"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

This morning, I looked at the things I have on my nightstand and realized that not only do I find each object beautiful, but each have a very special meaning to me.

The little ceramic birdbath was given to me by my dear friend, Madeleine. Knowing my love for miniatures and birds, she bought it for me after she saw me admire it in a store. Every evening I remove my earrings and put them in the small bowl and think of her. My dearest longtime friend Christy gave me the beautiful vintage pink ceramic tray, the card with lovely handwritten sentiments about our friendship, and the copy of Bella Grace magazine. She'd bought the same magazine for herself and loved it so much that she had one sent to me. My sweet sister Pam gave me the rosemary scented candle and my wonderful friend Jacqi gave me the candle in turquoise glass- both with the intention of giving light to my spirit through a difficult period in my life. The small round box with faux jewels on top was made by my son Eric, in elementary school and the selenite crystal was a gift from a friend of a dear friend during that difficult period. I learned that selenite has many metaphysical properties and is often used for healing. Most importantly for me is its association with the saying "as above, so below" because my sweet son Bret was a believer in this. I often reflect on its meaning and wish he were still here so that we could talk about it...

My nightstand is filled with objects, mostly gifts, given with love, from those who are dearest in my life and ever-present in my heart.