The Flower in the Heart

Because when writing Kismet and posting my former roommate's photograph of Cleo I had the thought, "I should send this to Julie," a little gem-of-an artwork arrived in my mailbox last week. How is that? Because after a brief web hunt, I found Julie alive and well in Ohio, and I wrote to her. I shared about Cleo, the entry, the photograph, and I reminisced a bit. There was a special sort of sweetness to sharing this with someone who was there at the beginning, who knew Cleo from that day she entered my life. And because Julie is Julie, she received my note well--was delighted by it in fact. We wrote back and forth a few times, did some more reminiscing and a little updating about our respective lives. And the next thing I knew--because Julie is Julie--I was holding this gift in my hand along with the notecard that accompanied it:

Hi, Kathryn-

When I was on your Claritywork website, I found my way to one of your radio interviews. I listened--very interesting. While you and the interviewer talked, I just got inspired to doodle. So I grabbed whatever supplies were around me at home and drew away. Doing this is a great way to relax and really listen, at least for me. I thought, "Hmm, I should send this off to Kathryn..." And so here you are...

Cheers, Julie

Oh, how this warmed my heart! And I marvel at how inspiration moves and moves us to act and we act, create something, and by sharing it, touch another. In heartwarming circles, round and round this goes with no end, if we let it. Sometimes we don't let it. I might not have followed through. Julie might not have sent the package. We might have let our passing thoughts pass and that would of course have been that. But then this colorful, delightful, artful flower of the heart would have missed its chance to bloom.