A Christmas Miracle & Truth Number 3

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...in a small mid-western town, there was a handsome, popular & athletic boy.

He was Senior Class President,

Captain of the Football Team & a State Champion in track & field.

At the same school there was a beautiful, bright young girl filled with promise for the future.

She was a Homecoming Princess, a Nationally Ranked diver & a reserve on the US Olympic Diving Team. This boy & this girl became high school sweethearts, fell in love & got married.

The sweetheart's were expecting a baby when this proud, 18 year old, All-American boy & his best friend, enlisted in the Marines & went off to fight in the Korean War. The two small town boys sailed across the ocean blue, to places they could have never imagined.

Back home, the girl became a Mommy. With her husband away at war, she & her brand new baby moved from their small hometown & everything they had ever known, to a beach city in southern California & it was there that she awaited her husband's return. Johnny was one before his Daddy ever got to hold him. Soon, there was a new addition to the family, a little baby girl named Susie.

Johnny & Susie had a happy childhood in their little house near the seashore.

Growing up with their faces in the sun, they searched for shells in the sand, swam in the bay, checked out books from the seaside library & always smelled of 'Sea & Ski.'

On Christmas morning, they sat together playing with their new toys, dressed in their new Christmas pajamas & slippers. Susie doesn't have a childhood memory that Johnny is not in.

Fast, fast forward....

Slowly & over time, their beautiful Mommy got sick. She had a devastating disease for which there was no cure. A genetic disease. Huntington's Disease. Susie was 10 when her Mommy got diagnosed & 15 when her Mommy died. Susie spent the next 40 years of her life being terrified about everything & anything to do with the monster that lurked under her bed. A flip of a coin would determine Johnny & Susie's fate, a 50/50 chance were the odds they were given. Tragically, Johnny lost the coin toss.

Susie watched Johnny get worse & worse. Susie was scared of Johnny & of what Johnny's illness represented. A possible mirror image of herself, reliving the pain of her Mommy's disease, guilt, fear & some more fear. At some point, Johnny got lost in the system...disability, social security, medical, medicare, halfway houses, care facilities, nursing homes, convalescent hospitals & Susie didn't try & find him because her FEAR was too great.

Then , Susie did a blog about 30 Truths & she came to number 3.

Unknowingly, number 3 changed her life... forever.

Number3: Something you have to forgive yourself for.

Surviving & Johnny.

 

 

Fast forward...

Thursday I found my brother, Johnny.

Thursday, I drove alone to a nursing home in LA.

Thursday, I didn't know if I could get out of the car...but I did.

Thursday, I walked through the doors & smelled urine & got scared & thought I can't do it...but I did.

Thursday, I walked up to a nurses aide & asked where Johnny was. She led me to a room & I saw a man in a bed on the far side of the room & thought, it's just too hard, don't go in...but I did.

Thursday, I walked into his room. Crying, I walked over to his bed & for the 1st time in so many lost years, I kissed the face of my brother. I stayed for 5 hours & went back the next day.

 

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My journey of Love & Peace is just beginning & my life will never be the same.

I have a brother who is 56, his name is Johnny & he has Huntington's Disease.

I am my brother's keeper...

Friday night, before I left the hospital, I asked the nurses if they might change Johnny into the new Christmas pajamas I had brought for him. I left the room & went over to the nurses station, leaning against the counter as I waited. A woman in a wheelchair, who I had never seen before, came over to me & said, "You're so beautiful! You have the glow of angels surrounding you." I thanked her as she continued talking to me about the Lord's blessings.

Was I in the presence of angels?

I believe I was.

Is this a Christmas Miracle?

Oh yes sweet hearts, most assuredly, this is an amazing Christmas Miracle...

for both of us!!

XOXO

vintagesusie

T'was the Night of the Drawing...

{images provided by Getty Images}

T'was the night of the drawing

& all through the land,

vintagesusie & friends

sat wringing their hands.

The present was placed

by the tree with much care

& a feeling of wonder

hung thick in the air.

Will it be me?

thought Trisha & Cindy.

Might I be the winner?

dreamed Debbie & Wendy.

A cowboy hat

will determine our fate,

if only she'd tell us

my God, I can't wait!

The silence was deafening,

every breath was held tight.

The moment approached

as the moon shone so bright.

In her cowboy boots,

all dressed up for the show,

vintagesusie looked stunning in

the twinkle light glow.

She held out her hand

& went right to her work,

pulled a name from the hat

& then turned with a jerk.

Reading aloud

the name she did give,

while praying the losers

would still want to live.

"The WINNER is JUDY,

Pappy's Cowgirl,

Congrats my Sweet Heart,

let me give you a twirl!"

Thanks friends for playing,

it's been such a delight,

Happy Holidays to all

& to all a Good Night!

XOXO

vintagesusie  ;)

My Vintage Christmas

I am one of those SILLY people who absolutely LOVES everything about Christmas, maybe I should have been born a WHO! lol

From the second Thanksgiving is officially over, until New Year's Day,

I eat, sleep, think & dream Christmas in living color, sprinkled with sugar plum fairies & white twinkle lights.

I adore carefully opening up my boxes of Christmas's Past & getting a chance to see my much cherished vintage Johnson Brothers Christmas dishes & my collection of vintage 50's ornaments for the tree.

How easily I can remember back to my own childhood Christmas's so filled with magic & wonder.

I remember a pillow my Mommy had made for me. A sweet, little round pillow of Santa's face made with love out of felt & sequins.

She made a set of 6 little angels that hung on our tree, each one playing a different musical instrument. They too were made of felt & sequins & I LOVED them so much...sequins were like pixie dust to me as a little girl...pure magic!

What I wouldn't do to touch & hold & smell those memories, just one more time.

I remember getting all bundled up during the holidays & going to Belmont Shore where we would park & walk the small town Main Street, looking at all the Christmas displays in the store windows.

Then, my Daddy would drive us a little further down Pacific Coast Hwy to where the rich people lived. We would walk the sidewalks outside their homes, glancing into their world at their huge Christmas trees covered in grand lights & surrounded by beautiful presents & bows...

but it never took away from the magic of our little tree at home with the sweet homemade felt & sequined angels.

I love the words of Dr. Seuss...I too believe Christmas means a little bit more.

'Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.

What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.'

Here's to wishing all of you Sweet Hearts,

the joys & blessings of wonderful childhood memories, your very own Vintage Christmas & "a little bit more!"

I am also joining Debra of Common Ground for her Vintage Inspiration Friday post. The theme through December is to share your Vintage Christmas...how fun is that! Come on over & join in the fun, there are so many lovely links to visit. I hope you will enjoy them as well.

PS: My 400 Friends Give-Away is in 3 days!!

If you haven't left a comment yet, click here to be entered...Good Luck All!

XOXO

vintagesusie

The Gift of Serendipity & a Surprise

A new week is upon us Friends & along with that comes new Possibilities!

I believe in Serendipity.

The definition is:

1. The phenomenon of things coming together perfectly when you least expect them to.

 2. The effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely.

Thus has been, my amazing 'Gift of Friendship' from Diane Cook! 

{susie & diane at marburger farms last September}

Diane found me through my blog, although I don't know exactly how she came across it.

I do know she was taken with my Disneyland post & loved the design of my etsy shop banner.

She contacted me to help design a brand for her to use on her blog rosa & josie's, for hang tags on her beautiful line of jewelry & to help promote her classes on the art of making jewelry.

It was a simple design from a vintage cabinet card she had of two little sisters holding hands.

As I played with this image in PS, there were so many things I fell in love with. The little pleats in their matching skirts, the floral embroidery & piping that decorated them, the crispness of their shirts & of course, how tenderly they held each other's hands.

 

Who could have ever imagined that one design job would make soul sisters out of strangers, inspire me to create my own jewelry, introduce me to some of the greatest talents in the art of jewelry making, get me design jobs, motivate me to travel half way across the US to the great state of Texas to be a part of an Antique Experience like no other, indirectly introduce me to The Junk Gypsy's & Magnolia Pearl, directly introduce me to my gal pal Charlene Pearl of My Heart's Ease & unknowingly change my life forever!

I couldn't have!

{one of diane's displays at marburger farms}

Serendipity, right?

So, I go to Barnes & Noble to pick up an issue of Artful Blogging that I know Diane has been featured in. As I flip through the pages & see her article, I am overjoyed for this amazing & talented woman I now call friend.

Heading towards the checkout, I grab a Belle Armoire Jewelry magazine just for the heck of it, thinking that maybe an ad I recently worked on for Jeanette at fundametal.net might be in this issue.

Again, with the magic of serendipity, what a wonderful surprise I had in store!

As I slowly turned the pages, wanting to take in each exquisite article, I saw one that caught my eye...

A Necklace Round Robin by Cindy Wimmer of Sweet Bead Studios . How exciting, I know Cindy, Diane introduced us & I worked on a design job for her ArtBliss Workshop.
Then another...

Where Inspiration is Hatched by Ricki Schumacher of Riki Jewelry. How cool, she & I had just been emailing each other about setting up a time to work on some blog design, she liked the work Diane & I had done together.

And then, there it was...

The Art of Presentation, Her Grandmother's Wedding Veil

Artwork by Diane Cook...

and spread across 3 glorious pages, were the images of two little sisters holding hands.

{diane at her booth at marburger farm}

One of Diane's favorite sayings is...

Come join me...take my hand, as we travel on this journey called life....we will learn together.

Diane is the embodiment of generosity. She can never truly know what an amazing gift
she is to me.

Serendipity...

The effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely.
I BELIEVE!

XOXO

vintagesusie

Writings from a Christmas Past...

In 1870 a loving & devoted daughter named Ella, wrote some Holiday wishes to her much beloved parents.

My dear sister Kristen, gave me these letters years ago knowing my appreciation for anything old & now I share my treasures with you, my Sweetest of Hearts.

1870 was a mere 5 years after the Civil War had ended. What of the war had our Miss Ella seen first hand?

Did she & her family live in the North or in the South?

Were they of privilege or poverty?

Did she & her Mother sit together wrapping bandages for the soldiers?

Did her Father or brothers go off to fight in the war?

The papers she chose to write on are delicate & ornate, the pages tied together with a thin green ribbon.

Her penmanship is exquisite & her prose beautiful.

By her writings, I can tell Ella was a sensitive & well educated young woman.

I want to know so much more.

Here's her Christmas Wish...

Heartily my parents dear

I wish you blessings choice,

And all the treasure here below

Which can your hearts rejoice.

Peacefully may pass the days

Within the bright New Year,

Plentiful may pleasure be

Your loving hearts to cheer!

Yes, may Heaven grant you health

And still your life prolong,

Never may my Parents dear

Be suffering any wrong.

E'er for your parental care

And all your tender love,

Will I endeavor day by day

My gratitude to prove

Yes, I will strive to be your joy

Your comfort and your stay,

Each benefit received from you,

Thus fondly to repay.

Ah! then accept my wishes fond

My own loved Parents dear,

Receive with them my fibile love

And gratitude sincere.

Affectionately inscribed by

...Ella.

What an amazing Gift from a child! This is a lost art my friends.

In an age of voicemails & emails, texts & iphones, facebook & twitter...

who would want to take the time to sit down & write such an eloquent & heartfelt poem?

I am blessed to have one more of Ella's handwritten wishes, this one for her Mamma's birthday only 5 days before my own.

My dear Mamma,

Today being the anniversary of your birth, I beg you to accept the sincere congratulation that come from the heart of a devoted child. Although I wish you happiness every day of my life, still on this bright anniversary of your birth, it seems but natural that I should give expression of my thoughts. Yes, dearest Mamma, may God grant you all blessings, both spiritual and temporal, may he bestow upon you all that contributes to a life of peace and happiness. Though I cannot give you a sensible token of my love and gratitude, be assured that I have offered fervent prayers to the throne of God for your welfare.

Receive, beloved Mamma, my wishes for health, peace and happiness as a testimonial of the lasting affection of

Your devoted child,

...Ella

November 20th, 1870

Sweet, Sweet Ella...

Could you have ever imagined in your grandest of dreams that 140 years later, someone like me would be holding your letters close to her heart, with the wish to share your love & beauty & grace as a Christmas gift to all the world? Life is so very Remarkable!!!
Sharing with my friends from Faded Charm ...Welcome!

I am also joining Debra of Common Ground for her Vintage Inspiration Friday post. The theme through December is to share your Vintage Christmas...how fun is that! Come on over & join in the fun, there are so many lovely links to visit. I hope you will enjoy them as well.
PS: If you haven't entered my 400 Friends Giveaway, don't forget to click here & leave a comment!

XOXO

vintagesusie