"And tomorrow night
Light will appear
Just like they do on my birthday each year
What is it like
Out there where they glow?
Now that I'm older
Mother might just
Let me go....?"
"When Will My Life Begin"~Tangled
Sky Lanterns, also known as Kongming Lanterns are airborne paper lanterns traditionally found in some Asian cultures. They are constructed from oiled rice paper on a bamboo frame, and contain a small candle or a fuel cell composed of a waxy flammable material. When lit, the flame heats the air inside the lanterns, thus lowering its density causing the lantern to rise into the air. The sky lantern is only airborne for as long as the flame stays alight, after which the lantern floats back to the ground.
According to popular lore, the Kongming lantern was the first hot air balloon, said to be invented by the Chinese sage and military strategist Qhuge Liang, They were first deployed at the turn of the 3rd century as a type of spy blimp.
The early 16th century missionary historian Toribio de Benaventi motolinia describes luminaries in use by native Americans in Colonial Mexico, to illuminate midnight church services in outdoor chapels, and on their rooftops on Christmas Eve. Believed to have copied the Sky Lanterns from Asia.
I had no idea that the floating lanterns from Tangled were real. I have watched many videos online and Disney really did their research to bring to life the floating lanterns. It is the most emotional part of the movie for me. I have and I will cry every time I watch this portion of the movie. It has such an impact on me. I am reminded of the balloons we let go for Heather's birthday. I have no idea why releasing balloons gives such a feeling of comfort...
" And then there are balloons. Balloons are free, they are beautiful, they dance. Balloons romp about as if they are having fun and...best of all they float toward heaven. Balloons are for us a means of communicating with our children. We set balloons free as a way of greeting out lost children and sending our love up to them."
~Beyond Tears~
Writing a message and then sending the balloon off to heaven seems to bring a huge amount of emotions and comfort. Looking up to heaven and watching as the balloons go higher and higher till they are out of sight is such a indescribable feeling. It gives you the idea that the balloons really did reach heaven...or at least close enough for Heather to read the balloons and feel the love we are sending to her.
March has arrived...I didn't need a calendar to tell me when March 1st was. My body is programed for it already. I remember what I was doing on this day and that day. March and April for 2 years in a row had such major events packed into them. Beginning in March-I go from Jenn's birthday to Heather being in the hospital to her last hospital admission to needle biopsy to Wendy's birthday to ICU to cancer diagnosis to in hospital chemo for the 1st time to Heather dying to her funeral. Oh yes..and somewhere in there is Easter. Since the date varies it just floats around but is always there. All these events take place in a 44 day time span. Of course there are many other horrible events that come to mind that I will not go into that take place during this time as well. I would really like to find a calendar that replaces march and April with some other months or deletes them all together.
New traditions and ways of marking events have to be formed. The old traditions that we placed such meaning and value on are not possible. There is forevermore an empty seat for every holiday or family event. I would LOVE to send floating lanterns into the night's sky for Heather's birth and death day. However, living in the desert it is not a good idea. I would hate burn down someones house or start a fire in a field. I have decided that balloons with LED's in them and luminaries in the yard are going to be the next best thing. I am going to mark off the special days with balloons being released and battery operated candles that will glow thru the night. For some strange reason this gives me great comfort. I also feel that Heather would be tickled with this as well.
My Heather diamond is being polished and cut right now. I hope to have some news soon as to the actual size and how everything looks soon. This is being done in Russia. Then 10 days to be shipped back to the US. The stone will go to IGI to be certified and graded, then placed in the setting and shipped to me. I should have the ring by the end of March.
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