"Faith is daring the soul to go beyond what the eye can see"
When death came knocking at my door in the summer of 2009 my life& 39;s journey changed dramatically. I had to embrace chemotherapy to survive and surrender all my emotions to the power of love. The doctors said they couldn& 39;t cure me so I live with the question "What is healing?" It has been a turning point in my life.
I had been bringing music to children, alongside parenting, for over 20 years. Suddenly my reality and my identity changed. It was like being launched on a healing journey and this is what I& 39;d like to share with others.
Before I was diagnosed I bought a cottage that needed renovating. The transformation of the cottage has now become symbolic of my own journey of healing. It is in the north east of Scotland, an area where I& 39;ve lived for over 20 years and find very beautiful.
Last summer a friend came to stay so that we could play flute together for a few days. She was very inspired by my cottage project and really encouraged me to share it with others. I was very surprised but as this journey is all about stepping into the unknown and overcoming my fears, here I am writing this now!
Last Easter I started making tiles for the cottage at the local pottery. I collect beautiful things from nature and press them into the moist clay. They are biscuit fired, then glazed. I am capturing the seasons of the year and fossilising them. I find the whole process very healing.
I also made 3 huge pieces of felt to make into a cover for my harp. We were a small group of women, carding the fleece, laying it out on a board, laughing, talking and singing.
My dream is to finish the work on the cottage so that I can invite people to come and stay. People in recovery, their carers or indeed anyone needing a nurturing, creative break. We could spend time in nature, sing, play harp, flute, lyre, piano or make candles. You could spend time with local artists who have a wide range of skills to share or a professional storyteller friend of mine could tell your story back to you as a healing art. Or you could simply spend time just & 39;being& 39; and enjoy the peace and beauty.
The reason that I am asking for support is because my resources are very low and the work on the cottage has been a lot more extensive than I first thought. The £3,000 I am hoping to raise will enable me to make ONE big step towards my dream. I am doing as much as I can (which includes making endless cups of tea for others and apple crumble!) and last summer my son was able to help.
I am very grateful to all my talented friends whose skills, help, understanding, expertise and support are woven into the project. I couldn& 39;t do it without them. We are recycling as much as possible.
£3,000 will enable me to put in the floor and insulate the cottage. I intend to move in as soon as possible although there will still be a lot of construction work to do on the other side of a closed door.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
