Someone Pinch Me, I Must Be Dreaming...(and, the business of "stuff".)

I am here to tell you that

I am just blown away (AGAIN)

by the way we women across this

country care for

and treat each other...

How one seemingly small act of kindness

moves another and

generates yet another incredibly

thoughtful act of

random kindness.

{THE sweetest note!}

I got the most amazing, beautifully wrapped package in the mail from one of my customers

this weekend --

TOTALLY UNEXPECTED!

When this gorgeous box arrived, I was trying to remember if I'd ordered something and just forgot about it

(ever do THAT?)

but I just couldn't think of anything I was expecting to arrive...

I got the package late Saturday afternoon just as I was flying out the door to help out at a

church function and had to resist opening it since I was already running late ( so what's new?).

I was away until after midnight that night, so I was not able to open it until early Sunday

(I know, I can't believe I was able to let it sit unopened that long either!)

LOOK at this!!

Where do I start?

GIANT coffee filter flowers

(LOVE THIS IDEA!),

A pearl and wire letter "R",

A jar of homemade berry jam sooo beautifully presented along with

a lovely silver spreader knife,

A beautifully made "Candle Corset" made from

chicken wire (don't you love chicken wire?) and beautiful white lace

tied up with white seam binding ribbon

(check them out in Rosemary's Etsy shop!!),

A beautifully scented pillar candle (gardenia!)

and a glass hurricane to set it in

(which would all then be topped by the "candle corset"!).

Sorry for the blurry pic - but I wanted you to see down

inside the hurricane which is inside the chicken wire "corset"....

It didn't take long for me to see what the box was all about...

My sweet customer, Rosemary,

was so happy about a small thing I did for her a while back and she

simply decided to shower me with the most amazing

box of beauty!!

I ADORE what I do in the way of my store, my blog, etc.

so for me it really isn't like "work" and honestly

there are days I almost catch myself quietly giggling

at the fact that I get to basically play all day with

beautiful things and share them with others.

I love people

and making even the simplest thing a touch more beautiful for them

-- even if it is just by tissue-wrapping your

Jeanne d'Arc Living magazine before it goes into the envelope.

It's "all in a day's work" for me and I wouldn't think of doing

things any other way.

I try not to keep too tight a grip

on the the whole business thing

and rather

try to hold it loosely,

and enjoy it.

Take it seriously enough to pay the bills,

but not

so seriously that I forget why I do it...

I have a motto, that many have heard me repeat over the years:

"Eh, it's just stuff...."

Obviously, it's great stuff.

Beautiful stuff!

Okay, pretty downright fabulous stuff.

But it's still

just

stuff.

It should NEVER come ahead

of people.

Like my customers.

Like you.

So if I decide to tuck a little extra "something" into your box,

it's because I just thought maybe you'd enjoy it.

If I don't have something in stock,

I'll scour the web to find someone who does and I'll

put you in touch with them.

I know how frustrated I can get when I'm looking for something in particular

and can't find it.

Why wouldn't I help one of my own customers find what

she's looking for

-- even if my store doesn't have it at the moment?

Its

just

stuff...

So, Rosemary, if you read my blog,

THANK YOU.

It's been a tough, busy, wearying week

and your box

(along with a couple of other God-sent things...Cathy, you KNOW I'm talking to YOU!)

have really bolstered me and put fresh air beneath my wings.

I'm ready for a new week of filling

orders with more

beautiful,

fabulous,

pretty,

stuff....

You are LOVED!!

:)

~Ruth~