Apparently I took this image in December 2010. Did not discover it on the thumb drive until 2017.
Suzy Snowflake, the family tree angel, was assembled by my mom from sewing basket scraps in 1951. Suzy had a stuffed cloth head at the time, with embroidered facial features. It was replaced by a Skipper head sometime in the 60s.
A family friend has one just like Suzy, with the cloth head, which her mom made about the same time. We suspect there was a pattern in a magazine.
May peace descend upon the world like a flight of angels. 
That is a peacefully beautiful photo and prayer for us all.
ReplyDeleteAs the sun goes by from night to night
ReplyDeleteShortest day of the year for us, north of
The unmarked belt round our world's
Hot divisor, many turn to ritual,
Each surprised, perhaps, by how firmly
Such habits hold: glass of red liquid,
Untying of a tinseled bow, impromptu choiring,
Nine candles lit, rich cakes, an impulse to
Gather against dark and shout. I mostly
Only do one thing. Opening the old shoebox
Each year, I lift a homemade angel out,
Smoothe her old lace wings, straighten her
Bent wand, set her on everyone's tree, then,
Yearning for solitude, slip quietly away.
From scraps of mesh and gimp she was built
Round an old thread spool cone covered
Over with foil. Pipe cleaner arms
Make vague gestures of blessing, though
Nowadays no gummed star stays
In place to complete her spell. She's
Got to chant until mid-January, I suppose;
Her work's cut out for her to bring back
That runaway orb of day. We've picked a
Time for reconciliations and such, sugared
Over with summer's fruits and promises
Not to wrangle while the sun's in doubt.
I'd rather try for equanimity, personally;
Go for a year's whole peace at a time:
Have our little angel save us for once,
Then rest in her box, job forever done.