intentions and reality

I had every intention of starting the year off by posting more often. Your suggestions in the comment section of my last post have been wonderful, inspiring and some, very funny ;) I thank you so much for every one.  You have given me some great ideas for things to "talk" about with you.  

Thank you. 

But, as life is known to do, even with the best of intentions things do not always work out as planned.  A dear friend of ours died suddenly several weeks ago.  Myself along with two other women have helped her husband plan her memorial, her reception, and a private celebration for 75 close friends and family at their home .

She and her husband moved into the neighborhood several years ago; they hired me to help them renovate their kitchen/gathering room and sun room in their gorgeous 18th century home.  During this process which has been going on for almost a year now they have both become very dear friends of ours.  

My friend was a joy in my life, as a friend and as a client.  She never missed an opportunity to tell me how much she loved her new kitchen and about all the compliments that she received on it and she never missed an opportunity to tell me she loved me.  

I can still hear her saying "Joan will make it beautiful" which she said many times over the course of the renovation whenever there was an issue or a problem.  It was always such a gift to me to hear as it meant she trusted me and knew I would fight hard to make it right and make her house her dream which only made me want to work that much harder.  It was my honor and truly my pleasure to turn her vision into a space that she loved.  Her husbands response to all final decisions was "Whatever makes my wife happy!"  I had the honor of planning the private reception at her home in the kitchen that we designed together using my antique and vintage hotel silver, vintage cake stands, antique white English ironstone along with gorgeous flowers brought from the church reception.  I desperately wanted to make it beautiful, one last time, for my dear friend who trusted me so much.  Her husband and several lovely people have told me that she would have loved the reception, so my heart is full.

She was a very special person and I am grateful to have called her my friend.  I will carry the joy that she gave to me in my heart forever.  Love you Marcie...

Her memorial was the past weekend and I wanted to write this post so you would know the reason for my absence here and also to remind you (as we all need the reminder sometimes) to tell your wife/husband/partner just how much you love and appreciate them.  And to contact a friend, maybe a lost friend, and let them know how much you love them and how much they have meant in your life. 

Life is short and getting shorter with each passing day, so don't miss an opportunity to tell those you love how much they mean to you.

Last night one of the other two women and I were back in our friend's beautiful kitchen to deconstruct several of the large flower arrangements from the church/reception into smaller bouquets.  Several large arrangements were left at the church, many others were taken to a nursing home, but two large arrangements remained.  While our husbands and her husband watched the Patriots play in the sun room my friend and I stood in the kitchen drinking wine, making individual arrangements (the husband did not want the flowers.)  We both decided it was such a special, therapeutic gift of time together as we quietly talked about our friend and the events of the past several days and all the new people we had met from their past. We each took several arrangements home.  I wanted to share the idea with you-  it was so nice to see none of the flowers go to waste and to see them remade into smaller, yet meaningful displays that will allow us to hold her in celebration for a few more days.  

For those in the area, the flowers were done by Apotheca in Goffstown, New Hampshire.  

Apotheca was wonderful to work with and all the arrangements were stunning.  

Thank you sweet Dan.... I could not have done this without all of your help, love and support.

Thank you and love to my dear friend Sara and my new bff ;) Sorrell- 

you are both, quite simply, amazing.  xxo