Colette O'Neill

Blessed Birth Day

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On a sunny October morning, many years ago, my mother decided it was time to ascend the narrow staircase to the bedroom she shared with my father and lie down on the horsehair mattress to ready herself for my birth.

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I have always been impatient and began my life as I continued it, not waiting for anyone else to act!

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In the rush of pain, water and blood that followed, my father acted as best he could to deliver me.

Always a cool, calm and thoughtful man, he acted intuitively upon seeing the cord around my neck, gently holding me back, as he unwound my umbilical cord, to release me safely, from my mother, into the world.

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My dear father passed several years ago…I refuse to mark time as I feel his energy with me.

The Bog Garden at Bealtaine Cottage

My mother passed this year, as calm and serene as the day she birthed me.

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And so, tomorrow is my birthday and I have a mind to celebrate the two people who got me safely into this beautiful world.

March 2014

I have cleared a space in the fast growing woodland of Bealtaine Cottage and there I shall create a little garden for them both.

83 comments

  2. Happy Birthday Colette,
    May Mother Nature grant you countless more years of bliss in this paradise you have created in celebration of Her magnificence.
    Many thanks for brightening so many of my dark days, and for the relentless generosity you demonstrate every day in Bealtaine and on this blog.

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  3. Many Happy Returns Colette. Good job your Dad didn’t panic and that you got through ok. Have a brilliant day and know we are thinking of you. Wonderful idea – to make a garden for your parents. Best Wishes
    Terri and Lol

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  4. Have a magial birthday, and such a lovely idea to spend time creating a wonderful garden to honour your parents.
    Maura Xxx

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  8. Have a wonderful birthday, Collette! I hope the coming year brings you blessings both materially and spiritually. I look forward to following your blog as it transitions to a different, less frequent one! All the best!

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  9. Happy birthday to you! My son was born at home and delivered by his father, it was very calm -and surprisingly not very messy at all! I hope you a have beautiful day remembering them and all that they have created in the world 🙂

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  11. Happy birthday Colette. Always good to celebrate these occasions and also to remember your parents. ‘Honour thy father and thy mother’ still holds good! You’ve a wonderful eye for a photo… love the honesty pic.

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  15. Happy Birthday Collette ! I can’t think of a better way to honor your parents than to plant a garden. And the shared joy is unimaginable ,wishing you fun times tomorrow.
    Blessingsxxx
    Jean

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  17. A beautiful and Happy Birthday to you, Colette, and best wishes in setting up your memorial garden for your parents. As they made room in their life for you, it is fitting that you are returning the favour. 😉 Cheers! ~ Blessings! <3

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  20. Many Happy Returns for your Birth Day Coletter – and may each subsequent Return be as happy, peaceful, creative, and inspirational as I hope tomorrow’s will be. Love and light to you x

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  22. Have a wonderful Birthday, Colette, and thank you for sharing the story of your birth, the gifts of your parents. I’m sure you will make the memorial garden a beautiful and serene place to be. Many Blessings.
    Mari

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  25. What a beautiful way to honor and celebrate your parents, Colette! Your wise words always fill my heart with Hope and Beauty, but today you touched me specially… Have a serene joyful Birthday, and never forget that your Bealtaine Cottage and this natural path you have chosen are a little lighthouse for many of us who still sail in the dark…
    Blessings from afar,
    K.

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  28. Hello from Canada,

    Your birthday is October 29th? So is mine! Happiest of birthdays to you!

    Maureen Miller Vancouver, B.C.

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  34. Happy Birthday Collette for tomorrow.

    I bless you parents for giving the world such inspiration and look forward to seeing their garden evolve in your hands.
    Jean

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  37. What a beautiful tribute to your parents.  Have a wonderful birthday and a sweet time creating your parents’ memorial garden.  Thank you for all the inspiring posts about your life at Bealtaine Cottage.

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