Transitions & Traditions

Happy Holidays everyone!

It’s an extra special milestone for me this Christmas 2021 as this time last year I was in the hospital receiving the gift of a kidney transplant. This year, I got to spend Christmas with my family. I actually got to eat lobster on Christmas Eve as opposed to watching through live stream on my cellphone. But thank heavens for modern technology. I would have been lonely without it.

A sweet friend gave me this beautiful kidney ornament. It is designed by Ali Harrison, an artist based in Toronto, Ontario. You can visit her website at www.lightandpapershop.com to see more of her amazing work.

For me, this ornament represents my journey from a slowly debilitating illness, the transition to wellness through the gift of a new kidney, and then the freedom of new beginnings, new adventures and experiences, and new traditions. This ornament will hang on my Christmas tree every year.

Now that I’m feeling better I want to pick up where I left off, over 2 years ago, and continue with my blog. Only this time I want to change directions and focus more on the things that bring me joy. I have many hobbies and art activities that I like to do – sewing, painting, wool spinning, weaving, beadwork, claywork and, of course, photography.

A little side note is that since my transplant, plants have stopped hating me so much and I actually have a few windowsills full of happy healthy ones, including an orchid. So, I guess I can add houseplant care to the list as well. Who would have thought!?

I will share the projects I make to either give you some comic relief (no seriously…lol) or encourage you to try something new or share your own arts or hobbies.

I recently did some brave purging and cleaned out three old trunks. The daunting weight of this task has been tormenting me for over 20 years. These trunks followed me home from my father’s house when he sold it a year after my mother passed away. They came with me when we moved 5 years ago, sitting in the basement and still taking up too much room. This year, as a mental health Covid-inspired challenge, I got down to business and dealt with them. Once I started, I quickly recognized that during the time since I had last opened the trunks, there had been a shift in me; a transition. When many years pass, life events and experiences sometimes, if we’re lucky, give us pause to see the past in a different light; a fresh perspective with a renewed understanding of how it is all a part of you and instead of avoiding or ignoring it, you want to embrace and record these precious pieces of the past. My past.

I want to write about and share photostories about the memorabilia, souvenirs, photos and keepsakes – some belonged to my grandmother and great-grandmother, both of whom I had never met – and hopefully open conversations with you. Maybe you have stories of your own you’d like to share.

I find since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, many have taken the forced opportunity of being housebound to clean out, declutter, reorganize, simplify and, as an occasional bonus, even liquidate. After all, clutter affects our minds just as much as our living spaces. That is why I began the trunk task, but I am so very glad I did.

I hope you join me. I invite you to sign up for my blog so you don’t miss any of the photostories or other content. I promise not to bother you that often – maybe a couple of times a month. And if you missed the Sign Up pop up, you can also join by going to the form at the bottom of lisabuchanan.ca.

See you soon!

^{NOTE:
You may notice a few changes on this blog and website over the next few weeks or so. I appreciate your patience and I promise everything will be as it should very soon.}