Family Matters

In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.

—Alex Haley

As I write this, my family is visiting from Ireland. We just got back from visiting my husband’s family in North Carolina, and I am planning a trip home to Ireland in February to be with family. This time of year, it’s all about family, and sometimes, in the midst of changing sheets, cleaning bathrooms, planning 14-hour drives, and, of course, finding someone to watch the cat, we wonder if it’s all worth it and won’t it be nice when everything gets back to normal?

Of course it’s worth it! We get so used to our routines and just trying to keep everything going on a daily basis that we worry about changes, upsets to our schedule, and packing and unpacking suitcases… or at least I do. I worry about my baby daughter getting out of her routine, about stuff everywhere, about not getting my blog written, and about not being able to check my email! Does any of this matter? No. But family matters. Family matters a whole lot. They are our foundation. They are where we came from and, ultimately, at least in my case, they are the ones who accept us home no matter what happens.

Living in America, I miss my family terribly. I would love to be able to hop in a car and see them for a day. I miss out on the family events, the big moments and the little ones. Of course there’s Skype, and phone calls and email, even Facebook. But nothing makes up for the physical presence of family. Nothing means as much as that tight hug at the airport when my brother says, “Hi, Sis.” Nothing matters like someone saying, “So how are you?” and really meaning it, or saying in response, “Oh, I’m fine” and knowing that more can be said later.

Not living close to family means devoting big chunks of time to being with family, and, to a control freak like me, sometimes we get bogged down in the details and forget what we are doing… spending time with family. What could be more important than that? Yes, there’s change, and long drives, and never-ending trips to the Jewel because we never seem to have any milk. But seeing the six pairs of snow boots lined up at the door, dripping wet, or my 21-month old daughter laughing hilariously at her two older cousins doing just about anything, or seeing my brother relax with a book in front of the fire, then I remember… then I remember how precious these moments are, how much I truly love these people, and how all too soon we will be going back to the airport.

This New Year I intend to cherish my family – and all the chaos that goes along with them!

Be inspired! Stay connected!

Be inspired in your gift giving this year

I know its been a tough year, so make your gifts go further this holiday by giving something unique and meaningful and at the same time supporting local business and artisans.

Many of you have asked where you can get NUADA products this year.  Well, we haven’t gone away altogether.  Great gifts from Wild Goose Studio, Ethel Kelly Oghams and Solvar jewelry are available at www.nuada.com.

If you don’t like shopping online, NUADA is still at the Andersonville Galleria, 5247 N Clark St, with all your favorites, including new Avoca scarves.  But we will only be there through the end of January, so hurry!

NUADA is showcasing John Rocha jewelry at Art de Triumph, 2936 N Clark St, home to the stunning work of Nancie King Mertz, a prolific and award-winning Chicago artist.  Check out her gallery where you can find arty Chicago calendars, coasters and ornaments starting at $15.  But while there, take time to gaze at her original oil paintings.  You’re in for a treat!

Those of you who have visited us at the Andersonville Galleria will know that over seventy local artisans are featured, making it the perfect place for all you harried last-minute shoppers.  With prices ranging from $5 to $500, you will be inspired!

My favorites:

1. A Thing of Beauty
   Some of you may remember Deana Rose jewelry from my Southport store. Deana is a Chicago artist creating jewelry that is at once eye-catching and elegant and together with Nuada jewelry, is the only jewelry I wear.  She has an amazing ability to combine the rich, vibrant colors of semi-precious stones to create wondrous effects.  Prices range from $15 to $200.  Her jewelry is available at the Andersonville Galleria and online at www.deanarose.com.
   
2. Quirky and Functional
   If there’s one thing I love to give, its functional art.  What could be better than giving something you can both use and enjoy?  Denise Riesen prints her own unique and quirky collage photography on tumbled marble coasters.  With themes ranging from local Chicago scenes to wine and sports, and at only $38 a set, this is a must buy.  Her coasters and her wonderful photography can be viewed at www.riesenphotography.com and at the Andersonville Galleria.
   
3. Boys! Boys! Boys!
   What can you get for that teenager in your life, or for your much-cooler-than-you brother-in-law?  Novem studios, available at the Andersonville Galleria, was recently featured in the New York Times Travel section for their whimsical and clever T-shirts.  With most at only $15 to $30 dollars you can’t go wrong.

Wishing you a warm and wonderful holiday season.  Be inspired and stay connected!

Nollaig shona agus faoi mhaise daoibh!

Concern

“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.”

–Herman Melville

In my last post, I wrote about gratitude and about knowing when enough is enough, but also that there are those who simply do not have enough. In a year that has been tough for so many, it is still amazing how much we have to be grateful for, and it seems so appropriate that now, more than ever, we count our blessings and give back.

This is the second year that I will be co-chairing a silent auction event at the Ireland Network Ball, which will be held this coming February. The theme of our auction this year is “giving back.” We want to give back to our community, both local and global. The Ireland Network is an organization of Irish-born professionals living and working in Chicago. As Irish professionals living abroad, we have benefited from access to education, support and opportunity, but know that many others are not so lucky. The proceeds from this year’s event will benefit the Chicago Irish Immigrant Support Center (local) and Concern Worldwide (global).

The Chicago Irish Immigrant Support Center is a nonprofit organization serving the needs of Irish immigrants, old and young, in the United States. This organization has worked tirelessly to help the Irish, in good times and bad.

Concern Worldwide is an international humanitarian organization dedicated to reducing suffering and ending extreme poverty wherever it exists. As many of you who attended fundraising events at Nuada know, Concern Worldwide is an organization that is close to my heart, and I am very happy to still be in a position to support them, even though I no longer have the store. Concern was founded in Ireland in March 1968 in the home of Kay and John O’Loughlin Kennedy. Africa Concern, as it was then known, launched an appeal for the famine in Biafra with the slogan “Send One Ship.” They did, just five months later, and then went on to work in more than fifty countries, helping people achieve major and long-lasting improvements in their lives.

I want to use my blog today to make you aware of, and ask you to share my own concern for, those who need our help at home and abroad. If you think you might be able to support our silent auction, either by attending the Ireland Network Ball on February 20 or by donating an item to the silent auction, I would be so grateful. I am already so grateful for you and all that you already do to give back. If you think you might be interested in attending the ball, which, by the way, is a real fun event, open to everyone, and a great way to spend an otherwise dreary February evening, please let me know. If you can think of a clever or even not-so-clever item to donate to the silent auction, just email me at orla@nuada.com or respond to this post.

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for my holiday gift guide!