My Mother’s Prayers. (Video flip-through)

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Front and back cover of altered book art journal — My Mother’s Prayers

It is done. This journal I began several months ago with my mother’s prayer cards. It is done.

When I began my intention was to honour my mother’s life journey through using her prayer cards as a collage element on each page in the journal. I wasn’t thinking about healing. Or growth. Or change.

I was focused on diving into the creative field of creating an altered book art journal with her cards.

And then… Transformation beckoned.

Which makes sense, given that the premise of an altered book art journal is using an existing book to transform it into something else.

Don’t you love how art mirrors life and how when we open up to creative expression, life awakens in all its magnificent hues like a crystal prism hanging in a window refracting and reflecting rainbow shards of sunlight?

Through working on this journal, I have found myself falling with grace into all the colours of my human emotions. Grief. Joy. Sorrow. Gratitude, Regret. Compassion. Denial. Appreciation. Sadness. Joy. Anger. Love…

As I’ve written on one of the pages, “There are no mistakes in the human heart. There is only Love.”

In the end, and in the beginning… there is only Love.

There are no mistakes in my life. No paths not taken I wished I had. No roads wandered I wish I hadn’t.

Every path, every road, every step and word and gesture and action and encounter have all added up to create this space in which I live today. Breathing deeply of the divine nature of life.

It is here I find myself floating on a sea of gratitude, waves of joy and love and friendship and laughter and harmony and grace washing over me as I bathe in the waters of sacred communion with Life.

And so I say the prayer that stirs my soul and fills my heart with gratitude. “Thank you.”

__________________________________________

For the past two days I have been working on a flip through video of the book.

On each page I share the words that are most evocative of that page.

I am pleased. The book has turned out better than I imagined (Yes Jane. I’ll say it. “I did a good job!” 🙂 )

But, more than how the book has turned out, I am so very, very grateful for having taken this journey. I began without expectation of an outcome. I end with gratitude for the transformation that has appeared on my path through stepping into the creative exploration of My Mothers Prayers.

A note on the cover — my mother loved baubles and bling. She always wore sparkly things. On her fingers. Around her neck. In her hair. On her wrists. The original cover was orange – not one of my mother’s favourite colours. I painted it purple, covered that with gold spray paint and sprinkled gold dust over the entire thing. The jewelled pieces were my mother’s earrings and on the back, the embroidered bird is from excess fabric from the skirt I wore when C.C. and I were married. Made of hand-embroidered silk from India, I felt it would bring my mother to our wedding as she was too frail to attend. Underneath the bird is one of my mother’s prayer cards.

20 thoughts on “My Mother’s Prayers. (Video flip-through)”

  2. That’s a beautiful tribute to your mother and the power of her prayer to heal the relationship. Great video — super good techie skills there! The books is actually smaller than I anticipated — I thought the pages were like 12 x 12 but they look much smaller in relationship to your hand. Ah perspective — isn’t it interesting as so much of life boils down to perspective.

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    • Thank you Bernie — I’m learning the video editing program as I go — it’s lots of ‘fun’ and it does take quite awhile to create!

      And yes, perspective is everything. The actual book is 6″ x 6″. It is part of a set of 3 books – so I’ve got the possibility of creating 2 more — perhaps a series? Hmmm…. we shall see. 🙂

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  4. This is such an incredible journal and tribute to your mother Louise – the personal touches and beautiful artwork are amazing. Your mother, I am sure, will be so moved and proud. Such a memorable keepsake for your family and such a testament to the way she led her life- you are a very special lady and loving daughter…….thank you for sharing this – so well done Louise.

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  5. I read each “page” through tears gently bathing my cheeks as memories of my Mother’s last days, hours flooded my conscious. Louise, your tribute to your Mother is a tribute to Motherhood. Thank you.

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