life. An abiding sense of excellence and integrity will add much to the whole of your world.

— Ralph Marston

The Daily Motivator

Daily OM For February 19th – Witnessing Nature Through Meditation

Witnessing Nature Through Meditation
Bird Meditation

When the weather gets colder it can be more difficult to get in touch with the marvel of nature as it exists around us. Finding innovative ways to really connect with nature brings us closer to the wonders that envelop our lives. One way to do this is to perform a meditation with our feathered friends, the bird kingdom.

Just by taking a few moments each day to watch the bird activity that goes on in our backyards through our windows can bring a sense of calm and well-being to our lives. Watching and being with the birds that we share our garden space with us allows us to experience greater feelings of relaxation and gratitude for the diversity that is always present around us. Simply watching, without judgment or expectations, heightens our awareness of the beauty of nature. If you watch the birds for a long enough period of time you will begin to feel a great sense of deep joy within you knowing we are all truly divine. Doing this with our family members will in turn introduce a meditative practice that can easily be shared and appreciated by all, as well as create deeper bonds with each other through the joy of experiencing the healing power of nature.

Looking through our windows and placing a feeder and bird bath in our gardens to attract the birds is a way to call forth beauty into our lives. As we consciously connect with our outer world—even when the weather inhibits us from physically being in it—we see that the splendor we view outside of our windows is simply a reflection of what lies within us.

Special Kitty of the Day for February 19th

Kitty Girl, the Cat of the Day
Name: Kitty Girl
 Age: Deceased, 16 1/2 years old
Gender: Female
 Kind: Tortie Siamese
Home: Fresno, California, USA
This is my Kitty Girl who came into my life in a small cardboard box. She was only four or five weeks old when her mother had been run over by a car. My son brought her home hoping that I would take her in, even though we already had three adult cats. I told him she could stay until we found a home for her. She still needed to be bottled fed and taught how to use the litter box. She was such a little princess from the start and before to long had wormed her way into my heart. By this time there was no way I going to give her up.

The first two years of her life she was quite a handful. A little wild child, did not like to be held or loved on. Didn’t even purr for me. But one day she climbed onto my lap, settled in and while I scratched her neck began to purr. I was so shocked!! From that time on she became my little shadow wanting to be loved on every possible moment.

At thirteen years old she was diagnosed with diabetes, which was very hard to accept. But we all adjusted to this and she led a well and happy life for over three more years. We lost her this past December. It has been very difficult for me to accept her passing. She was my special little girl, who will be forever in my heart.