A miracle happened the other day. It was the appearance of this season's first Monarch Butterfly. I say a miracle because due to climate change and inclement weather, many of the migrating butterflies froze on their way to their Canadian breeding grounds this year. This means that many of their offspring are not expected to make the migration back to California and Mexico and the last report is that the numbers are down significantly. This saddens me a great deal as at this time last year, the garden was filled with at least 100 of these light-winged angels.

What struck me yesterday was the beauty of that single butterfly. Ladden with eggs, she fluttered about for hours landing on the garden's remaining Milkweed plant depositing her eggs... one-by-one. (Butterflies are voracious eaters and last year they ate the plants down to stubs. I thought the plants would actually renew by now, but as of yet, only one plant has and the volunteer seedlings are too small to be substantial.) Interestingly enough, Monarchs are quite particular about where they lay their eggs. They only deposit their eggs on healthy plants thereby offering their offspring the very best opportunity to become butterflies. After she is done, the mother butterfly then flies off and, then depending upon what time of the year it is, she usually dies within 2 weeks of depositing her eggs. 

As I sat there watching all of this unfold, I realized how blessed I was to have been able to witness this magnificent being's journey unfold. Perhaps someone else might likened to watching paint dry, but I remained awe stuck. It was nature's way of reminding me that: 
We are all perfect miracles and as such, we are a spark of the Divine.
We are here to recall and rejoice in our souls' calling and when we do so we finally find enlightenment.
Our journey is really just a blip on the radar screen of life so NOW is the time to make the most of it.
When we have wonderful ideas (eggs) we must, against all odds, deposit them.
We must be picky about the environment in which we incubate them so that they have every possibility of expansion. We must nurture our ideas and take the necessary risks to expose our passions thereby giving them flight. 

Unfortunately, many great ideas are squashed before they get out of the chrysallis stage. Our ego tells us that:
We are not good enough.
That our ideas are too grand! Reminder: Don't blow an idea off just because we think that someone else must have already come up with that great idea! Just because a product isn't new that doesn't mean that we can't improve on it... HELLO -- If that were the general mindset, we'd all be driving Fords?? Think about it...
This idea was not meant for us because we just can't grasp what we came up with. 

What we don't understand is that those moments of inspiration are gifts from the Universe and they are TRULY gifts created for ONLY you. Please, please, please don't ignore them. Give them a chance to take flight! You never know what they might morph into. Now is your chance to step into the miracle that you are!

Blessings, Merry

I started designing the garden, Jardin de Mayahuel, in April of 2008 as a tribute to my 17-year-old son Ben, and as a place of solace for our family. It was the year we came out of denial and gave into the reality of transplant; Ben's kidneys were no longer functioning. I remember hearing the doctor describe what to expect when this day would arrive. That was 10 years and a thousand tears ago. It seemed so far of in the distant future but now it was evident; his time had come. 

People often ask, "How did you survive all those years "knowing" what was around the corner?" Simple. We packed our bags and moved to a place called denial. It has a rather large zip code and a familiarity all its own. Denial was such a great place to live in. It enveloped us like a warm, cozy blanket that had just been retrieved from the dryer.  We clung to it and in return, it shielded us from our sorrows. Like the warmth, we knew our stay wouldn't last long, but just to hold onto it for the moment comforted us.

As an intuitive, I live "knowing."  I've done it all my life so now wouldn't be any different. What I foresaw was a future full of heartbreak and trauma but also one filled with courage and faith. As I designed the garden I knew I would be creating a refuge from and for life; Butterflies and hummingbirds to be exact. As I watch it grow through the seasons, it has provided me with far more than I could have ever dreamed possible. It has taught me about life's lessons and then some.


Continued Blessings, Merry

Jardin de Mayahuel: 
This April, the garden celebrated it's 1st anniversary. It is a work in progress. The garden is framed by a cement, brick capped wall originally painted white. From the garden's inception, I knew that I wanted the wall to set the overall tone for the garden. It never ceases to amaze me. From sunrise to sunset the wall seems to come to life. The shadows seem to leap of the wall and set a wonderful backdrop for the garden.


The wall mural was lovingly painted by master muralist, Rik Erickson (www.Muralsfantastic.com 619-296-9898.) I was fortunate to find him on the web and while we were away for Ben's Make-A-Wish trip, Rik came to the house and finished the mural within 2 days. I didn't tell my family that I had commissioned Rik to paint the wall, so when they came home they were just as surprised as I was! It was everything that I had envisioned and more. Besides being a talented artist, Rik is humble, knowledgeable and just went within for inspiration. I love that about him. I highly recommend you visit his website to his incredible artistry. 

The wall murals were inspired by images found in a wonderful cookbook entitled, "Spirit of the Earth-Native Cooking From Latin America" written by Beverly Cox and Martin Jacobs. They are of Aztec, Inca and Mayan inspiration and I found that they were the added dimension needed to frame the garden. My future plans include a mural of the Lady of Guadalupe for which the garden is named and a mural in tribute to la Virgina de Juquila of Oaxaca, Mexico. Both of them have blessed with us with many miracles.


This photo was taken at approximately 8:30 am.