<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In<\/strong> my family I am this generation’s Memory Keeper.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n S<\/strong>everal generations before me there was Margaret, my Grandfather’s sister. Through her son now passed many of the stories and photographs she shared with her only child, he passed down to me.<\/p>\n M<\/strong>argaret carried a memory book with her wherever she went, recording daily events as they transpired.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n T<\/strong>hey say every picture tells a story. What do you think this one says about Margaret with this young park bear?<\/p>\n I<\/strong> think she looks more innocent than brave and that the bear appears as young and naive as she; happily enjoying the attentions of such a lovely girl.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n M<\/strong>argaret kept a collection of photographs that have become family treasures, such as this one of Gordon Highlander her brother during a visit to Dingman’s Ferry in Pennsylvania standing proud before tall Hollyhocks.<\/p>\n I<\/strong>t is expected and required that every Memory Keeper create a sacred vessel in which to house their family’s stories. This vessel is then cast with an enchantment by fairy folk to become a unique one of a kind register of a family’s tales.<\/p>\n M<\/strong>emory vessels are sacred for they carry the dreams, wishes and memories from previous generations to the present day. Passed down from one generation to the next they can serve as inspiration, offering guidance for those seekers that come after, so they know they are never alone; their ancestors are always by their side.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n M<\/strong>argaret created two sacred vessels, a leather bound book she carried everywhere recording as she went and an embroidered box which held photographs the previous Memory Keeper passed down to her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n W<\/strong>hen my turn came for making a sacred vessel of my own I waited until the evening of the first Full Moon of Autumn; then called upon the Home Place Fairies along with my ancestors for guidance and inspiration.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n T<\/strong>he fairies whispered, “use what you have at hand”. \u00a0All around me I saw an abundance of discarded cardboard and so with the remains of several large boxes I set about to construct my own unique memory vessel.<\/p>\n B<\/strong>eing a Fairy Seamstress it seemed a natural choice that I might create some article of clothing; so I decided upon a dress, a dress made entirely of cardboard into which I would place my family’s memories.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I<\/strong> collected large boxes from my basement; I stomped up and down happily hopping on them to flatten and then carefully cut them into large pieces. Next I painted each piece of cardboard with three coats of fresh white gesso paint on both sides. \u00a0As I worked I noticed fairies arrived, sparkling and whispering at my side.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n T<\/strong>hen I \u00a0began to sketch on the cardboard as a bodice appeared. I cut out the bodice; manipulating the cardboard “fabric” into a three dimensional shape which I glued together with a hot glue gun.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n T<\/strong>he Fairies in their excitement began sprinkling fairy dust on every piece of cardboard I’d painted in soft shades of pink.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n N<\/strong>ext I was cutting and painting cardboard petals.,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n cardboard butterflies…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n and cardboard leaves which I painted a gentle shade of green.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I<\/strong> was so inspired that I worked all through many days and several nights as a dress took form.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n T<\/strong>he fairies whispered, “wings”,<\/em> and I was happy to oblige.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I<\/strong> cut and glued together one large cardboard rose,\u00a0 smaller flowers followed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n B<\/strong>efore me a lovely cardboard fairy dress had taken form. Inspired by my ancestors and encouraged by fairies, I had created my own unique vessel in which to hold my family’s dreams, stories and memories.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n W<\/strong>ings enchanted with fairy dust, came to life on a dress made of cardboard inspired by fairies and ancestors who lived before me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n E<\/strong>very Memory Keeper must present a book of their own; the Fairies whispered to me…”Cardboard, cardboard, it’s in your bone, make a book to house those stories that are your family’s all alone.”<\/p>\n A<\/strong>nd so I did.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n S<\/strong>o I cut and bent more cardboard, I painted, I drew…and a beautiful book began to emerge filling with the stories of ancestors past.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n “A<\/strong> moth, a Sacred Luna Moth”,<\/em> the Fairies whispered and I complied adding the finishing touch.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n O<\/strong>n the eleventh day the dress and book were done, a welcome vessel in which to contain all my families memories, past, present and yet to come.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n L<\/strong>ook about yourself at the material you have at hand to create your own memory vessel and you too can turn the ordinary into the extra-ordinary.<\/p>\n![\"Memory](\"http:\/\/homeplacefairies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Memory-Keeper-of-the-Present.jpg\")
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