Tink's Christmas Miracle...

Yes. This is a true story...

Back in 2001, I was at the University of Michigan in the MSW/Ph.D. program. My life had been in major turmoil for several years, and I was desperately hanging onto what remained of my sanity.

That December, I was asked if I would go to Ground Zero for the week before Christmas to offer counseling services. I did, and it was an interesting time, to say the least. I've not spent that much time in NYC, but there was a pall over everything. The whole city was still in shock and mourning.

Part of my time was spent at Ground Zero, counseling coroners, firefighters, police and volunteer rescue workers. You could still smell death in the air, and it's a smell I will NEVER forget. Windows were blown out for blocks around. Businesses were gone: You could look right into restaurants and see where people had run out and left their lunch behind. It was exhausting, but personally rewarding, but with so much grief hanging over everyone and everything, I found myself wondering by the end of the week if I was making a difference... If what I was doing mattered at all.

The rest of my time in NYC was spent offering counseling at a nearby church. We had a sandwich board outside, and counseled folks who walked in off the street. There were several of us there to handle this service, ready to greet those in need when they entered the church.

My last day in the city, I was serving at the church. I was sitting there that morning asking myself the "am I making a difference" questions, when in walked a young man. He was obviously in crisis. He had no coat, and his face was an image of total despair. I greeted him gently, and he walked into the interior of the church, sat in a pew and began to pray. I waited a while, then approached him to see if he would like to talk.

The words poured out of him... He had beaten a crack addiction. His lover had left him. He had no job. He had been out of touch with his only family, his father, for several years, as the new stepmother didn't like him. And now that he wanted to try to re-connect with his father, he couldn't find him anywhere. He told me that he was ready to give up. That he had no more to give and that there was simply nothing left to live for or care about.

Now you have to keep in mind that I am NOT a religious person, but I am very, very spiritual. We talked about having faith, and about finding the strength to go on. We talked for about an hour. He asked me what he should do. I thought for a minute, and all of a sudden I heard myself saying, "Your hardships have built in you the strength you need to continue, but it's your faith that will take you where you need to go. You need to believe you will find what you seek. I believe it. I believe what you seek is just around the corner."

We hugged, and I let him know that I would be leaving the city the next day, but that he could always return to the church and talk to others. I watched him leave, but couldn't get him out of my mind.

Right before 5 PM, I heard the church door open. None of the counselors were busy right then, so I didn't even look up, as I knew someone else was greeting the person who had entered. I heard my mentor and co-counselor Pat say, "Yes. She's right over there." I looked up, and saw someone walking towards me, tall and straight, his face literally glowing with a beatific smile. I stood to greet the man, and was gathered in an embrace.

He was talking a mile a minute, laughing and crying at the same time, and I finally realized it was my client from early morning! He didn't look like the same person at all! He was wearing a warm coat, new clean clothes, he was freshly showered and OH! That SMILE!!!!!!

And here is what he told me: He had left the church after our morning talk, thinking about what I had said. He went around the corner to a little diner and sat down to have a cup of coffee. As he sat there, he heard a familiar voice. He turned around, and there was his father. At first, he thought he was delirious... that his father wasn't really there. But all of a sudden, the man he spotted hurried towards him and wrapped his arms around him.

It turns out that the evil stepmother was no longer in the picture, dad regretted his actions, and had been trying to find his son in the city for months. With the young man's life in such upheaval, he had had no phone or permanent address for quite a while, so was impossible to locate.

His father took him Christmas shopping, took him to the hotel where he was staying so that he could shower and get into his new clothes. They were now on their way to dinner, but the young man asked his father if they could stop by the church in hopes that I would be there. He had bought me a gift, and he wanted to tell me what had happened, and to let me know that he would never, ever lose faith again, no matter what transpired in his life.

I was flabbergasted, to say the least. All the other counselors and I had been discussing the young man all day, hoping the best for him, but being very concerned about his well being. They were all watching this exchange with amazement, to say the least.

As the young man hugged me goodbye, he said that I had saved his life. I told him that I hadn't, but perhaps had just shown him that he already possessed what he needed to save his own life.

As he was opening the door to leave, I said to him, "I'll always remember you, but I don't even know your name!" He turned and looked at me, the evening light glowing around his head, and softly said, "My name is Angel, and I will never forget you."

This experience changed my life. I think of Angel often, but especially around Christmas. I hope he is doing well...

Felting, Pubs and More Sheep!

I apologize for not writing more in this blog. It's just that we're having such a wonderful time, that it almost seems like a waste to spend glorious minutes holed up in our room to write an entry...

The sun rises at about 5:30 AM and doesn't set until well after 10 PM, which takes some getting used to. John is up with the sun in the morning, every day! He goes for long walks, takes tons of photos and is reading several books on Ireland and its history.

As for me, I'm obsessed with needle felting right now. Today we're going to the studio of one of Cheryl's friends: She is a felter and does breathtaking work! John and I both purchased great starter kits from her yesterday when she came to visit us at Mullac Fraoig. Unfortunately, we have to keep a close watch on the weight of our luggage: The round trip flight from Dublin to Madrid will only allow us 44 pounds per person (NOT per suitcase!) and any overage is charged at 8 Euro per kilo!!!

Yesterday was the last official day of class... Kind of bittersweet, as our little group is so cohesive and wonderful. But, as I told our students, this is not an end... It's a beginning! Workshop-only students have already begun to leave us, so the group is getting smaller and smaller.

Many many photos have been uploaded to our Snapfish site, so be sure to check it out. As for me, I'm going to grab some orange juice and soak in all the Ireland I can! Croagh Patrick seems to be floating on a bed of clouds this morning, and it's lovely!

Trains, Sheep and Rainbows...

Greetings from breathtaking Clew Bay in Ireland!

Our day began with a taxi ride to the Dublin train station. When we arrived, we had a fast food version of a full Irish breakfast, which was very good, and very huge! I found a phone card machine and grabbed one that I hope will work. Fingers crossed!

We bought some YUMMMMMMMMY chocolates, some Coke and Pepsi and some shortbread for the long train ride ahead.

The train was excellent: Four seats facing one another in each group, and each such seating had a table in between each set of two seats. I know I'm not explaining it very well, but I'm SO tired! We needn't have worried about needing food for the four hour trip, as a cart went down the aisle part way through, selling food and drink!

The scenery was unbelievable! IRELAND IS SO GREEN!!!! Who knew? LOL! Sheep, sheep and MORE sheep... Everywhere! Looking more like piles of wool than critters. And field after field of the happiest darn cows I have ever seen! As we moved west across the country, the landscape changed. By the time we were in Mulranny, the vistas were so fabulous that I really have no words to describe them...

A word about Beadventures and Cheryl Cobern-Browne: First, any photos you may have seen of Mullac Fraoig (the astounding location for the Ireland Beadventures) and the surrounding area do not even come close to conveying the beauty of the places. It simply cannot be captured in images. Cheryl is an amazingly warm woman who knows how to put together the experience of a lifetime. Thank you, Cheryl!

We did some exploring, then feasted on delicious Irish dishes, including perfect stew and the BEST BREAD PUDDING in the whole world!

At one point this evening I was wondering if there were ANY way possible this trip could be better. At JUST that moment, someone spotted a rainbow arcing across the ski, ending in Clew Bay. *sigh*

After dinner, folks started drifting off to their rooms: It was a LONG day! John and I dipped mandrels and laid out supplies for class tomorrow, so we're ready to go. We have class Thursday, Friday and Sunday, with adventure and travels on the rest of our days.

And now, it's time for me to eat my half of a 70% cocoa truffle and tuck my self into bed. After all, tomorrow *is* a work day!

The Most Amazing Day...

It's nearly 1 AM, Dublin time... What a long, amazing day we've had! My internet connection here is really marginal, so I hope I can get this posted before I get booted off again.

Our day began with a full Irish breakfast: Eggs, rasher bacon, blood sausage, potatoes. The eggs were completely different from those we get at home. They were... hmm... not sure how do describe it. I guess what we settled on was to say that they're more "eggy". Very rich and pure tasting. Delicious!

We took a quick train ride to visit a couple of museums here in Dublin. We're here at a very historical point in time, with all the political changes that are taking place even as I'm typing this. More proof was in the shared exhibit of artwork that included works from Northern Ireland.

At the second museum, John and I had a rather moving spiritual experience. It hit us both as we viewed the last cubby in an exhibit that our guide, Giles, steered the two of us towards. More on this later, but suffice to say we were dumbstruck. We experienced a very primal sense of 'belonging' as we viewed some clothing and personal artifacts. I, of course, decided to wear MAKEUP today which was a doubly bad idea, as you'll see later. The exhibit brought tears to our eyes, so I ended up looking like a rather chunky raccoon. LOL!

A word about Giles, our guide: What a delightful man! Knowledgeable, a joy to listen to, and brimming over with the warmth we've come to find in all the citizens here.

John had let Cheryl Coburn-Browne (our Beadventures host) know that we really, REALLY needed to get to the ruins of our ancestral castle (Castleknock) while we're here. She, in turn, found out that Giles lived near there, and he graciously offered to take us there at the end of the day. So into Giles' car we piled: Giles, Cheryl, John and Me.

We got to the grounds, which is now a private school, I believe, and Giles knocked at a door and explained why we were there. That person was kind enough to point us in the right direction and give us his blessing. So up a tiny dirt road we went... It was raining, and getting muddier by the second. We got to a point where we could go no further, so Cheryl trotted down the road to see if she could find it.

(My 'net connection is getting worse by the moment, too, so I need to wrap this up!)

We found the ruins, and they were BEAUTIFUL! We have lots of photos to share later. There was one archway intact, and as we were standing beneath it soaking in the history of our ancestors, John turned to me and said, "I can't think of a more perfect time, nor a more perfect place..." And he got down on one knee.... And took a ring box from his sporran... Opened it... And asked me to be his wife.

The ring was the ring that his father gave his mother a long, long time ago.

I, of course, said yes!

After much hugging and smooching and crying and more hugging, we made our way back down the hill! Cheryl and Giles knew all about the plan, and were John's co-conspirators!!!! Cheryl has some great photos of us with the castle ruins in the background, and I will share them as soon as possible.

We then went to Giles' home, met his LOVELY wife, were toasted with champagne and served a fabulous meal. The conversation was scintillating and inspiring, and if we hadn't been so exhausted, we would probably be there still!

So I have to say that this was probably the most amazing day of my life. No kidding...

In Dublin at last!!!

We're actually here!

The flights were uneventful: I took TWO Xanax, which caused me to sleep the entire trip. Yay! Hooked up with Ellen Ingram and her darling daughter at the Chicago airport, which was really nice!

The hotel is incredible: We're staying at Bewleys Ballsbridge, which is simply TOO MUCH fun to say. LOL! It's wonderful, and I've put an exterior view below (Photo 1), as well as a view of the facade from the window in our room (Photo 2)

We had several hours for sightseeing today, so we grabbed a cab and went to a great shopping area (Photos 3 - 5). I got a purple hat :-) and some postcards to send off. We then found a great little park to hang out at for a while (Photo 6).

Back to the hotel restaurant for a nice welcome dinner with the group, then up to our room to chill. Terry Hale came to the room and hung out for a little bit, which was the perfect end to a perfect day!

More later!

Today's The Day!

It's nearly 4 AM, and for all my obsessive planning, I still seem to have a million things to do.

Yes, I finished up my electroformed piece for the museum in Spain. Yes, I remembered to buy new reading glasses. I've already checked in for our flight, and have our boarding passes. The BIG stuff is done. It's the little stuff that's making me nuts.

I need to grab a couple hours sleep, then get up and give Macy a bath. I torched a tiny bit tonight, so I have a few vessels I need to clean and pack.

I have no idea when I'll have internet access again. Oh! I think I remember having access at the Chicago airport! We have a manageable layover there.

Talk to you guys soon... Adios!

Photos to View...

As we travel, I'll be posting pics. Hopefully, a lot of them. Some will be from my phone, and you can find those here. Some will be from my camera, and you can find those on Snapfish. Yeah, I know you have to register to view them there, but no biggie. I'm hoping to figure out how to get them into a dedicated album on my website, too. I'll let you know if I do.

Have to torch today. Have to. Must. Seriously.