The relatively short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year during the month of June . . . so the full Moon that occurs during that month was christened for the strawberry!
It is 9:45 and I actually had to hop out of bed to write this blog…as I left the room my husband asked me …do you have anything to write about..to which I shook my head “no”…but I wasn’t worried because I knew that the minute I sat at this computer something would come to me. I have great faith in John’s help..our family gives him so much credit that Lauren often says that no one in our will ever get credit for a good idea again!
Anyway…my first job every month is to search for the meaning of the full moon and … I had it….the strawberry moon…Perfect!
I am very “crafty”…I must have had many odd jobs in a past life because not only do I like working with my hands.. I find comfort in doing so…but it has always bothered me that my kids didn’t seem to have the interest in acquiring skills in this area. I have given every single niece and many of my children’s friends kits to learn how to knit…and the lessons to go with it…shown countless people how to make pickles etc…but it really never caught on with Lauren….my daughter….the one I would have thought would get into it…I think she realized that I was pinning my hopes on her and tried to let me know that she was not going to be the one to carry on the torch when she told me that her goal in life was to make enough money to hire someone to do these things…and I had to admit … that wasn’t a bad goal to have!
But as the kids got older I realized that I was looking in the wrong direction … it was John who was going to be my apprentice!! Of course it would be him…he found everything interesting and fun!!! He, who couldn’t ever master cursive writing well enough to use it effectively would learn to knit (we needed lots of verbal cues for that one but he did make Mary a boiled wool bag!) and cook…and once, the summer before he died…asked me to teach him how to make jelly and jam…We had so much fun that day…just the two of us…talking about the difference between making jam and jelly, when you can make each one as the fruit comes into season…how to pick and clean the berries and the importance of every ingredient in the “jelling” process…it made me feel like I was helping him become a better and more prepared adult…and I got to talk about other things in his life too..little incidental things that I can’t even remember now…I just remember the totality of the day and how much fun it was…and he was so happy with his product…I still have a few jars with the label “strawberry jam” in his little hen scratching … looking at makes me smile to think how lucky I was to have that day… how much I wish I could have more of them…but so very thankful I had the ones I did…and that is what I wish for you all…to take hold of the moments you get like that even though you are tired or busy or just feel like you need your own minute … cause you will have a lifetime of minutes to yourself once they leave you… and really….the minutes you have alone are not the gifts of life at all…so, this week….try to make time for a chat….maybe over tea and toast with strawberry jam…to tell the ones you love how lucky you are to know them…happy Strawberry Moon!
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Paula I miss you so much but on the full moons I miss you both, it must of been something about last night, Tommy played at Salisbury Beach and the moon was almost full. I dreamt of the drums Johnny had made at the Noble Cooley place in the Berkshires. I swear I dreamt I visited the place and was very impressed with the whole place as was Johnny. I use the bookmark as I read books and see his face and think how very lucky I was to have known such a kind soul. Tommy thinks I've gone off my rocker, when I said what I had dreamt about. He said I must of been thinking of you. The jelly story hits home, I too make jelly and jam and think of the time you showered all of us with your riches that you had made. I am probably the last in my family too that will can veggies or make jelly and jam and now when I do I will think of the both of you and smile and think to my self "How very lucky I was to have known you both" Love You, Thank You. Deb Pelletier
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