I bought a head with a hole on top, which is exactly
what my own head feels like a great deal of the time. It is meant to be a planter…the new head, not
my own. Although, if I remember to think
of all thoughts as seeds that will grow and/or flourish, I might be more
inclined to be more careful of the thoughts I allow infiltration and take
root.
I found this head in a quiet
greenhouse back on the first day of spring planting. She spoke to me, so I promptly bought a small
polka dot plant and utilized the plastic liner inside her cranium and sat them
both atop a bookcase in the Family Room.
The plant died. The serene face
remained. I contemplated all summer long
the notion of bonneting her with a flower bouquet. Finally, I gathered salmon carnations and
purple Alstromeria lilies. I have
recently bedecked her with an Autumnal silk flowered chapeau.
I sent a picture of her to my Auntie, who voiced the
question I had myself been pondering, “Has she a name?” she asked.
I googled, “calm joy” and found Egelfride. Her name means harmony and calmness. A reminder to be quiet and filled with
harmony within myself and as we gather in our family room. I initially thought of naming her after
another dear aunt who exudes a quiet harmony, as did my Auntie. She replied after I told her the name, “I was
going to suggest, as an honor and testament to her harmony/calmness, but I
deleted the message, to hear what you would find and now much more exciting and
feels like going back to Roman days or medieval... also blends with all the variety
and beauty you create. Here’s to
Egelfride. Love it.”
Earlier this year, I stumbled upon “Seek Peace”
scripture. I have held it dear as a sort
of mantra. I struggle more with finding
peace within myself than I do keeping peace with others. The latter is much easier. However, as this carved concrete of serenity
stands sentinel over our gathering place, having brought a smile to my face
from the moment I first saw her amongst the mosses and vines…I am reminded that Egelfride is much
more than a name, it is a state of mind.
