The fairy poet
takes a sheet
Of moonbeam, silver white;
His ink is dew from daisies sweet,
His pen a point of light.
~Joyce Kilmer
Of moonbeam, silver white;
His ink is dew from daisies sweet,
His pen a point of light.
~Joyce Kilmer
Shayla believed in fairies as much as she did in pots of
gold at the end of the rainbow; she took baths with them, stomped in mud
puddles with pixies and under a canopy of mushrooms, she saw their tiny homes.
The past few weeks have seen me work on a special project as
a way to honour her beautiful imagination and The Heart Pebble Movement. I found a
lovely wooden chapel at the Michael’s Store and decided to
create a lasting tribute to my daughter.
I recall taking Shayla to Redwood Park for the
first time and when she found out that amongst the spectacular trees, there
resided a “Fairy Forest,” she was thrilled to go discover it’s magic.
In decorating the Fairy Chapel, I put great detail and
thought into how it would be created. I have mentioned in previous posts that
Shayla actually means: “From the Fairy Palace.” On the outside, I put a sticker
from La Nouba we saw at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando,
Florida. Then I added quotes about dancing and living life to the fullest.
There was a key and star I added, in an addition to a hummingbird. Every single
item has significant meaning to me; I am only providing a few details, as this
project was very close to my heart.
On the one side, I added a Fairy girl and
also butterflies all around it. A simple cross and praying hands graces the
front. Inside, I placed a beautiful picture of Shayla in a blue, scrolled
frame. I glued a candle holder and added one single tea light- Shayla’s light
illuminating the darkness. Mementos of Faith were sprinkled much like the fairy
dust that later Shayla’s best friend, Chantel and I would intersperse in Redwood
Park. Links to The Heart Pebble Movement were added and a small
polished stone with the word “STRENGTH” was glued inside.
When Chantel arrived to go to the Fairy Forest, I shared
with her the Chapel I had made in Shayla’s memory. She loved the entire project
and was excited to place it in Redwood Park. Chantel had never been
to this extraordinary forest and upon arriving we looked at other fairy doors
and another small house that had been created by others.
We searched for the right location to place the Fairy
Chapel. When we came upon a large hollow trunk, I saw something sparkle. It was
a red door placed inside the remains of the tree and had an “S” on it! Both of
us knew that this was the place to set ours inside.
I wanted the Chapel to sit
on something and when I discovered a small granite stone- a mini version of the
one at McKinley Reservoir; I was delighted to set it inside the trunk. On top
we put the fairy creation and then built a roof out of moss, bark, leaves and
sticks from the ground.
We felt like warriors of the woods as we gazed upon the
final setting of the Fairy Chapel. Chantel had the brilliant idea to shake over
the dirt, our red and snow-like glitter, as if to follow the steps of the tiny
pixies up to their new home. The butterfly sticks we had were set into the
ground. We turned on the light inside and to the left side of the trunk; we put
on a light where the tips of a butterfly pulsated a radiant glow. It was
reflective of the colourful halo I know my sweet angel now wears.
Next, we took bubble wands and let the iridescent spheres be
carried by the light breeze, settling on the tree trunk and cascading upon the
Fairy Chapel. Each of us took our fairy dust and sprinkled a small amount into
the palms of one of our hands. Clasping them together, our feet sprung into the
air as we chanted: “WE BELIEVE IN FAIRIES!”
VIDEO: I HOPE YOU DANCE- LEE ANN WOMACK
By T.L. Alton
very cool fairy palace
ReplyDeleteWow this story is amazing, I read it twice, you did an amazing job on the chapel. I blew up every picture and examined every heartfelt detail that you put into it.
ReplyDeleteI hope to visit Shaylas chapel one day!! :)
I embrace your kind words Michelle and dedication to the cause, while participating in The Heart Pebble Movement <3 Shayla's legacy lives on in many exceptional things in the world! This past year of enduring additional grief, I found a quote that truly lends itself to how I feel : "Frequently, in walking through our fear, we discover that the strength of our trepidation was out of sync with realism of our Faith." For you and the ones who are seeking Shayla's chapel, it will remain Forever in the hearts of Chantel and I, who were graced with such a brilliant day in placing it in the Fairy Forest for her <3
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