Mother's Day

Saturday- May 7, 2022

Monday-May 9, 2022

Dear Marion,

  April showers have certainly brought upon some beautiful blooms and lush green fields to explore. My garden has blossomed seemingly overnight and the ground has finally loosened and defrosted so that I might clean and weed enough to allow room for more growth. This weather has also enticed and encouraged me to stroll through the library and bookstores of both local and large chains. The growing stack of books on my desk has hit its max capacity of which each and every story is calling me to discover and soak up with enthusiasm. At this moment with Mother’s Day in my path, I want to share with you two books, each centered around a smart woman who has had to find creative ways to learn, achieve, and be noticed. While one story is fiction, the other a memoir, each woman is creative and relentless in finding their truth and uniqueness to achieve the life they were meant to live.

 The first book “Lessons In Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus is a book that made me sit up straighter, concentrate harder, laugh louder, and appreciate both you my mother and your generation for all that you did to bring me to my place in time. The lead character, Elizabeth Zott is a scientist who wants nothing more than to achieve her dream as a chemist and to be taken seriously by those in the field of science. The quote that said so much in so few words, “When it came to equality, 1952 was a real disappointment.” painted a clear picture of understanding of the times. Elizabeth was taken advantage of, assaulted, abused, and repeatedly disregarded for her accomplishments and yet she held her head up high and found a way to persevere and achieve. With a broken heart, alone, and a new baby she pushed forward continually finding a way to take care of her and her child. Chemistry was always on her mind and she saw it as the heart of everything important in life. One stumble led to another guiding her into that of a host on a cooking show who stepped into the kitchens of households to not only teach chemistry by way of preparing meals but inadvertently sparked a fire under many women to learn something new that interested them. Most importantly, she spoke to children directly to respect their mothers and their ability to learn and grow. On this Mother’s Day, I cannot think of a better lesson or a more perfect time to enjoy some heartfelt laughter.

 Viola Davis is a critically acclaimed actress and producer I have appreciated and followed for quite some time, so when I saw an interview about a new book she had written I couldn’t wait to begin reading. “Finding Me” is heartfelt, gut wrenching, and a chance to see into a past that has helped mold one of the most interesting and compassionate women today. Viola Davis is beautiful, believable, and some times brutally raw while playing a character so that I forget I am watching a story and that she is acting. After listening to a few interviews and now consuming her book, I feel as though she has shed a light on where all of that emotion she can engage and share stems from- her experiences. Just as I would think I can’t hear anymore, something funny and heartwarming would leak into the pages releasing that lump in my throat. One of the many insightful quotes she shared in an interview was from Albert Einstein, “Imagination is more powerful than education”. In that same interview, Viola Davis discussed how important it was for her to acknowledge and accept that young girl Viola. She worked hard to recognize and honor the Viola of each stage because that is how she arrived to present Viola in her fifth decade. From my perspective, she is a woman, a wife, a mom, a daughter, sister, friend, actress, and an all around beautiful person who worked relentlessly to become the Viola she is today.

 Saturday marked the 148th Kentucky Derby In Churchill Downs and the race did not disappoint. The style of the day included the expected colorful and creative dress topped off by the ever changing iconic, clever, and sometimes even fashionable hats. It appears that nothing is too over the top to be worn if you wear it with confidence, a smile, and perhaps a twinkle in your eye. This year the long shot 80-1 Rich Strike, who by the way was not even accepted to run the race until the day before, won. The crowd went wild and Rich Strike was so fired up, he had a difficult time calming down after he reached the finish line. Sonny Leon, the winning jockey, included his wife and young daughter in the celebratory moment and I thought what a lovely memory for their Mother’s Day weekend. What is more exciting than watching the underdog run across the line for a clean victory.

 Jo Loves is a favorite company of mine when looking for a delicious fragrance, candle, or  body products. Let me be clear, it is an expensive indulgence for me but when I splurge on one of their products, I use it sparingly and infrequently in an effort to make it last longer. It is simply put just special. If I could, I would give one of their products to each and every one of my favorite people, it is just that lovely. Jo Malone, the founder, created ‘Jo Malone’ the company selling the product at her first store in London and eventually other cities which she at one point strategically sold to Estee Lauder. Jo Malone wrote a book telling her story and how she created her product which was quite interesting as well as her family life and struggles. Since then, Jo Malone decided it was time to create a new product and company- Jo Loves. There is a Jo Loves store on Elisabeth Street in London which also happened to be  the first store for her previously owned company ‘Jo Malone’. I recently had the pleasure of standing in this store once again(as Jo Loves) with your granddaughter and I thought how cool to be a woman who not only created a very successful business once, but decided she wasn't quite finished with this idea and picked up her pencil and started once again. It gave me chills.

Happy Mother’s Day Week.

Talk soon,

Forever Yours

Quote:

“They say the two most important days in a person's life were the day you were born and the day you discover why you were born.”

Viola Davis

Actor, Producer

Born: August 11, 1965 in South Carolina

~

“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

Albert Einstein

German born Physicist

March 14, 1879- April 18, 1955