Standing in the Void: How Sacred Dollmaking is helping me make sense of death
October 6, 2006 by Noreen Crone-Findlay
Filed under knitting
Last Sunday, suddenly, my husband’s sister died.
We had been tap dancing on the moon,
as we had talked to her on Thursday evening,
just after she had seen her oncologist.
He told her that he was so happy
because she appeared to be in partial remission
from her lung cancer.
He warned her that pneumonitis was still a danger.
And, on Friday,
pneumonitis struck again.
Her last three days were painful beyond measure.
And at 2 in the morning,
the phone rang.
My husband’s anguished response of
‘no……..
no……..
no……..”
sent me flying out of bed, racing to grab another phone…..
and we crashed into the realm of death.
Everything is different.
One thing remains the same.
I am still an artist,
and I still work with metaphor
to find my way through the labyrinth.
It makes me feel even more committed
to being there for other people
who are also grappling
with the passages that confound us.
That’s why Sacred Dollmaking works for me:
Breath by breath
stitch by stitch
I build compassion
wisdom
hope
and make images for myself
and hopefully that will have meaning for someone else
And, I write books,
and I make tools
and I teach workshops
and I share my journey on this blog.
We are all going to die,
we are all in the process of letting go of
something
or
someone
and in the face of that knowledge,
let there be
beauty.
Let there be light.
with love and blessings
Noreen
www.crone-findlay.com
That is beautiful, Noreen. I am so sorry for your recent loss, and so happy that you have such a beautiful outlet to be able to express your feelings. It is a shame so many others don’t have that same joy in their lives.
{{{Hugs, and much love}}}
Wow, Noreen. That was powerful. Knocked the breath out of me and touched my heart.
Lots of love from your fellow b5 bloggers.
Great post Noreen – thanks for sharing the journey with us. We’re all thinking of you at this time.
Thank you so much, Christina!
Most appreciated!
eegads, it’s a rough ride!
big hugs
Noreen
And, thank you so much, Hsien and Darren!
big hugs coming atcha!
Noreen, I’m so very sorry! Dealing with death is such a painful journey. I’ll be thinking about you your family. Take care of yourselves.
Thank you so much, Alicia! I really appreciate your kind response!
hugs
Noreen
Dear Noreen – what beauty and grace you face these life passages with. Your love and light shine out with compassion and guidance for others. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings through these difficult times.
Thank you so much, Terri! I am really touched and deeply honoured by your response!
As we move, one step at a time, through this passage, it gives me so much compassion for people everywhere who are going through (or have gone through) loss and suffering of all descriptions.
Wow! is life ever precious!
Thanks again, and big hugs!
Noreen