October 1, 2021 — Here’s a fun weekend challenge, especially for Meanings of Life fans …
Propose the “rare, beautiful, magical, most lovable things” that you’d like to see on an upcoming Meanings of Life card, art print, or magnet. You’ll see below the icons that are current cardie favorites; as we plan to expand the 150-design line, we’d love to consider the cultural icons that carry the most meaning for you, and a bit about their significance to you.
“No pressure, just pleasure!” as we always say. It’s as writer Anais Nin described her creative process, “My ideas usually come not at my desk writing, but in the midst of living.” Or, hehe, as Einstein mused, “Why do I always get my best ideas in the shower?”
We look forward to reading your Meanings of Life wish list, and we wish you your own sparkly good weekend.
Jodee Stevens
Founder & Chief Creative
Your selection could use some Groundhog day cards.
You ave one or two excellent “new house” cards. A couple more would help.
People move so often and cards are needed.
Hydrangeas.
They are the iconic bloom of summer up here on Cape Cod, and elsewhere in N.E. Next to beach imagery, they say “summer” like nothing else.
Hydrangea Festival week is one of the most popular weeks of the summer.
Lots of us are hesitant to deal with change. For me, the range has gone from my own divorce, to an unexpected family death, to divisive views created by the pandemic, and now to the wonderful realization that my first grandson will experience his 1st homecoming dance now that he’s in high school. I have long admired a beautiful butterfly. Although I was not the best Science student, I know that butterfly had a much less attractive start. The butterfly prompts me to share with others that if there was no change in our lives, we would never enjoy the beauty of that butterfly.
When he was little, I used to tell my son that if I could have chosen from all the babies in the whole wide world, I would have chosen him.
I think it would be cool to have a card like that. Not sure what the picture might be on the front, but similar words:
“If I could have chosen from all the babies in the world,”
(inside) – “I would still choose you.”
And I have always wished for a card that just said on the inside: “I am so proud of you.” (It could be for anyone; any occasion. Just that simple statement.
Thanks, Jodee and crew– you’re the best!
How about a meditation or recentering bell? A journal, a mirror, a fire hydrant for pee-mails :) Road trips, snickerdoodles, houseplants. Things I see around me and which I enumerate to keep me sane as I sit here on hold with a tecnology company. {{Breathe}}
The magic of rain! I love to photograph rain drops. As I say, there is a universe in every drop!
1. Toy trains = Watching them speed by, round and round … memories of happy days spent with loved ones, mesmerized, transfixed.
2. Charm bracelets = Silver, gold & jeweled reminders of who we are, where we’ve been, where we’re going, who we love — and who loves us.
3. Faith = Knowing without seeing; evidence of things unseen; believing in the possible; that “still, small voice of Knowing.”
4. Lipstick = Finding the oh-so-right shade that perfects any pout and makes teeth dazzle and smiles sizzle.
5. Manicure = When someone else carefully soaks, scrubs, buffs and polishes our fingertips – so I don’t have to!
6. Pedicure = That glorious “soak” that soothes away the stress of the day; massaging, kneading hands … the ultimate “Reset Button.”
7. A good massage
8. Acupuncture = Needles perfectly placed that magically soothe my monkey mind, relax my body and release my spirit
9. Girlfriends = Better and cheaper than any therapist … They let me know I’m not alone … Accept me for who I am … No judgement … no fixing; They just listen
10. Video game controller = Escape from the day’s cares … a way to relax … a connection to others and worlds where I can be myself – and belong
11. A stroll in the forest
12. A rigorous hike = Moving my body makes me know I’m alive
13. Lake house
14. Family cabin
15. Report cards = A piece of paper that declares my status. For our kids, they’re online now :)
16. Decade birthdays
17. Mile marker signs = Remind us where we are and where we’re going.
18. Old-fashioned diners
19. Lemons = Clean, fresh scent … squeaky clean … tart and flavorful | Lemon meringue pie (?)
20. Macarons = Petite, colorful, light-as-air bakery treats
21. Main Street = Where people gather to chat, stroll, meet, eat, dine, smile, share
22. Main Street Bakery = Delectable donuts, cookies, cakes, pies and treats … Freshly baked; never frozen or mass-produced; when they’re gone they’re gone (get there early!) Worth the wait … crisp white bag … each item tissue-wrapped … Sticker/seal on the box – the joy of breaking open the treat!
23. Passport = The gift of freedom never to be taken for granted
24. Lucky stones = Small, white, polished, ivory-like stones that wash up on beaches along the Great Lakes, especially Lake Erie. They are actually the unique ear bone or otolith of a freshwater drum, also known as the sheephead fish.
25. Beach glass = Comes in a multitude of weathered, smooth or jagged shapes and colors: opaque aqua … root beer bottle brown … cloudy clear relics we can’t help but wonder, as we’re picking them up, “Where did this come from?” … “What did this used to be?”
[OK Jodee … probably time to stop until the next creative breakthrough comes along! LOL.]
Butterflies are especially significant for me…and rainbows ….and angels.
You see my little girl, Meggan, was killed at the tender
Age of 14 by a drunk driver….a wreck less teenager
And he killed her two best friends also. Meggan
Was our youngest and an angelic child, spiritual, wise beyond her years, happy and joy filled. She was born around Christmas so we called her our Christmas Angel. She was a free spirit and I used to ask her if she could
choose between a butterfly and a kite, which would she be. Her response was “a butterfly, momma, because they’re free to fly, no string attached like a kite. “ She also loved rainbows and started drawing pictures of them when she was 4.
I love your cards and I send many of them to grieving people.
I’m a bereavement minister at our church. Blessings of love
Rusty 🦋
An old fashioned school desk
A teachers desk with a bell and an apple
The Bible
Soap bubbles…..I used to love to see the “little worlds” reflected in the surface of the bubble. To me, blowing bubbles is the essence of childhood wonder & purity. To catch a bubble, you have to be gentle, quiet and calm. They can gently fly a long way if left undisturbed, but they can also be the source of much giggling and leaping when your try to catch or pop them.
Forest mushrooms…..After a good rain, they magically appear out of “nowhere.” The variety is incredible and stumbling upon them can be like finding a hidden little treasure. They stop you in your tracks with their simplicity and their own kind of beauty.
House plants…..Not only do houseplants bring the outside world in, they add life to a home. Also, when divided and shared, they are good memories of who gifted us with them. Mine are from my mom, her sister, another aunt, my daughter’s former teacher, an employee, my maternal grandmother & my paternal grandfather as well as friends. One friend packed a Swedish ivy in her van when she drove from Alabama to visit me in New Hampshire. That’s both friendship & love! I also loved when a cousin recently wrote that the spider plant I gave her from a baby my plant had was now having babies, too.
Tea kettles….Hearing the water start to boil and waiting for the tea to steep (for me that’s 4 minutes…ha….I time it!), means a little quiet and rest is just ahead. When things get hectic, it’s “time to put the kettle on.”
Old cook books…..We can always look recipes up on-line now, but there’s something pretty special about old, familiar cookbooks. When cleaning out our parents’ homes, my husband and I both claimed our mothers’ cookbooks. It’s nice to feel the worn pages and to see the notes “make two batches”, “very good!” and even “yuck!” Some recipes are x’d with red to highlight a particulary good potato salad, others are crossed off all together. Splatters and blotches on the pages usually mark family favorites and bring good memories. I’ve never had a better blueberry muffin than the ones made from my mother’s cookbook!
O gosh, I just love The meaning of Life line and am happy to read you are expanding.
Some of my ideas include:
Sprinkles…because they just make every baked good more cheerful and happy
Cupcakes…little bits of delight and deliciousness without the guilt of a whole slice of cake
caterpillars…focused on one goal…to change and grow into something new and beautiful
Running shoes…taking one to new places
kittens…curious, adventurous balls of fluff
puppies…joyful bundles of unconditional love
flower bulbs….vessels of beautiful possibilities
The Joy of sharing food & the dining experience.
How food is ALWAYS part of a celebration; happy or sad.
The Joy of Cooking
The Joy of sharing food, recipes, nurturing of the heart, mind, body & soul…
Lighthouses – beacons of hope…even in the stormiest of seas
I see you already have a butterfly card…but I am enraptured by butterflies, in part due to a saying I’ve heard: Perhaps the butterfly is proof you can go through a great deal of darkness and yet become something beautiful (as I’ve battled mental health challenges for decades, this is a hope I cling to…that beauty can come from great pain and darkness)
Bridges – transitioning from space to another (so many applications for that – i.e. job transition, furthering education, becoming a parent, becoming an empty-nester, etc)
One of my favorite sayings is gift to my existence 💕. This past year was a test to my existence with three major surgeries. What kept me going was family and friends encouragingly me. In return all of them received the magnet “Never underestimate the difference you make@. It’s astounding what this little gesture means to so many. 💕🤘
Buckeyes
They may be charms for good luck and wisdom—and who doesn’t need more of those? But that’s not why I carry one. After my uncle Bud passed away the day before Thanksgiving, 2003, Aunt Norma said he liked to carry a buckeye with him, and he’d saved one special for each of us—my mother, brother and sister and me. I have it with me always. Perhaps it brings me luck. I don’t need it to make me think of him. He was such a large and wonderful presence, everything makes me think of him. But this buckeye helps me feel that Uncle Bud is with me, watching over me.
Mailboxes!
Ohmygosh, I had to scroll awhile to get to my own comment box! Wonderful!
Meanwhile, the Monarch Butterfly is so significant as a pollinator and creature of nature. Each day toward the end of summer and early fall, I watch their graceful flutter in the breeze and snap an image of them alighting for a snack on my zinnias and butterfly bushes. I harvested milkweed to provide more food for their caterpillars, and I marvel at the strength of these delicate creatures during their seasonal migration to Mexico and California to winter. Monarchs are endangered, and perhaps some proceeds of such a MOL card could be shared with an organization with a mission to save them.