User blog comment:Soosieloo/Musings and Musterings Whilst Modeling/@comment-5490093-20121203170751

Oh, Soosieloo, you have brought bittersweet tears to my eyes. My husband and I have been without our mothers for some years, and my heart aches for you because you and your husband cannot be with his mother at this time. It's obvious to me the connection that you have to her, and I was blessed to have a close connection with my husband's mother as well. Your retreat is lovely and so very special.

I, too, have exerienced the unconscious placement of pieces in my village. Not so beautiful as yours, but whimsical nonetheless, as I realized that without thinking about it, I had placed all of my mammals at the exact opposite end of my village from all the other dinosaurs. Some weeks later, I noticed that I had also put my sabertooth tiger, my giant sloth, and my lucky mammoth into the same habitat. My daughter questioned the wisdom of that mix and the lightbulb went off. The three main characters of the movie Ice Age had come to live with my villagers. Manny might have been a plain old mammoth in the movie, but one could argue that he was indeed lucky, so I think it's ok.

Serendipity is one of my favorite words, and I think that is what sometimes causes you and me and countless others to allow our imaginations to take over in this most excellent game.

Thank you for sharing. Please send a village "neighbor's" best wishes to your family.