When I came of age I began to think of romance and what my future might hold. I envisioned that I might encounter in six--or so--serious relationships before claiming a partner for life. I dreamt that when I found my companion the tale would be one worthy of recital to all our friends and relations.

Mitakuye oyasin.

So it was, that while returning from college to my hometown in Illinois, (US) I happened upon a bar that was hosting a diary reading--I have maintained personal journals for over a decade. After I had read a portion of one my dreams to the audience, a woman approached me. This woman, named Rebecca, thought my diary art was remarkably similar to the work of a German painter living in New Mexico, (US). This painter's name was Alexandra and Rebecca gave me an address with the suggestion that I write to Alexandra.

I misplaced Alexandra's address for almost one year, finding it only as my family was moving. I took it the address' reappearance for a good omen and sent my first lettre to Alexandra that week. For two years we exchanged a mysterious mail-art correspondence.

As a personal preference, I never asked Alexandra for specific information about herself. I wanted to learn about Alex by what she volunteered to tell me. Accordingly, I wrote only of dreams and what I had seen in this world. I wanted to write about the inspiration and not the details of my life.

At first Alexandra was confused by my approach to our correspondence. She had a hard time picturing just who had fallen out of the sky and began writing to her. Eventually, (in two years tyme,) we met. In those first five days of our meeting I knew I had met someone truly special.

The pendants to the left are from the necklaces that we exchanged on the fourth night of our meeting. The top had been mine. It is a hamsa, also referred to as "the hand of Fatima" and was given to me by my dear friend Hadas in Israel. The lower was carved in New Zealand after the Maori likeness of a whale. This had been a given to Alexandra by her friends Bill and Terry.

At the tyme that I gave Alexandra my hamsa I had already been wearing it for five years, daring to take it off only for repairs. Though this hamsa meant much to me, I recognized that meeting Alexandra was a very special event. I did not know what our future together might be, but I felt then that I wanted at least a piece of myself to be with this being at all tymes. When Alexandra reciprocated my gesture by entrusting me with her whale necklace I was amazed. I had fallen in love with one who was different than me yet mirrored me in a fashion to prominent to dismiss.

[where the hart is]

this page was last tinkered with on Thursday, 18 July, 2002 14:02