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Joanne McCulloch’s much beloved grand-father and inspiration for
the vision she brings you in My Button-Eyed Spiritual Flock was a button
maker devoted to his craft for over seventy years. Joanne and her maternal
grandfather had an affectionate, tender relationship. She was Honey;
he was Granddaddy Pete. He taught her, among other things, to love and
care for animals, so it was only fitting that one day in early November,
1998, she stopped to rescue a one-eyed cat that she thought was abandoned.
As it turned out, she found the owner and immediately realized that this
little one-eyed kitty was truly a messenger telling her she needed to “pay
close attention to the eyes” of the animals she wanted to design
that would connect the twelve qualities she felt essential for spiritual
health. All that was needed was a central theme which she had been searching
for, but had been unable to find.
On November 17, 1998, Joanne was remembering her Grandfather’s
birthday, and read aloud the 23rd Psalm from his memorial obituary
always kept beside his picture on her desk. Realizing just how much
he embodied the twelve qualities she was seeking to relate to the mind-body-spirit
connection, she dedicated the “as yet unknown animals” to
her grandfather as a spiritual birthday gift, and wrote a poignant
dedication to him. In the early hours of the next morning, Joanne awoke
abruptly from a dream of a shepherd wearing a coat of many colors surrounded
by lambs. She felt her grandfather’s presence as she realized
his return gift to her – the answer to her long sought-after theme – a
shepherd tending a flock of lambs! As she started putting emotionally
inspired thoughts to paper, much to her surprise that little one-eyed
kitty crossed in front of her mind. She shook her head, looked upward
and said, “Granddaddy Pete, what do you think about all this?” Immediately,
she felt a gentle pressure on her shoulder and heard an inner voice
reply, “Honey, I think we’d better use buttons for their
eyes!”
And so in the predawn hours of November 18, 1998, in
a moment of total bliss amongst a flood of grateful, joyful tears,
My Button-Eyed Spiritual Flock® was born.
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