AN UNFINISHED SONG
It has been one year since I finished my treatment for breast cancer, and there isn’t a day that goes by that isn’t filled with insights and lessons, my “gifts” from this life-changing journey.
I never really considered myself a writer per se, but things do come to me, and I just try to let them through. And I LOVE music (who doesn’t really?). Recently, I was on a flight and was listening to Joni Mitchell’s song “Free man in Paris,” which she wrote about her friend David Geffen, the music agent / promoter who that felt trapped by his career and obligations. Great song. After listening, then some quiet, I heard music, and then started writing my own song… about the initial confusion, denial, and fearfulness I was mired in when I got my diagnosis… and the eventual path of light that led me through the dark forces of disease.
Thought I’d share the lyrics… pardon if they read a bit odd, as they have never been sung / edited. Maybe someday one of my musician friends will put some music to it and help me finish it.
With Love,
Patti
Bird of Heaven
Somewhere up there in the unsure breeze
Nowhere to go, only to believe
Someday I’ll be free
It’s not just myself I want to deceive
In the light, the pink moonlight
There is no bargain, there is no plea
If it weren’t for my calling here
I’d be living with the free
Am I a bird of heaven
On the wire, saying no way
Pulled in the night by some unseen lead
Must be I am meant to bleed
On the wire, feeling my way
When the call came, I answered it with tears
Held back, then to take a dive
Through waves of confusion and deep, deep fears
Here I am, I’m still alive,
(but not as certain of the years)
Then I sat myself back and I looked at the light
Saw it shining on, around, without me
I rose, I arose with a fight alright,
From the demon hour, from the night
And this bird of heaven
On the wire, showed me the way
The knowing of how we can all be freed
I followed along with little need
On the wire, feeling my way
To meet the shadows of your curse
The birds of the night took wing
It is ours, not yours, this universe
And I am here to sing
Yes, I am. The bird of heaven
On the wire, feeling the way
Pulled from the night by nature’s creed
I float along with little need
On the wire, knowing my way
The birds and us children of the universe
We are here to sing
Join us to help create a world where our sisters and mothers, our daughters and friends are not at risk. We have a long way to go. We should be able to make it with each other’s help, and great organizations like the NBCF.
During the month of October, Waxing Poetic will donate a portion of all sales to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Call No One Wants
It is the call no one wants to give or get. I have breast cancer.
I have unfortunately been on both sides of that phone call. Given the statistics, many of you have also. It is the call where you explain, or witness, the deepest disruption of peace and well-being one might ever know, the rationalizing of your life and circumstances, the most confusing “how and why” this happened to me… and usually some sort of self-blame statement that starts with some form of I “should have…”
We all have to deal with our own should-haves that surround a cancer diagnosis, but looking beyond that to how we can help each other, perhaps we can re-frame the phrase should have for the benefit of all of us who are in this journey together:
We should have done more.
We should have more options.
We should have a better understanding of cancer.
Research, testing and the dissemination of knowledge is critical to the development of new treatments that work, and new laws that create a better environment in which all of us can live. Organizations like the National Breast Cancer Foundation do this work on our behalf, to better understand the disease and its causes and to turn the should into could and, finally, did.
Join us to help create a world where our sisters and mothers, our daughters and friends are not at risk. We have a long way to go. We should be able to make it with each other’s help, and great organizations like the NBCF.
During the month of October, Waxing Poetic will donate a portion of all sales to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
What Matters Most
Found Again with new friends who walk to end breast cancer
For the month of October, 2017, we are focusing on What Matters Most. One of the reasons why I love what I do so much is that Waxing Poetic jewelry can be a catalyst for connection. These small pieces carry such meaning… we choose them for a reason… and that emotional energy and intention feels somehow contained in the reminder that is the physical piece of jewelry.
So, in the wearing, in the giving, we get to discover this all over again. We are truly Waxing Poetic; becoming more poetic, seeing the world through our own lens, and connecting and interpreting it along the way.
There are a lot of things that matter, and we all know, deep down, and not so deep down, that perhaps the things that matter most are not “things” at all, but each other. We Matter Most, all of us, and in seeing ourselves in each other, our common concerns and cares, and wearing reminders of this awareness, we can receive one of the most treasured “gifts” of a Waxing Poetic piece.
I wanted to share with you a day that mattered to me for this very reason. I was wearing my Found Again Star pendant recently in our new Waxing Poetic flagship experience at The Shopkeepers in Santa Barbara, and became connected through a friend (and fellow survivor) with a group of women who chose the same pendant as a reminder of something that mattered to them – completing a walk for breast cancer awareness.
Having gone through treatment and shared this journey on the other side with some friends and family also, this cause is on my mind. Constantly. There isn’t a day that goes by that I am not somehow reminded of my journey though cancer, of friends that have beat it, of friends that are at some place on their journeys, and of some that have lost theirs.
As a cause that is in my heart and that I know is very important to my coworkers here at Waxing Poetic, we are honored to be supporting the National Breast Cancer Foundation this month with a percentage of all sales being donated to find an end to this cancer that affects 1 in 8 women each year.
Thanks for helping us, thanks for being a fellow traveler with us. And now, the short story of what happened that day…
Meet Anne, Laura, Diana, Amy, Katie, Martha, Cheryl and Jenny. These incredible, beautiful women completed the Avon39 walk to end Breast Cancer in Santa Barbara last month, and stopped by our Waxing Poetic flagship store at The Shopkeepers the day after (what I am calling the Found Again day). One of the women, Diana, started waking after her breast cancer experience 7 years ago. She and her husband Declan have fundraisers and support the whole team (called the Double D’s) hosting group events at Harp and Fiddle in Park Ridge, IL, and Casey’s in New Buffalo MI.
I was so blessed that I was there that day, as we connected and shared stories and laughs. It was as if I had known these ladies since childhood – an instant familiarity, and lots of appreciation and sharing.
Here I am with my friend and fellow survivor / thriver Ann on the left, and the Double D’s
The ladies already knew Waxing Poetic, so they were excited to come visit and see the whole line in our new space. They were on a mission, looking for a “memory” charm or pendant to mark the completion of this walk together, and they each individually, and then as a group, chose the Found Again Star Pendant. When we realized that it was the same pendant I was wearing that very day, we couldn’t believe the coincidence (as many of our customers know, we have a lot of different styles to choose from)!
So, if these lovely ladies will have me, I can consider myself a satellite now, a remote-yet-connected traveler on this journey, sharing the same star, Found Again.
Found Again Pendant with Heart's Content Cross on a Pipin Necklace
When I wear this pendant now, I am reminded of the light and beauty of these women, and myself too… despite (and because of) everything we have been through, and everything we do that is brave and right and good. This pendant has taken on new meaning for me, and every time I wear it, I will think of this day.
What I learned from these amazing women: Beauty is a by-product of living life to its fullest expression. Thanks to Anne, Diana and the ladies for making my day and being such an inspiration.
Sending a big hug and always good thoughts and inner beauty and peace to everyone in the journey through breast cancer, and to all of us on the walk in this constellation of Life. Learn more about the Avon 39 walks planned in Santa Barbara for next September, 2018. Learn more about our October give-back organization, the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Follow Waxing Poetic on Instagram @waxingpoetic Follow The Shopkeepers Santa Barbara @the.shopkeepers
Moving Mountains
While I was going through treatment for breast cancer, and especially during chemotherapy, I felt isolated at times. My senses were deadened and my body struggled to hold strong against the ravaging effects of the drugs. And then there was that stranger looking back at me in the mirror, the one trying to save her hair (and some dignity).The feeling is one of submersion. Where you can’t really hear or see or feel like everyone else does. It felt as if life is going on “up there”- on the surface, where there is laughter and joy and exercise and all sorts of earthly pleasures reserved for the healthy folks. Where people have eyelashes, can taste their food, can get through a day without needing to get sick or rest.
Now, I have so many friends, and almost all of them were calling and cooking for us, sending gifts and books and all sorts of supportive gestures. This was such a different reality, and it was all mine. There I was. Feeling alone. Down there in the deep. Wondering, can anyone really see me down here?
One day, I came across the work of Torri Horness on her Instagram outpost of poetry, @notesontheway and grabbed the lifeline. One poem, Mountains, found a way in… a way for me to feel what was happening around me. My friends rescued me every single day I was feeling down, and this poem beautifully illustrates the journey of friendship, connected and brave and powerful.
I contacted Torri when I returned to work, and asked her if we could design a special little compass (inspired by the compass she drew on her post) to accompany this poem to support breast cancer awareness, and she happily obliged. We are so grateful to be able to offer this beautiful poem, along with the compass necklace, as a special gift with purchase for yourself, or a friend in need of this love (the poem can be framed to be kept close).
I’d like to dedicate this post to my friend Amy, who is starting her health journey soon, and to all friends on any side of a cancer journey.With Love,
Patti
Mountains, by Torri Horness
whatever anyone says or
fails to say, you are loved.
& when you are standing
alone at the edge of the earth
& it looks like no one is coming,
listen closely…
you will hear the roar of rattling
stones, trembling beneath the
feet of friends
who are moving mountains
to find you.
Join us to help create a world where our sisters and mothers, our daughters and friends are not at risk. We have a long way to go. We should be able to make it with each other’s help, and great organizations like the NBCF.During the month of October, Waxing Poetic will donate a portion of all sales to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Welcoming the Wild: A Sister Story
In celebration of Sister's Day this August 6th, here are my thoughts.
To be able to work with my sister Lizanne has been one of the most meaningful journeys of my life, and (as you can imagine) so different than my other work relationships. She is, after all, out of everyone whom I am fortunate enough to collaborate with, the one who intimately knows me. We are sisters and co-workers. But the b-story (a.k.a., perhaps the better story) is the remembrance of how we played as kids and of our magical moments - and our foibles - as sisters and friends through the years.
As sisters who collaborate, we play well in the sandbox with others. Evolving through this amazing work that we love to do, we find ourselves constantly interjecting the notion that even though we are not who we once were, we still have that child inside of us. We remember who we were, but we don’t bind each other to our past. What an extraordinary gift (as the alternate would be so stifling)! We are binary stars, made of the same material, brought up in the same house, but each on our own path… able to see each other grow and change, and playing that most important role as sister to each other.
My sister knows that I almost impulsively wander to create… and that to do my job well, I need to return again and again to this place that might seem up there, out there, or over there. It may be a place I need to go by myself, but she knows that it is right where I need to be, and she creates space for this. And in building this Poetic experience together with Lizanne, her binary position in my life continues to prop me up and keep me on course, in a magnetic connection, almost instinctively, as only a sister can do.
There is a poem by Mary Oliver, called “Green, Green is My Sister’s House” that I just love and thought appropriate to share with Lizanne, and you all on this day when we honor our sisters. The metaphor of the tree being my sister is so potent for me… receiving that beckoning call, that “clap,” and that welcome to the place where my creativity, my curiosity is nurtured. Heading out on that limb. Where I return to my wild self, my truth, my purpose.
So thank you Sis; thank you for naturally challenging me, leading me, and understanding that side of me that needs to go up the tree, up in the air, so I can return to myself. I love you very much, and wish all of us who have sisters much love today (and to remind us, that if don’t have one, to look to the trees).
With Spirit and Love, Patti
“Green, Green is My Sister’s House” by Mary Oliver
Don’t you dare climb that tree
or even try, they said, or you will be
sent way to the hospital of the
very foolish, if not the other one.
And I suppose, considering my age,
it was fair advice.
But the tree is a sister to me, she
lives alone in a green cottage
high in the air and I know what
would happen, she’d clap her green hands,
she’d shake her green hair, she’d
welcome me. Truly.
I try to be good but sometimes
a person just has to break out and
act like the wild and springy thing
one used to be. It’s impossible not
to remember wild and not want to go back. So
if someday you can’t find me you might
look into that tree or—of course
it’s possible—under it.
– Mary Oliver, “Green, Green is My Sister’s House,” from A Thousand Mornings (Penguin Press, 2012)
Charity Sponsorship: Direct Relief
Waxing Poetic is donating a portion of all online sale proceeds for the entire summer to Direct Relief.
Benefiting Direct Relief, a highly recognized humanitarian aid organization, active in all 50 states and 70 countries, with a mission to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies.
START SHOPPING
READ MORE
Direct Relief Makes Medical Inventories Available to Assist Texas in Aftermath of Hurricane Harvey
Direct Relief Dispatches Emergency Supplies in Flood Ravaged Communities in Midwest & South
Read More At Direct Relief’s Blog.
Happy Mother's Day
Mother, Mom, Mommy, Ma, Mama, Momma, Mami, Mimi – this is for you who
Held our hands,
kissed our knees, straightened our stances, and showed us the world
One marvel at a time—read us stories,
taught us colors, wore our macaroni jewels,
Bless you,
bless you, bless you.Bless this mother, bless all our mothers, our dearest mamas, our heroines, our darlings
–For our lives, for our capacity to love, for giving us shoulders to cry on, arms to hold us close
(and to remember and feel tight around us, even when we are far apart), quick smiles, oceans of sympathy, humor in abundance, more support than we knew or could ever recognize, grace and joy and patience –May our mothers be blessed with loving children (this falls on us, and we will hold it high), safe homes, abundant love, dear friends with whom to recollect and recount all the adventures (large and small) of the day or moment – shoulders and safe-warm arms to comfort and hold them too (even our heroines need holding, and we want the best for them always)
May they know reciprocity in the most-true ways
May they know they are loved and valued above nearly everything else
May they feel as precious in our eyes as we in theirs
And may they feel as beautiful always as we know they are
She Loved Everything
Every year between Valentines Day, my anniversary in March and Mother's Day in May I practically panic at the thought of finding THREE interesting new gifts within three months to celebrate my wife. It's even harder to keep it interesting when it comes to jewelry since she has never seemed drawn to anything besides Tiffany. When I discovered Waxing Poetic, I had a feeling she would like the personalized aspect of many of the choices but I completely underestimated her reaction. She loved everything, from the use of initials to symbols of our daughter to the unique touches of the bracelet and packaging. She has beamed for days since and is so proud to show it off as her own lucky charms. I have no doubt now she'll be excited to add more as the life events continue! - Ben N.
At Waxing Poetic we receive so much amazing and touching feedback from our customers. It would be impossible to share all of it and we are truly honored and humbled by you, our customers. This month, with Mother's day right around the corner, we wanted to feature Ben N. who has given Waxing Poetic as a gift to his lovely wife on special occasions. We sat down with him to learn more about his experience with Waxing Poetic and to share his story.
Q: How did you first hear or learn about WP? What were you looking for when you found us?
A: I learned about WP through my dear friend Patti – and as I followed her personal story I realized she offered a great way for her jewelry to tell their own personal stories.
Q:Was there something at first stopping you from ordering WP? If so, what?
A: I probably looked at WP for a year before buying it – I wasn’t sure how my wife would receive jewelry from a brand she hadn’t necessarily heard of (but meanwhile I was getting tired of feeling trapped by more commercial choices).
Q: Who were you thinking of when you were shopping?
A: I immediately thought of my wife – I know what matters most to her is something personal and something unique.
Q: What drew you to the piece(s) that you selected at first? Why did you pick them?
A: My wife has always liked charms – so it was fun to choose the ones that included the most important parts of our relationship, whether intertwined initials, hearts, and initials and symbols related to our daughter and family.
Q: What does the piece signify for you? Is it a reminder, a memory, a characteristic, feeling, etc. Tell us about this in detail?
A: I first bought WP jewelry for my wife on our seventh anniversary when I realized more commercial options just didn’t’ feel special and that we had a lot of experiences in our time together to celebrate. By initially choosing symbols of our marriage over time it was a great way to then add others along the way – especially as our daughter is growing.
Q: What was the reaction you got when you gave WP or when people see you wearing WP?
A: I know my wife was surprised – although she wasn’t familiar with it as first, as she learned the story and recognized all the elements that were personal to her she seemed to forget about previous jewelry brands that she may have respected as brands but not necessarily valued as truly special.
Q: What do you think about the quality and design details of the piece(s) specifically?
A: The quality is top notch and I know my wife feels the detail going into each piece is incredibly thoughtful.
Q: What is the most important part of WP that you like the most?
A: It allows the wearer to tell their own story through a variety of unique, touching elements.
Q: How did you feel about Jewelry before you found/own WP? How is WP different from other Jewelry you [buy]?
A: To be honest I felt a little hamstrung by little blue boxes (which in the end didn’t feel personal or unique) and gem stones (where I didn’t always feel good about quality). WP is definitely a more unique, personal touch when looking to buy gifts for my wife and the quality has been terrific.
Q: Would you recommend WP, who to, why? What would you tell them? How would you describe WP to them?
A: I recommend WP to anyone who is looking for jewelry that allows for more individuality and personal connection instead of just buying a brand. Giving my wife her first WP bracelet and then continuing to add to it with new elements that represent what is important to us has turned out to be a much more meaningful experience than giving her less personal (and even more expensive!) items in the past.
Earth Day 2017: Perspective
To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known. – Carl Sagan
That is the last line of Carl Sagan’s moving and ever insightful message about our Earth, inspired by “The Pale Blue Dot” photograph of planet Earth taken in 1990 by the Voyager 1 spacecraft from a record distance of about 6 billion kilometers (3.7 billion miles) from Earth. In the photograph, Earth is shown as a tiny dot (0.12 pixel in size) against the vastness of space.
Life is complicated, and we feel divided. Here, Carl Sagan's beautiful "Pale Blue Dot" speech inspired by that photograph, to put it all in perspective, reminds us that we’re all in this together.
From this vantage point, our Earth looks somewhat like a mere seed. A connection worth exploring. Though seeds seem relatively tiny, the entire life of a plant is hiding inside. And from Space, our Earth appears insignificant, yet holds all the incredible wonders of our natural world, our planet’s unique history involving too many creations and stories to ever comprehend. And, of course, the seed of our humanity.
And what does a seed need to grow? Well, for one, water. In commitment to our beautiful home, our Earth, our blue dot, we are donating a portion of our online sales to the Waterkeeper Alliance, a national organization committed to keeping our waterways clean. And why does our earth look like a blue dot from space? NASA says because it’s mostly covered in water.
Find out more about this organization here:
https://www.waxingpoetic.com/cms/waterkeeper-alliance/
Happy Earth Day. Every choice we make counts. Let’s tread lightly and care for our resources on this beautiful Earth.
Welcome to Nota Bene (both Latin and Italian for “note well,” which we do around here!). At Waxing Poetic, we make things, and get the chance to see them made real (and loved, and changed – by all of you). Here you will find tiny actions, tiny pieces, and tiny particulars of our process – the small (and not so small) things that matter much.
Enjoy!
Patti Pagliei, Founder
