Yesterday was Anastacia Brice’s birthday. I think of her every time I see a clock that reads 7:11 and I looked at the clock twice yesterday when it read 7:11am and pm and sent my love winging her way. When I started sending Anastacia birthday gifts five years ago she would report back to me how they made her cry because she felt so loved. Of course she self describes herself on her website that she ‘cries at the drop of a hat’ but it's more than that, it's because she loves deeply and authentically.

The challenge became to make her cry for her birthday. Does this sound a bit twisted? I wondered and then realized that for someone to cry tears of joy because they feel utterly “gotten” was a special gift. And not all my gifts have been something I created; the first one was an unusual book that spoke to me when I picked it up and at the ’95 picnic I passed it around and asked everyone to sign it.

Over the years I’ve given her one of each thing that I make/create. I was out of ideas. This year I opened myself to the Universe as to what to give her to keep those tears flowing and joy bursting. Synchronicity always comes into play and first I found a simple blank book that had a saying about joy on the cover. Ah, a beginning. Once I had a foundation I spied a clay pen I had experimented with making years ago, before I even knew Anastacia; it had been waiting for her all these years.

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When she shared her current photo (I haven’t seen her in person since last September!) I knew it had to be a part of the journal and celebrating herself. I came up with an idea and let it flow—creative juices puddling everywhere. 😉

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Then I asked her what her word was—duh… love. And Jeff created these fun ‘changeble’ words on his scroll saw! Ya gotta love a guy who’ll roll with your request for the letters ‘e’, ‘ed’, and ‘ely’ and not have you committed. 😉

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To me these were simple gifts but I see they can have a big impact. I’ve been considering what it means to create and give gifts from the heart to someone you love. It’s actually a gift to be the gift giver. It’s an expression of my love yes, but it’s also a manifestation of that love. This is a big deal. Without someone to create a gift for I wouldn’t have this opportunity. It doesn’t have to be an expensive fancy gift; it’s about the intention—the thought and care that goes into the giving. To quote the famous movie Avatar, it’s to say with soul-filled eyes, “I see you.”

I see you Anastacia, happy birthday. Happy everyday.