Something Beautiful
~A childrens book for grief~
When Daisy, a golden retriever puppy is lost
from home and grieving the
loss of her sister, she meets a special
dragonfly to help find her way home
and love for her life again.
"Something Beautiful" is a
story for children who
have lost someone special in their lives.
Daisy doesn't know it yet but meeting
Mea Mea (pronounced May May) the dragonfly
will change her life forever.
Since Daisy's sister went to heaven,
she had lost her love for everything.
On their adventure to find Daisy's way home,
Mea Mea uses that time to recall
reasons for loving life.
Mea Mea has experienced hardships of her
own and has helped some young children
in their time of need as well.
When Mea Mea explains the meaning
behind dragonflies, Daisy is sure
that meeting her was just what
she needed to remember her happiness.
In the end, Daisy finds her way and is excited
about life again...thanks to her special friend .
The goal for this book was accomplished when
Ashley wrote it. Now her goal is to help other children
who suffer the loss of a parent,
grandparent , aunt, animal,etc...
This story brings hope.
It is written for children ages 3-12.
-Ashley lives in North Florida with her husband, Jonathan. Together they are most proud of their children, Grant and Laura.
-A professional hairdresser and yoga enthusiast, Ashley recently earned her yoga teacher training certification. She hopes to share the passion and healing of yoga with others through teaching. Her other hobbies include running, traveling, playing with her dogs, Bo and Daisy. By far, her favorite thing to do is watch her children excel in sports and in school.
-The loss of Ashleys' sister Megan, has changed many things in her life.
-She is thankful to Megan and her husband, Mark for having two wonderful boys, Cade & Brady. They are a constant reminder of their mother and the wonderful person she was.
-Something Beautiful is a labor of love written from the heart. Ashley wrote this book both to honor the memory of her sister and to help bring peace to children grieving the loss of a loved one.
Bobbie's career as an artist has blossomed and exploded over forty-five years. Bobbie's paintings have won numerous awards and are in many private and corporate collections in the United States and abroad. Her ultimate goal has been growth, discovery and simply enjoying her passion. Bobbie has a vast background in all strokes of art, yet her love goes to watercolor.
When Ashley and Bobbie became a team on this project, it was an instant bond between the two. Patiently together, they brought the characters to life. When the book was ready for printing, Bobbie revealed to Ashley
that "Something Beautiful" had been one of her favorite books to illustrate because of the connection they share and also the love and emotion involved in writing the book.
Bobbie's Illustrations truly are 'Something Beautiful'! She is every ounce of the word Artist!
Down below the surface of a quiet pond lived a little colony of water bugs. They were a happy colony, living far away from the sun. For many months they were very busy, scurrying over the soft mud on the bottom of the pond. They did notice that every once in a while one of their colony seemed to lose interest in going about with its friends. Clinging to the stem of a pond lily, it gradually moved out of sight and was seen no more.
"Look!" said one of the water bugs to another, "one of our colonies is climbing up the lily stalk. Where do you think she's going?"
Up, up, up it slowly went... Even as they watched, the water bug disappeared from sight.
Its friends waited and waited but it didn't return...
"That's funny!" said one water bug to another..." Wasn't she happy here? asked a second...
"Where do you suppose she went?" wondered a third...
No one had an answer. They were greatly puzzled. Finally, one of the water bugs gathered its friends together."I have an idea.
The next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk must promise to come back and tell us where he or she went and why."
"We promise," they said solemnly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One spring day not long after the very water bug who had suggested the plan found himself climbing up the lily stalk. Up, up, up he went. Before he knew what was happening, he had broken through the surface of the water and fallen into the broad and free lily pad above. When he awoke, he looked about with surprise.He couldn't believe what he saw.
A startling change had come over his old body. His movement revealed four silver wings and a long tail.
Even as he struggled, he felt an impulse to move his wings...
The warmth of the sun soon dried the moisture from his new body.
He moved his wings again and suddenly found himself above the water.
He had become a dragonfly.
Swooping and dipping in great curves, he flew through the air. He felt exhilarated in the new atmosphere.
By and by the new dragonfly landed happily on a lily pad to rest.
Then it was that he chanced to look below to the bottom of the pond. Why, he was right above his old friends, the water bugs! There they were scurrying around, just as he had been doing some time before.
Then the dragonfly remembered the promise. Without thinking, the dragonfly darted down.
Suddenly he hit the surface of the water and bounced away. Now that he was a dragonfly, he could no longer go into the water...
"I can't return!" he said in dismay. "At least I tried. But I can't keep my promise.
Even if I could go back, not one of the water bugs would know me in my new body. I guess I'll just have to wait until they become dragonflies too. Then they'll understand what has happened to me, and where I went."
And the dragonfly winged off happily into its wonderful new world of sun and air...
-author unknown-
my business copyright 2000 no animals were harmed in the making
