10 years, friends, and love

Last night was spectacular! The reason why.... my 10 year reunion. I've heard the saying, if a friend is really a friend, it doesn't matter how long you are apart, you can always pick up as though you were never separated. I haven't seen my girlfriends in 10 years... 10 YEARS and last night, it was as though just the weekend had come and gone and we were back school. Each one, beautiful, smart, lovely, and the same, but different. It was comfortable. We spent 8 hours together and the entire time, it was just fun. 8 hours of feeling as though I was back in high school. No worries about my job, my dogs, my dad, the store, nothing. It was us and it was fun. These ladies have made a forever impression in my life. We did spend the 4 most impressionistic years of our lives together. We have all grown into such wonderful people, it's hard to think that we let 10 years go by and some of us, this was the first time we have seen each other since the day we graduated. I learned this weekend that my life has been so blessed by such beautiful people. I am filled with love and joy from this weekend. I will never let 10 years go by again without these amazing women. Cheers to friendship, love, and all the memories we have had and will have! I encourage everyone, including myself to keep these special people in your life and cherish every moment.

How Did I End Up Here?

I did it, I finally found one. My students always ask what I do, and well, when I think about, I do so much that it's hard to explain. I don't really ever brag about myself because I think it's lame, but recently, a wonderful friend of mine, Anne Marie, told me that I'm so very talented that I should just shine my wonderful self all over the place.
So, first things first! I titled this, "Jackie Goes Green" not because I'm some crazy person that has been poisoning the earth with crap for 27 years and have finally decided to clean my act up, but because of many different reasons. Green is my favorite color. It's been my favorite color since I can remember. I have a memory of when I use to live in Leicester MA as a small child sitting on the counter with my mom and picking out food coloring for some cupcakes. My grandfather was around and the three of us decided that green food coloring was the way to go because it was my favorite color. Every time I think of my favorite color, I think of them.
Next, if you walk into my house, you'll notice that I've basically got a jungle in my living room. I have all kinds of plants. Some were my mom's plants when she was alive, some are Luther's, some were Sophie's, some were given to me, some came from stealth missions in friend's restaurants where I took clippings, and a couple I bought. Every single one of my plants has a story, be it a memory, or the person who gave it to me, or how it came into my life. Every time I look at the plant, I am reminded of the person. My plants are like my photo album, they are almost the most valuable possession I have.
Have you ever been to outside of my home? Well, two winters ago I decided I wanted to become a gardener. I took an herb class from Cedar Spring Herb Farm and decided that I could grow the stuff myself. So, Luther built me a green house, or hoop house whichever you prefer to call it, and attached it to the garage. Then, I decided I needed a bigger garden, so my dad expanded it. Last summer, half my plants died because there wasn't enough sunlight, so we cut down a whole bunch of trees. Then I decided that I didn't like how the backyard looked, so dad demolished the backyard, moved the shed, built me a garden shed, and once again, EXPANDED THE GARDEN. I no longer have a garden, I think I have a farm. I'm just missing the animals. I started a bunch of seeds this winter for the first time, and found out that I'm pretty good at this growing thing. I now have too many plant starts, and not enough greenhouse space. Guess it's time to expand again.........
So the last part of my name comes from a realization I had last Monday with my friend Anne Marie. I thought about why I'm here. Not why I'm here as in at a particular place at a particular time, but why, out of all the little swimmers that could have turned into my mom and dad's kid, why me? What's the purpose of my presence? Deep, huh? Well, this is what I have come up with. I think the world is sorta screwed right now. It's not balanced. People are totally out of their element and destroying this amazing creation called Earth. Something got screwed up and people are straying away from beauty. The world is beautiful. Think about it, a big mass floating around with billions of different creations that are unique and amazing. No other planet has that. We weren't put here to destroy, be sick, be miserable, hate, etc. We were put here to make sure everything stays beautiful and add to the beauty around here, and so far, we're crushing it, in the bad way. I'm not saying everyone, but the vast majority. My whole life I have taught. I have taught swimming, skiing, stained glass, math, science, English, history, children, old people, teenagers, middle aged people, and the list goes on. I love teaching. I'm pretty good at it. I wasn't taught how to teach. I was a teacher before I went to school for teaching (college was just the formality society makes you do). So, I look at my talents, I can grow a mean plant, I can grow a mean indoor jungle, I can make beautiful windows out of glass, I can relate to almost every type of person, I love looking outside, and Yoga - well yoga is my next great adventure that I'm working on (this will be another entry). Deep down, I think my purpose here is to help fix the screwed up, off balance, beautiful world we will in. I think I'm meant to teach everyone and everything about beauty.
So, here is how I'm starting my worldly lessons, with this blog. It's a small step. It might be a weird step, but it's a step. I'm not on this world to be a working machine, I'm here to shine light.
So I'll leave you with two things today.  A picture of my favorite flower. It's a Borage flower. Usually they are blue or purple, but this one is unique, it's pink! It came from a seed from a plant from the year before from Matt's Organic Gardens where Sophie helped plant everything. Sophie loved Borage, and I plant it every year, to remind me of a beautiful person who was taken too early. This one was from her.
The last thing I leave you with is a excerpt from something Anne Marie gave me. It's called "Our Deepest Fear" from A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles by Marianne Williamson.
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
"Actually, who are you not to be?
"You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Have a wonderful day!