Ray brought these two 'Compassion' roses in from the garden last evening. The rose bush climbs on the back wall of our house and the blooms have a distinctive peachey scent.
They make me think of our late** daughter, Clare, who called her silversmithing enterprise 'Rose Madder' because "the shades of light to deepest pink produced by the plant pigment of this name have always been favourite colours and I like that Rose Madder sounds a little like a burlesque persona."
Clare wrote these words in an article she produced abaout her jewellery-making for the first edition of 'Sachet Mixte Women', an Arts Journal published in 2014.
She ends her piece in the journal with words from Henry Miller: "Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music - the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself."
**I used to think this adjective rather quaint. I noted its use in novels by Alexander McCall Smith. Now it is, for me, a useful word to explain what I do not want to be verbose in explaining.
A small and belated September update for 2024, where I am still, after many years' membership, on 365 Project, also now posting elsewhere but wanting...
So lovely to have a tangible thing to smell & see that is especially linked to Clare…. I expect her jewellery she gave you gas become even more precious. Often think of you both! My opposite neighbour was telling me she lost her son very suddenly five years ago….. she was very open about it
& I felt it did her good to talk.
Thank you for your response and good to read all the comments. I like to be open about Clare's death but always have a little hesitation when I meet somebody who does not yet know about it as folk can be embarrassed and not know what to say. The language around death is also problematic - do we say 'died', 'passed' or what? At least I think the days are gone when it was OK to cross the road in order not to come face to face with somebody who had 'lost' a dear one.....Currently I find myself a bit more emotional than I was at the start of this journey. It's the unexpected triggers which set me off. I have a wonderful friend, Anne, (aware of my bipolar problems) who writes me regular emails and says stuff like 'You can do it' and'Hang on in there'. Ray had brought the 2 roses in and just laid on the dining table which gave me the idea of this post which developed as I wrote it and I found it helpful to do it. Not my idea to indulge in this too often! This is Clare's Muchloved tribute page https://clarespencer.muchloved.com/ Have a nice day, or, if it's night where you are, a peaceful one. Thanks, everyone xxx
& I felt it did her good to talk.
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