Bead Journal Update

I'm ahead of schedule for my Feb Bead Journal Project! I actually had it all beaded and finished before Valentine's Day, but I wanted to add the lady bug bead, and had to hunt through draws looking for it. Now to explain why it is all flowery & Spring looking when the weather in Central Ohio has been snowy, icy, gloomy, and WET! I was working on the squares for Monica Magness' project Pink Artist (click on the button to check out what this is & see Monica's progress). I made one which was hoo hum to me with the button discover on it, when I looked over at a stack of fabric scraps and saw a piece of last year's Huffman Challenge. Now, I didn't do a Huffman Challenge doll as my pattern making is still on the beginner's level. But it was pretty & I though what a nice addition to the new faces that Chris has been making for me. So I made three squares (see blog entry below), and I really loved doing them so I thought why not! Why not make my Feb BJP dedicated to Pink Artist and the cure for breast cancer.

Twelve years ago, I met a wonderful person on line named Marlene. Marlene & I talked about going to a Scottie Dog Antique Convention in Cincinatti called Wee Scots. We met & really liked each other immediately. We hung out to together the whole 3 days & thought Marlene lived in Los Angeles, we stayed in contact via the Internet. At that time she was traveling all over the US taking pictures of Water Tanks. We laughed about that, but she did have some great pictures. She drove all the way to NYC, up to Canada before heading back home to LA. When she got back, I helped her get over her grief of losing her aging Scottie & enjoyed her delight in getting a new puppy. All this time, Marlene had a secret. Marlene was in remission from breast/lung cancer. The trip where we met was a goal that she made to herself after she completed chemotherapy. Marlene's remission was only for 2 years. Those two years that I got to know her. Her cancer came back. I called her every week. I always tried to make her laugh as much as possible telling her stories about my Skyelini. I sent her funny little presents & tried to make sure I called her when she was suppose to get them. Marlene's cancer spread fast, and my dear friend did not respond to the current chemo therapy. I knew she was dying. I was heart broken to lose a friend so young as Marlene was only 50 year young. She was in the hospital unable to eat due to the blisters in her mouth. She was weak, but she was happy as her nephew was getting married the next day & her doctors said she could go to the ceremony. I called the hospital, and we talked for only a few moments. Her voice was little more than a whisper. I told her a story about Skye flying over the rugs & she laughed calling her the flying Scottie. Then she told me something I won't forget. She told me being her friend was such a relief for her and that she was happy we met on the Internet. She died a few days latter. The day her sister called & told me she'd died, I hugged poor little Skye so much. I couldn't hug my dear friend, so Skye was the substitute. So my Feb BJP is dedicated to that first friend I found on the Internet. This is for Marlene.