It's Comforting

My friend Becky and I were just talking about the fact that Juneteenth was not something we learned about in the school system we grew up in.  This....and a whole lot of other things. There's so much I don't know. My journey may be a little late in the game...and a little slow....but I've started.

Two blooms from my garden in Lexington just starting their journeys.

Spirea

Hydrangea

I've been so taken with the world wide reach of the pandemic.....however awful that might be.  Everyone....all over the world has been going through the same thing...at the very the same time.  That over used phrase "we're all in this together" couldn't be more true.  It comes through in beautiful artwork and wise words and reflections on social media by artists I follow....and it's been comforting.

And now...I'm I am once again moved by my artist friends all over the world (most are white...working on that) who are standing together acknowledging and coming to terms with white privilege and the journey we all must begin to not just be anti-racist....but anti-racism.

Today I was quite taken with an Instagram post by my friend and teacher Philippa Stanton better known as 5ftinf from Brighton, England.  She used her beautiful table to feature her love for tea.  I've had tea at that table....and I love the beautiful stories she creates there.  But today she wrote about learning for the first time what Juneteenth was all about....and also spent time reading a bit about the real history of tea.

"I realized today the importance of acknowledging the real history behind the drink we think of as our heritage...it is stolen heritage, a racist heritage and a heritage steeped in oppression and appropriation of people and their countries for our own economic gain, whilst telling us that these people are not as good as us."

I highly recommend reading her whole thoughtful post and scrolling through the other images in it: https://www.instagram.com/p/CBoD2KaA3Tu/

We are all in this journey together too... and it's comforting.

I put together a Steller Story about my trip to the UK a little over a year ago....and having tea at "The Table" with #5ftinf.

You can view it here: https://steller.co/s/tea-at-the-9G3aZ5BLU3r/p/1  

Once you're there....click the arrows to scroll through the photos.

All my Steller Stories from my England trip and many others including the class lessons from the Consciously Creative class with Phillippa are here:  https://steller.co/joyfulputtering/

  

That class changed my life.