Day 8 - A friend's 50th birthday

Today was my friends 50th birthday. I agonized over what I was going to give her. We have to fight against so much negativity surrounding aging in our culture (especially women). I knew she was approaching this birthday with much anxiety. I wandered around in a few shops and came across a wonderful little place, new in town, where I found, what I hoped would be, the perfect gift. It was a deck of cards called "Wisdom of the Crone". Crone in our culture has negative connotations but in mythology a crone is a wise woman, an older woman who is revered for her wisdom. I am fortunate to have a Crone for a Mother. She is very wise and is aging so gracefully. She is an inspiration to me. So, anyway, this deck of cards has insightful messages and images of women between the ages of 50-100. They are designed to help women honor this time in their life. I wrote in my friend's card that the gift was from "one aspiring crone to another" and that I hoped that they would help her celebrate her life and all the wonderful gifts and wisdom that she has to give. She seemed to really like them as did her husband and mother-in-law. My hope is that they will help ease her into this transitional time in her life with joy and confidence.

While I was out shopping today, I also had another opportunity to give to a Salvation Army bell ringer so I did!

Happy giving to all!