A stained glass window, a mosaic — how beautiful an image to visit the reciprocal gift of mother – daughter. Piecing together the fragments of your story made me wonder about how the intent in the writing of the story itself calls the ancestor’s energy — an absorbing ritual in and of itself — your intention to ‘share insights and uplift others’. 💜 🙏
And the presence of the divine ‘Great Mother’ already a nurturing comfort, holding the sanctity of space and connection for mother and child. The ‘hope’ in choosing your name — I felt of an expanse of innate and ancient love — yes, her story, your story — our story. There is an energy in our name that is embedded in our being, our body. “I am a woman, I am all names”.
Your words carry such tenderness and insight. The way you beautifully reflect on the stained glass window as a symbol for the reciprocal bond between mother and daughter feels deeply moving. There’s such wisdom too in the idea of calling ancestral energy through storytelling, a sacred act of honouring and connecting, I intuit. May it be so.
Oh, I didn’t think of that, the Great Mother holding me and my mother in unity in that moment. I feel Her presence in your words too, a nurturing light that holds open space for love, hope, healing and unity. Your beautiful reflection on the meaning of names resonates deeply, how they carry our essence, connecting us to both personal and universal truths.
Thank you so much for shining your love and light. 💜🙏✨
💜🙏❤️ There is something divine about the colours and the light and the mother of life … something about being of the stars and the heavens …. Reflecting itself in another form .. our bodies. Thank you, l feel a lightness and l feel the mother energy ❤️
This paragraph—-“Each fragment, etched with its own history, reflects the light – some refracting joy, others softening shadows of pain. It’s the light weaving through fractures that transforms both the glass and our lives into something whole, something numinous.”—-has my heart today. And your comments and the synchronicity of my own post today. What a wonder! Also, the source of beauty within and not inspire of the fractures. Deborah, this is so incredibly moving and wise. I look forward to more than of your writing. Happy Mother’s Day.
As I woke and listened (and read) your post, Susan, I found myself in awe of the synchronicity. It's just remarkable how often such moments occur here on Substack, where hearts, minds, bodies and souls intertwine. Rumi and Cohen captured it perfectly with their beautiful, poetic reflections on the light and the crack, yet I couldn’t resist adding my own lines as it resonates so deeply, not just with my story, but with many of ours, perhaps even all. Thank you so much for your words, warmth and wisdom.
Oh Deborah! Deborah. Happy Mothers Day! Thank you Yvonne for following the light. The shadows. The glass. Oh the stained glass. The cosmos speaks spirit through flesh and sometimes we hear its deeper message. Yvonne thank you! Deborah you are a gift any mother, any parent would be proud of. Authentic! Growing. Being! Deborah you oooze Being. Thank you! I’ll read this 10X today! Beautiful poem too!!
Wow! Jamie, thank you so much for the gift of such warmth and poetic beauty on this blessed Sunday! I love, love, love the way you reflect on the light, shadows and cosmos. How you weave in not only my mother by naming her but the Divine essence of the Great Mother, Herself.
Your poem is ab-soul-utely beautiful - each line resonates with love, wisdom and magic. "The Queen of Cups", what a powerful card to sip slowly and savour! Thank you for this ecstatic outpouring of light and for reminding me of the beautiful connections that unite us all. 💝✨
Most beautiful Deborah. Names are fascinating to me, their etymology, culture, history, meaning ... Happy Mother's Day, I did not know.
I am being gripped by ancestors ... my ancestors. I don't know where to start .... We do well to acknowledge and honour them. And find the tenderness within ...
Thank you for stopping by, my dear friend! I’ve just returned from visiting my youngest daughter and her boyfriend, with an armful of flowers, too many chocolates and book tokens. Aww, she knows the way to my fool-ish heart so well!
And what I’m thinking here in this moment is: are there stories behind the naming of my daughters I can share? As I realise what a precious gift my mother gave me by giving me ‘story of my life’.
How powerful it is to feel our ancestors so vividly. It’s an extraordinary journey when we honour their presence and uncover the tenderness within their legacy.
Wishing you love and light as you navigate this meaningful connection. 💜✨
This is a beautiful piece of writing, and a perfect metaphor for a life. I was especially struck by the way you used language and imagery to evoke a feeling of mystery and depth: of the day, of the night, of the shadows, and of the lightness and complexity of the life of a soul. Your mother must have felt an especially deep and close bond with you and I suspect your souls are still united in a sacred unbreakable union. Synchronistically, The Soul's Twins opens with the image and symbolism of a mosaic tray we had made that I titled, Mosaic of a Soul. Sending heartfelt blessings to you and your newest endeavor my sister friend. Thank you for this.
Dearest Jeanie, thank you so much for your beautiful and heartfelt message. I’m deeply honoured that my story resonated with you. As soon as I red your words, I went over to my book shelves and pulled out 'The Soul's Twins'. And there it is - the Mosaic of a Soul. What wonderful synchronicity, continuing to weave our journeys together so beautifully.
When I write, I often feel my mother's spirit beside me, guiding and inspiring my pen with her love and wisdom (fully released now) - much like the unbreakable union you so eloquently described. For it was she who first introduced me to poetry as a child, nurturing a lifelong love for words.
Thank you for walking alongside me on this shared journey we call life, for holding your lantern high and illuminating the Crone’s path. I hope you’re enjoying 'Croneology'. Love and light, always and forever! ✨💜✨
Beautiful reflection and refraction on all the different parts of us, how they come together as a whole, and how we are shaped by our mothers - carrying with us both their hopes and fears. I loved the introduction to the memoir and how it spins out from this significant moment under the stained glass window - a moment of hope and a promise, how it echoes through time. Also your poem exemplifying how like the window we come together creating a whole. I recently wrote a poem about fractured ice on a lake, which this reminds me of. And another one I wrote a few years back about what we carry with us.
That’s so very kind of you Sarah! You see it all so clearly and that makes my heart smile. Thank you so much. My mother's stained glass moment was indeed pivotal in my story, and I’m thrilled it resonates with you. There wasn't much of a story to go on, I could only reimagine 'her moment' but I'm so pleased I did because now I know I'm writing a 'mosaic' memoir - I didn't know this before I started.
I love the sound of your poems, especially the one about fractured ice on a lake. It feels like such a powerful metaphor for the ways we break down in order to rebuild. And the poem about what 'we carry with us' sounds deeply poignant. It’s amazing how stories and poetry allow us to hold space for moments like these. If you ever feel like sharing them on Substack, I’d be honoured to read them.
Thank you, Deborah! I have just shared my poem "What came before" on my Substack, as I feel I have had two nudges from separate quarters to do so. I will share the other one with you at some point as well.
It's interesting how one such reimagining can show you the path forward. I really like the idea of a mosaic memoir.
Yes, I've just read it, Sarah! Ab-soul-utely breath-taking! And with the photo of your family too, adds to its richness. Those gentle nudges move us along don't they! Re memoir, yes, I'm thrilled that the idea came, it felt like another piece of the puzzle fell into place. Oh happy days! :)
I agree with both comments already made and feel the gift of the feminine in this piece--the color and ritual in the process of bringing together the broken colorful fragments to make a whole. How lovely this is, Deborah, what a tribute to you and your mother and the path you've followed. Filled with the broken and the mended like the Japanese art form of Kintsugi, your words make you and your reader feel whole. With love and gratitude and blessings from the uneasy world across the sea, Elaine
Elaine, your words and wisdom have touched my heart. For the way you’ve captured the essence of my story and connected it to the art of Kintsugi is so beautifully insightful. I’m deeply moved by your own echoing reflections on the feminine gift of weaving wholeness from brokenness, they resonate deeply. Amazingly, it was only whilst writing this story that I realised my memoir would be 'mosaic'. "Thanks, Mum," I shouted up to those clear skies last week. What a revelation! And to share all this on Mother's Day was, well, just perfect.
Thanks so much, Kristin. I always knew that names were important in shaping identity and connecting us to the very fabric of life itself ... but I didn't realise my mother had given me 'the story of my life' until almost mid-life.
I've loved stained glass art all my life ... funny, isn't it? I think I love how the pieces align. Maybe that's why I enjoy writing short stories and poems so much; they follow a similar format.
Happy Mother's Day. This is beautiful & poignant. The way you compare your life & the stained glass is so thoughtful & the images you paint are magical. Our names carry so many dreams from our parents. Thank you for sharing your story.
Thank you so much, Maryellen. Ever since I read your origin story, "The First Days", I've been inspired to think of one for myself. That idea led me to remember a conversation with my mother, where she shared how she had found my name in church one day. It's amazing how even small moments can carry so much meaning and shape our identity.
Oh that is so wonderful. This community & friendships can inspire us & dig deeper in discovering who we are 💗 Your origin story is beautiful. I'm so happy this is how your words found you. Happy Mother's day ❣
Deborah! This is absolutely lovely! I adore the way you weave your words with a weight, even the light feels fuller when you write about it - you bring together time and emotions and twirl them together in a gorgeous dance.
I agree that life is a stained glass mosiac, each fragment precious on its own, but beautiful when "told" as part of a bigger story or tapestry, the reflections of which are a story unto their own, a shifting kaleidoscope of colors and shadows and light. Such a pretty image and thought!! Thank you for sharing this beautiful work. XO
Many thanks Danielle for your thoughtful reply and encouragement. Here in the UK, it's Mother's Day today, and as I begin to write my 'mosaic' memoir, I feel the pull to share some of my untold stories - those that need to be brought into the light. Some emerge willingly, like this one ... while others resist, kicking and screaming! I’m working on one of the 'screamers' now - we’ll see how it unfolds.
But, yes, there’s such beauty in the mosaic of life isn't there - the shifting colours, the interplay of light and shadow, the tension of so many opposites, and the magnificence of standing before the shards of one’s story and saying ... 'Yes, this is me. Light and shadow. Broken and healed. Whole in all my pieces.' XO
Ufff--the screamers. I feel those. They need to be loved first!! Shown how, when shared, they alchemize into something more beautiful than when alone. XO
Thanks for your warmth and wisdom. Duly noted. Perhaps the best way forward is to prepare the 'screamer', then let it rest in a dark cradle to sleep and dream, like a new-born awaiting its first cry in the world. XO
Make sure you alert me, so that I can prepare my space with incense beforehand, and I'll hold a candlelight vigil during and after, to hold space for those screamers, to love them and show them their gift. XO
Hi Deborah,
A stained glass window, a mosaic — how beautiful an image to visit the reciprocal gift of mother – daughter. Piecing together the fragments of your story made me wonder about how the intent in the writing of the story itself calls the ancestor’s energy — an absorbing ritual in and of itself — your intention to ‘share insights and uplift others’. 💜 🙏
And the presence of the divine ‘Great Mother’ already a nurturing comfort, holding the sanctity of space and connection for mother and child. The ‘hope’ in choosing your name — I felt of an expanse of innate and ancient love — yes, her story, your story — our story. There is an energy in our name that is embedded in our being, our body. “I am a woman, I am all names”.
Beautiful. Thank you for sharing. 🥰
Your words carry such tenderness and insight. The way you beautifully reflect on the stained glass window as a symbol for the reciprocal bond between mother and daughter feels deeply moving. There’s such wisdom too in the idea of calling ancestral energy through storytelling, a sacred act of honouring and connecting, I intuit. May it be so.
Oh, I didn’t think of that, the Great Mother holding me and my mother in unity in that moment. I feel Her presence in your words too, a nurturing light that holds open space for love, hope, healing and unity. Your beautiful reflection on the meaning of names resonates deeply, how they carry our essence, connecting us to both personal and universal truths.
Thank you so much for shining your love and light. 💜🙏✨
💜🙏❤️ There is something divine about the colours and the light and the mother of life … something about being of the stars and the heavens …. Reflecting itself in another form .. our bodies. Thank you, l feel a lightness and l feel the mother energy ❤️
Your words radiate divine beauty and nurturing mother energy. ❤️
This paragraph—-“Each fragment, etched with its own history, reflects the light – some refracting joy, others softening shadows of pain. It’s the light weaving through fractures that transforms both the glass and our lives into something whole, something numinous.”—-has my heart today. And your comments and the synchronicity of my own post today. What a wonder! Also, the source of beauty within and not inspire of the fractures. Deborah, this is so incredibly moving and wise. I look forward to more than of your writing. Happy Mother’s Day.
As I woke and listened (and read) your post, Susan, I found myself in awe of the synchronicity. It's just remarkable how often such moments occur here on Substack, where hearts, minds, bodies and souls intertwine. Rumi and Cohen captured it perfectly with their beautiful, poetic reflections on the light and the crack, yet I couldn’t resist adding my own lines as it resonates so deeply, not just with my story, but with many of ours, perhaps even all. Thank you so much for your words, warmth and wisdom.
Oh Deborah! Deborah. Happy Mothers Day! Thank you Yvonne for following the light. The shadows. The glass. Oh the stained glass. The cosmos speaks spirit through flesh and sometimes we hear its deeper message. Yvonne thank you! Deborah you are a gift any mother, any parent would be proud of. Authentic! Growing. Being! Deborah you oooze Being. Thank you! I’ll read this 10X today! Beautiful poem too!!
She
is our first memory
Her heartbeat
Our truest song
Her eyes the invitation
To this magical life
Her arms
Held our cries
Her hands
Our paths and rivers
Her words
Our guide
Her soul
The throne of wisdom
The queen of light
The queen of night
The Queen of Cups….
Drink it in Deborah! Sip slow!
You are a gift.💝
Wow! Jamie, thank you so much for the gift of such warmth and poetic beauty on this blessed Sunday! I love, love, love the way you reflect on the light, shadows and cosmos. How you weave in not only my mother by naming her but the Divine essence of the Great Mother, Herself.
Your poem is ab-soul-utely beautiful - each line resonates with love, wisdom and magic. "The Queen of Cups", what a powerful card to sip slowly and savour! Thank you for this ecstatic outpouring of light and for reminding me of the beautiful connections that unite us all. 💝✨
Most beautiful Deborah. Names are fascinating to me, their etymology, culture, history, meaning ... Happy Mother's Day, I did not know.
I am being gripped by ancestors ... my ancestors. I don't know where to start .... We do well to acknowledge and honour them. And find the tenderness within ...
I am just stopping by -
Love
Susan
Thank you for stopping by, my dear friend! I’ve just returned from visiting my youngest daughter and her boyfriend, with an armful of flowers, too many chocolates and book tokens. Aww, she knows the way to my fool-ish heart so well!
And what I’m thinking here in this moment is: are there stories behind the naming of my daughters I can share? As I realise what a precious gift my mother gave me by giving me ‘story of my life’.
How powerful it is to feel our ancestors so vividly. It’s an extraordinary journey when we honour their presence and uncover the tenderness within their legacy.
Wishing you love and light as you navigate this meaningful connection. 💜✨
This is a beautiful piece of writing, and a perfect metaphor for a life. I was especially struck by the way you used language and imagery to evoke a feeling of mystery and depth: of the day, of the night, of the shadows, and of the lightness and complexity of the life of a soul. Your mother must have felt an especially deep and close bond with you and I suspect your souls are still united in a sacred unbreakable union. Synchronistically, The Soul's Twins opens with the image and symbolism of a mosaic tray we had made that I titled, Mosaic of a Soul. Sending heartfelt blessings to you and your newest endeavor my sister friend. Thank you for this.
Dearest Jeanie, thank you so much for your beautiful and heartfelt message. I’m deeply honoured that my story resonated with you. As soon as I red your words, I went over to my book shelves and pulled out 'The Soul's Twins'. And there it is - the Mosaic of a Soul. What wonderful synchronicity, continuing to weave our journeys together so beautifully.
When I write, I often feel my mother's spirit beside me, guiding and inspiring my pen with her love and wisdom (fully released now) - much like the unbreakable union you so eloquently described. For it was she who first introduced me to poetry as a child, nurturing a lifelong love for words.
Thank you for walking alongside me on this shared journey we call life, for holding your lantern high and illuminating the Crone’s path. I hope you’re enjoying 'Croneology'. Love and light, always and forever! ✨💜✨
Beautiful reflection and refraction on all the different parts of us, how they come together as a whole, and how we are shaped by our mothers - carrying with us both their hopes and fears. I loved the introduction to the memoir and how it spins out from this significant moment under the stained glass window - a moment of hope and a promise, how it echoes through time. Also your poem exemplifying how like the window we come together creating a whole. I recently wrote a poem about fractured ice on a lake, which this reminds me of. And another one I wrote a few years back about what we carry with us.
That’s so very kind of you Sarah! You see it all so clearly and that makes my heart smile. Thank you so much. My mother's stained glass moment was indeed pivotal in my story, and I’m thrilled it resonates with you. There wasn't much of a story to go on, I could only reimagine 'her moment' but I'm so pleased I did because now I know I'm writing a 'mosaic' memoir - I didn't know this before I started.
I love the sound of your poems, especially the one about fractured ice on a lake. It feels like such a powerful metaphor for the ways we break down in order to rebuild. And the poem about what 'we carry with us' sounds deeply poignant. It’s amazing how stories and poetry allow us to hold space for moments like these. If you ever feel like sharing them on Substack, I’d be honoured to read them.
Thank you, Deborah! I have just shared my poem "What came before" on my Substack, as I feel I have had two nudges from separate quarters to do so. I will share the other one with you at some point as well.
It's interesting how one such reimagining can show you the path forward. I really like the idea of a mosaic memoir.
Yes, I've just read it, Sarah! Ab-soul-utely breath-taking! And with the photo of your family too, adds to its richness. Those gentle nudges move us along don't they! Re memoir, yes, I'm thrilled that the idea came, it felt like another piece of the puzzle fell into place. Oh happy days! :)
I agree with both comments already made and feel the gift of the feminine in this piece--the color and ritual in the process of bringing together the broken colorful fragments to make a whole. How lovely this is, Deborah, what a tribute to you and your mother and the path you've followed. Filled with the broken and the mended like the Japanese art form of Kintsugi, your words make you and your reader feel whole. With love and gratitude and blessings from the uneasy world across the sea, Elaine
Elaine, your words and wisdom have touched my heart. For the way you’ve captured the essence of my story and connected it to the art of Kintsugi is so beautifully insightful. I’m deeply moved by your own echoing reflections on the feminine gift of weaving wholeness from brokenness, they resonate deeply. Amazingly, it was only whilst writing this story that I realised my memoir would be 'mosaic'. "Thanks, Mum," I shouted up to those clear skies last week. What a revelation! And to share all this on Mother's Day was, well, just perfect.
Deborah, what a beautifully layered reflection on your name and the sacred moment as your mother stood before that stained glass window.
Thanks so much, Kristin. I always knew that names were important in shaping identity and connecting us to the very fabric of life itself ... but I didn't realise my mother had given me 'the story of my life' until almost mid-life.
I've loved stained glass art all my life ... funny, isn't it? I think I love how the pieces align. Maybe that's why I enjoy writing short stories and poems so much; they follow a similar format.
Happy Mother's Day. This is beautiful & poignant. The way you compare your life & the stained glass is so thoughtful & the images you paint are magical. Our names carry so many dreams from our parents. Thank you for sharing your story.
Thank you so much, Maryellen. Ever since I read your origin story, "The First Days", I've been inspired to think of one for myself. That idea led me to remember a conversation with my mother, where she shared how she had found my name in church one day. It's amazing how even small moments can carry so much meaning and shape our identity.
Oh that is so wonderful. This community & friendships can inspire us & dig deeper in discovering who we are 💗 Your origin story is beautiful. I'm so happy this is how your words found you. Happy Mother's day ❣
I find myself standing in the same stream of thought, Maryellen, carried along by the current of your words. ❣
Deborah! This is absolutely lovely! I adore the way you weave your words with a weight, even the light feels fuller when you write about it - you bring together time and emotions and twirl them together in a gorgeous dance.
I agree that life is a stained glass mosiac, each fragment precious on its own, but beautiful when "told" as part of a bigger story or tapestry, the reflections of which are a story unto their own, a shifting kaleidoscope of colors and shadows and light. Such a pretty image and thought!! Thank you for sharing this beautiful work. XO
Many thanks Danielle for your thoughtful reply and encouragement. Here in the UK, it's Mother's Day today, and as I begin to write my 'mosaic' memoir, I feel the pull to share some of my untold stories - those that need to be brought into the light. Some emerge willingly, like this one ... while others resist, kicking and screaming! I’m working on one of the 'screamers' now - we’ll see how it unfolds.
But, yes, there’s such beauty in the mosaic of life isn't there - the shifting colours, the interplay of light and shadow, the tension of so many opposites, and the magnificence of standing before the shards of one’s story and saying ... 'Yes, this is me. Light and shadow. Broken and healed. Whole in all my pieces.' XO
I see you, Deborah. I accept and love all of you.
Ufff--the screamers. I feel those. They need to be loved first!! Shown how, when shared, they alchemize into something more beautiful than when alone. XO
Well, that settles it then, the ‘screamer’ will be posted next! Thanks so much for the gentle nudge and love, Danielle. XO
I will support you, absolutely! However, I'll support you whenever you are ready to share. Don't rush anything you aren't ready for!! XO
Thanks for your warmth and wisdom. Duly noted. Perhaps the best way forward is to prepare the 'screamer', then let it rest in a dark cradle to sleep and dream, like a new-born awaiting its first cry in the world. XO
Mmm!!! That sounds more nourishing and loving to the screamer and yourself. XO
Make sure you alert me, so that I can prepare my space with incense beforehand, and I'll hold a candlelight vigil during and after, to hold space for those screamers, to love them and show them their gift. XO
Aww, bless you Danielle! Your loving kindness means the world to me. XO
Making mosaic sense,
broken pieces become prisms.
Transforming fractures.
As always, ab-soul-utely beautiful, Marisol. Thank you so much.