Litha Fairie Garden

As some of you know, Litha is coming up. This holiday is otherwise known as midsummer or the summer solstice-the date on the calendar when the sun is in the sky the longest and the night is the shortest. It's a good time for celebrating the warmth and strength of summer, as well as acknowledging that nothing on this earth lasts forever and that change is always imminent. Some people like to take time during this season to clean out their closets, to give away old clothing no longer worn that someone else might like and/or need. I think that, in celebrating Midsummer, we might come to understand that while not all change is easy, it's not necessarily a bad thing either. Once, a few years ago, I was in a relationship that I thought was "the one". Suddenly, the relationship was ended and I was left devastated. Because I had a belief that the universe has some sort of order and the Goddess has a plan for me, I muddled through this difficult time (with lots of help from friends and family). I even traveled to visit friends in Colorado and was helped in my healing by the nurturing energy of the western mountains (one of my favorite places in the United States). Now, six years later, I'm married to a man who is a much better partner for me and we have a beautiful little girl. Today I can see how that major shift in my life was really for the better, even though it was a painful time.

As one of our Midsummer crafts, we are making a fairie garden. Using Crayola clay I purchased at a local craft store, we fashioned mushrooms, a sun, and a moon. The sun and moon were kind of afterthoughts. It was so much fun mushing around with the clay that we didn't want to stop when we had enough mushrooms to make the garden! I poked little holes in the tops of the sun and moon so they can be hung up someplace as ornaments. Due to the high humidity here in Florida, it took a couple of days before the pieces were dry enough to paint; yesterday we brought out the paints and got busy decorating our clay pieces. We began by carefully selecting colors, applying the paint, and making little dots and flowers on the mushrooms. At the end, when my daughter's attention was beginning to wane, we scooped the paint up with our fingers and finger painted the last mushroom. The effect was pretty, swirled colors. Rachel also painted a miniature watering can made out of terra cotta. I think she did a fabulous job with the whole shebang! Today or tomorrow we'll put the garden together. We might not get to the project today, as we have a doggie appointment at the vet this morning, some errands to run, and ballet later in the afternoon. But, I'm happy with how the garden is coming out so far, and we're having lots of fun making it!