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Post by Brie

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Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age arrives alone, unaccompanied.
                                                          -Woon Tai Ho, Riot Green

Brie’s Christmas Owl

Hello APJ,

Written while drinking Organic India USA<<<JUMP Tulsi Sweet Rose herbal tea.

Photo Stolen Organic India USA

Christine, my oldest childhood friend of 42 years, lived one flight below me in an apartment building in NYC. Her mother Catherine, a bubbly woman of Greek descent, lived life to the fullest with an infectious laugh and an ability to always see the glass half full instead of half empty. One Christmas Catherine invited all of Christine’s friends over and presented us with gifts that she had chosen quite carefully for each of us. As we tore off the wrapping paper what was revealed underneath were handcrafted ornaments of various animals. I was secretly hoping for the cat (my favorite animal) and was dismayed to see that she had given me an owl. Sensing my disappointment she pulled me aside and quietly whispered, “Do you know what the owl represents? Intuitive wisdom. Never forget that you are an owl, not a cat”. I was four months shy of becoming a teenager and all I cared about at that time was obtaining that which I did not have; popularity and attractiveness. Intuition and wisdom were the very last attributes I was attempting to cultivate. Sadly, a few years later, Christine lost her mother to breast cancer.

Brie’s family took and starred in this shot

Ten years ago I asked my parents to retrieve all of my collectible Christmas ornaments from the common storage room in their apartment building. To my horror, all of my dated Hallmark ornaments were stolen. Left behind were a few worthless stragglers, including the owl. Back it came to my own house and as it hung on my tree I thought of Catherine, her words haunting me. Year after year I placed that owl on my tree and slowly but surely the owl became my animal. Eventually my three children heard the story of how I came to love owls through the wise words of Catherine.

So it should come as no surprise that when I saw Soap and Paper Factory’s Patch NYC “OWL” solid perfume I bought it unsniffed. Lucky for me it smells fantastic! OWL is a bright rosy geranium on top with a grounding dry down of sandalwood, tobacco and vetiver. For a solid natural perfume it lasts an incredibly long time. The tea I love to pair it with is Organic India’s Tulsi Tea Sweet Rose. Tulsi, or holy basil, is an herb renowned in India for healing properties that relieve stress and protect the immune system. That beautiful Sweet Rose tea melds so nicely with the OWL perfume.

From PatchNYC site:

{sandalwood, tobacco, vetiver} elusive and wise like the night owl, delvilishly earthy as a twilight forest

Three years ago I included a letter with my yearly holiday card to my friend Christine. I wrote about the exchange between her mother and I and included a picture of my owl hanging on the Christmas tree. Last year she revealed to me that she keeps my letter in a special place and reads it from time to time. I believe that it serves as a reminder that her mother’s memory lives on in the heart of a woman who endeavors for wisdom to accompany her into middle age.

This story is dedicated to all mothers: past, present and future

Sadly Brie wrote this ahead and can not answer your comments. Don’t let that stop the conversation though, please write if you’d like and Portia will reply. Hopefully Brie is out there somewhere reading. Portia xx