shanna murray

dear friend

Dear Boppa, 

Thank you for this summer. Thank you for long, winding drives and for speeding up when there was a hill. Thank you for taking your time. The slowness of your pace has changed me, made me notice more, and I love that.

Thank you for allowing me to witness the beauty of you giving your most prized creations to just the right people. Thank you for showing me how much that made you smile - even though it made me cry. Thank you for all the hard work, long hours, and attention to every last detail you put into all that you made. Thank you for making sure your bridge is in a place I can see it, whenever I want to. Thank you for taking that last trip onto the real bridge with me, I won't ever forget it.

Thank you for showing me how much joy can come from buying something for yourself you've wanted all your life. I smile every time I think of the day we went to buy your black track suit. You looked so sharp in that track suit. I think you would have liked that you wore it on your last drive out of town, it seemed right to me.

Thank you for teaching me how to play cribbage, and for all the great games we shared. Thanks for giving me a hard time when I won, but for making sure to balance that with a compliment. Thank you for the stories of places all over the world that your cribbage board has been. I love that your stories are now mine to share, since you've passed your board on to me. I know I will tell them. Thank you for showing me what patience and love can bring. 

Thank you for facing this head on, and for telling me you'd miss me. Thank you for that wonderful last dinner, and for saying I looked pretty on our last day together. Thank you for introducing me to all of your friends, I loved seeing you through their eyes. Thank you for letting me win an argument or two. I know how much that's supposed to mean to me. Thank you for calling me into your office to tell me so. Thank you for showing me how important it is to have a back up, even with orange juice. 

Thank you for letting me see you cry, for sharing your true feelings. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for letting me care for you, and for letting your walls down. They used to be so high. I'm so grateful I got a chance to know you without them. Thank you for holding my hand. Thank you for all of the laughter, especially on the tough days. You traveled this last road with a strength and grace that was unexpected, and more than an honor to witness. I'm grateful now that I made sure to tell you that often. Thank you for listening to me sing to you, I know you heard me. Thank you for giving me the time I needed to say goodbye.

Thank you for the words that play over and over in my heart, words I would have never guessed at the beginning of summer would be there now. I miss my friend.

Love, your miss peach

abundance

As my grandfather enters the next phase of his journey, I'm so grateful for the memories we collected over the summer. I hold on to them at the same time and just as tightly as I hold his hand, helping him to move. Our memories carry me through these last days with a strength I can't explain. With a love that feels like grace.

 You have carried me too, dear friends. More than you could ever know. xo, S

one last trip

I've been wanting to share with you some thoughts on the trip that C and I took with Boppa last weekend to the coast, only my own words won't come. Just the lyrics to a song, looping over and over in my mind. After a third attempt to sit and write this post, with each attempt resulting in that same beauty playing on repeat, I think I'll simply share with you the song.

After we closed the car doors on the beach and pulled away, I remarked on the beauty of the trip. Boppa said "You'll remember this. That's what I wanted." The best gift he could give. I'm so glad he knew.

Happy new week, dear friends. xxoo, S

to the coast

My grandfather, C, and I are heading off on a little adventure to the coast! Hope you have a lovely weekend full of adventure, too! 

xxoo, S

p.s. I'm still waiting to be able to share my latest collaboration with you...very soon, I hope! Until then, I'll also have to wait to share a sneak peek at what's coming up in the shop. The decal gallery will be up on Tuesday, hooray for that!

true love

Oh, September, I love you so. If I was an anthem writer, I'd surely write one for you. For as long as I've known you I've been in love. But never more so than when I moved East. This year, September, it will be different. I look forward to seeing what a Northwest September has to share. What will the farmers' market bring as the weather turns cooler? How long will a day be? Will there be any leaves to crunch underfoot? Will the snow return to the mountains just behind me? Do you have any well kept secrets? What will your skies look like? Show me.

The first day of September could not possibly be better. In just a short few hours I will be with C again. It has been 58 long days since we parted. I have been waiting for this day every day since. 

* * *

To kick this beautiful month off I asked the lovely and talented Anna Allen to join me. Anna's photographs often strike a chord in me. Something she sees I see the same. Something she makes can inspire me for days. Like a favorite song that fits just right, Anna's photographs feel like home to me. Thanks for joining me, Anna. xo

I hope you'll enjoy our little calendar, friends. (give the image a click for the larger version) Happy September to you.

Love, S