A Visit From Senay~

Well, what can I say, I have been blessed with another marvelous visit from the wise and wonderful Senay, and this is a very lucky thing indeed. She came down to the stormy Pacific West Coast to see her nutty Auntie just a few short days ago.  It was a long journey through snowy mountain passes with Nana and Papa, but despite those long hours in the car she still bounded in through the door as though she had wings, and there she stood twinkling from head to toe.  ( I actually think she does have wings, but grown ups just can't see them).  

Senay, for those of you who don't know, is my 4 and 1/2 year old niece.  She is wise beyond her years and has an incredible way of reminding me of what matters most in life.  Bear hugs and belly laughs and wild dancing are absolute priorities for all days.  You don't need a special occasion to put on your best dress and twirl about in joyous ways.  Dog kisses and bubble baths are the cure for most ailments, and chocolate is the cure for everything.  Senay is truly the best sort of teacher, her questions always lead me into the very center of things, and soon my troubled mind is having way too much fun to be troubled at all. After no more than a few minutes in her sparkling company, it is clear to me that a cup of honey tea, a snuggle with someone you love, and a good hearty read of Winnie the Witch is all one needs to clear the cobwebs and see what an exquisite gift it is to be alive.  

For the past few days Senay and I have danced, and sang, and discussed the most heartfelt things.  We spent one morning gently anointing my antique Indian bronze statues with rose oil, we lit candles and we rang Tibetan bells.  Together we noticed that there was magic everywhere, in all things, and then Senay went through my house counting Faeires. There were six in total.  And after a long discussion about the most precious things, Senay informed me that the most important thing in life "is to have a really big heart Auntie, and one that is filled with love."  She said that this is what the bronze statues on my alter were teaching me. "You know Auntie, your heart is bigger than you think," she said, before bursting into an explosion of giggles, on my pillowed floor and heading into the kitchen for lunch.