Family History Discovered - A love letter from Gawter to Sìleas

In houses as old as mine, one often discovers hidden treasures (along with what may possibly be considered junk) when going through ages old trunks or pieces of furniture.  I had decided that I would go through a very old desk down in my cask room last night and in doing so I found a small stack of nearly crumbling pages.  I carefully untied the small green ribbon holding them together and immediately found that they were letters from my many-times great grandfather, Gawter, to the love of his life, Sìleas.   

I have described the two of them to you before by sharing a dream I once had - so real.   The letter on the top of the stack was quite faded and worn, obviously read many times over.  

 My very dear Sìleas~

The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days—perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write again, I feel impelled to write a few lines that may fall under your eye when I shall be no more . . .

I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter. I know how strongly our Civilization now leans on the triumph of the our cause and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and sufferings of many battles. And I am willing—perfectly willing—to lay down all my joys in this life, to help maintain this way of life, and to pay that debt . . .

Sìleas my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break; and yet my love of Clan and Country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me unresistibly on with all these chains to the battle field.

The memories of the blissful moments I have spent with you come creeping over me, and I feel most gratified to God and to you that I have enjoyed them for so long. And hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes of future years, when, God willing, we might still have lived and loved together, and seen our children grown up to honorable life, around us. I have, I know, but few and small claims upon Divine Providence, but something whispers to me—perhaps it is the wafted prayer of my little ones, that I shall return to my loved ones unharmed. If I do not my dear Sìleas, never forget how much I love you, and when my last breath escapes me on the battle field, it will whisper your name. Forgive my many faults and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless and foolish I have often times been! How gladly would I wash out with my tears every little spot upon your happiness . . .

But, O Sìleas! If the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you; in the gladdest days and in the darkest nights . . . always, always, and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath, as the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by. Sìleas do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for thee, for we shall meet again . . .

Yours forever~
Gawter

 Sìleas - after she has read the letter from Gawter

I immediately scanned the rest of the letters in the stack and found that there were many dated after this one, so Gawter did not die on that battlefield that day, but once again came home to his beloved Sìleas.  How fortunate they were to be able to share this love with one another for many, many years.

Waiting.....praying for his safe return

******

OOC - I recently was made aware of this poignant letter from Sullivan Ballou to his wife, Sarah, just before the Battle of Bull Run (American Civil War) and found it to be so moving.  I wanted to bring it into the romantic history of Eva's family.  It has been changed VERY little in the above passage for it stands alone as a testament of this great love.   For original wording please go to this Civil War site.

I further encourage you to listen to the reading from Ken Burns' Civil War series posted here:

 

Calling All Designers! BobbieThon is Coming!

This year is the third annual BoobieThon event in Second Life. A good history of BoobieThon can be found here

All the monies raised at BoobieThon.com go to Susan G. Komen Foundation (unless specified by donors to go to the BloggersSupportingBloggers charity). All the money we raise in SL goes directly to Komen.

To support the cause in Second Life we have many different events taking place in during the week of fund-raising (October 1-7, 2010).

* Art Auction - Oct 1st through Oct 6th

* Gypsy Caravan (with various gypsy themed events) - Oct 1st through Oct 7th

* Designer Vendors - Oct 1st through Oct 7th at the BoobieBall Pavilion

* BoobieBalls - Oct 2nd 10:30am UK Event ~ and ~ Oct 2nd 7:30pm US Event

* Educational Salons

- History of undergarments (specifically corsets and bras) - Oct 3rd 1pm

- Self Breast Exams and other prevention activities - Oct 3rd 3pm

* Rummage Sale - Oct 5th and 6th all day

* Burlesque for Breasts and Closing Ceremony - Oct 7th 7pm

For the designer vendors we are asking  interested designers to create one or more unique items - themed, if possible. And do feel free to use something similar to our dark raspberry color if you like (as seen in the event poster attached). Interested designers will be given a vendor to set up at the BoobieBall Pavilion, this is to ensure the security of the items permissions. The vendors are already set up to sell items with payment going to each designer and then rerouted to our treasurer (SavingSecondBase Searose). In this way, each designer can track sales and such.

Hopefully this is helpful information and please, PLEASE let us know if you have other questions - or any concerns. We will be so honored to have you be part of the event if you choose to do so.

Most Sincerely,

Eva Bellambi, Lady of Skye

and

Serra Anansi, Seneschelf of Winterfell

Saving Second Base is Planning BoobieThon 2010 Activities

Friday evening in Second Life found a committee of the group, Saving Second Base, in the Green Fairy pub in Winterfell discussing the serious issues surrounding the fun and irreverent fund-raising events planned for our 3rd Annual BoobieThon.

Miss Serra Anansi and I began raising money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation in conjunction with the real life BoobieThon back in 2008.  The often educational, but always humor-filled and enjoyable events have assisted in raising nearly $5000.00 US for breast cancer research and treatment in the last two years.  We are hopeful that 2010 will be even more successful.

For new readers of my blog, let me share a bit of history about BoobieThon in general.

www.boobiethon.com was started back in 2002 as a joke, really.  Several friends decided to use the power of the internet to help a newly divorced friend get a plan ticket to spend Thanksgiving with friends rather than alone.  The group easily raised the monies needed for the plane ticket ($359.00) and then having a greater appreciation for the good that was able to be done, they kept the site up.  In the words of the BoobieThon founder, Robyn Pollman:

It was then we realized that we had the power to really turn this into something real. Not a joke. But a way to save lives. The plane ticket was purchased as cheaply as possible and we kept the drive going to raise as much money as we possibly could for breast cancer. After all if we were going to use photos of boobies to raise money — we might as well try to save them along the way!

This is BoobieThon's 9th year and we in Second Life are proud to do even more to help support their efforts.  You will hear much more about everything that will be happening during the week of October 1-7, 2010, but here is a sampling of events:

• Art Auction - October 1-6, 2010
• BoobieBalls - October 2, 2010  10:30am-12:30pm SLT & 7:30p-9:30p SLT
• BoobieThon Salons - October 3, 2010
• Gypsy Caravan - October 1-7, 2010
• Designer Vendors - October 1-7, 2010
• Burlesque for Breasts - October 7, 2010 @ 7:00pm

We'll see you there!

From the Library of the Red Rose - The Indian to His Love by William Butler Yeats

HE island dreams under the dawn

And great boughs drop tranquillity;

The peahens dance on a smooth lawn,

A parrot sways upon a tree,

Raging at his own image in the enamelled sea.

 

Here we will moor our lonely ship

And wander ever with woven hands,

Murmuring softly lip to lip,

Along the grass, along the sands,

Murmuring how far away are the unquiet lands:

 

How we alone of mortals are

Hid under quiet boughs apart,

While our love grows an Indian star,

A meteor of the burning heart,

One with the tide that gleams, the wings that gleam and dart,

 

The heavy boughs, the burnished dove

That moans and sighs a hundred days:

How when we die our shades will rove,

When eve has hushed the feathered ways,

With vapoury footsole by the water's drowsy blaze.

Poetry From the Library of the Red Rose - Teaching

Teaching

by Frank Lambert

Your finger
traced a line
along my neck.


I opened my eyes,
found you’d brought us
into the mountains.


What are you doing? I asked,
smiling at the intense look
fixed upon your face.


You ignored me,
closed my eyes with your finger
and continued to stroke.


Over and again you touched me this way
while gently blowing
along the path your fingertip took.


After a while, all I could feel
was the air against my skin
and the tingle running down my spine.


Opening my eyes I saw you had left,
having finished showing the wind
how to caress me like you do.

Alirium: Light and Shadow

For higher quality images please have a look at my Flickr set .
 

 Fields of Gold

You'll remember me when the west wind moves

Upon the fields of barley

You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky

As we walk in the fields of gold

So she took her love

For to gaze awhile

Upon the fields of barley

In his arms she fell as her hair came down

Among the fields of gold

Will you stay with me, will you be my love

Among the fields of barley

We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky

As we lie in the fields of gold

See the west wind move like a lover so

Upon the fields of barley

Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth

Among the fields of gold

I never made promises lightly

And there have been some that I've broken

But I swear in the days still left

We'll walk in the fields of gold

We'll walk in the fields of gold

Many years have passed since those summer days

Among the fields of barley

See the children run as the sun goes down

Among the fields of gold

You'll remember me when the west wind moves

Upon the fields of barley

You can tell the sun in his jealous sky

When we walked in the fields of gold

Poetry with The Red Rose: Neruda's Sonnet XVII

Salt Rose

Sonnet XVII

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,

or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.

I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,

in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms

but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;

thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,

risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.

I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;

so I love you because I know no other way than this:

where I does not exist, nor you,

so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,

so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

— Pablo Neruda

postscript:  I find that I have shared this poem once before. Clearly it speaks to me.  I hope it does to some of you as well.