The Angel Pendant ~ Thoughts on Giving

As Christmas approaches this year, we wanted to share with you some of our thoughts on Inspired Giving.  It seems that the age-old motto “in order to receive, you must first give” seems to go hand in hand.

This Christmas more and more of us wonder just what “special gift” to give to those we love.  I don’t know about you, but I for one, have found over the years, that it is not so much about what to give as it is about the meaning behind the gift.  You may recall as a child, like I do, that we are given many messages.

And yet, each year, we stress over what gift to give.  However, I believe Mother Theresa sums it up best when she says,  “It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”

And that is exactly what we have experienced over the years of hearing many supporters stories of gifting an Angel Pendant to a loved one is that their Giving From The Heart results in the release of hormones such as oxytocin, the hormone of love and bonding.  Feelings of connection, gratitude and abundance create an unforgettable experience, an explosion of joy and love. It is these central feelings that ultimately create good health, happiness and an overall feeling of well-being; and that is the best form of giving, one that benefits both the receiver and the giver.  So please join us as we share our Thoughts on Inspired Giving this Holiday Season:

 Thoughts on Inspired Giving    

Blog by Stan W. Tait

“It is better to give than to receive”

When I was young, I never understood why it was “better” to give than to receive.  As children tend to do, I preferred to be on the receiving end at Christmas and Birthdays; I often found it difficult to give. As I have grown and matured, I’ve come to realize that giving isn’t just about the benefit to me, it is a shared spiritual experience increasing in importance with each passing year.

“The greatest gift we have to offer is the gift of ourselves.”

A busy working mother once told me “When I am on the floor playing with my daughter and the phone rings, I let it ring. My time with my daughter is too precious to allow those moments to be interrupted.”  The essence of Giving of Ourselves is being there unconditionally for those who need our love and attention.

“You cannot out give God.”

Halloween has past; the season of pumpkins is behind us.  Remember the pumpkin you carved as a family, to the delight of your children.  Do you recall all of the work to remove all of those seeds?  If you’ve ever grown a pumpkin from a seed, you’ll quickly discover when cutting the pumpkin open that you’ve been blessed with hundreds of seeds in return for that one seed you planted.  Giving is a lot like growing pumpkins.  The return on your single act of giving freely of yourself is multiplied a hundred fold. That is just the way the universe works.

“The Secret of Living is in the Giving.”

I believe that the result of giving to others is the serenity that settles upon our souls at the end of the day.  There is no better feeling than knowing you’ve made a difference in the life of another. This feeling of contentment can be felt in all facets of our lives. Even in business.

I have been a jeweler for over 37 years.  It is easy for me to lose track of time when I’m repairing a broken ring, or replacing a lost earring. When a customer visits my studio with a “jewelry emergency”, my response is always the same. If a piece that I created for them is damaged, I gladly give them a new one, no questions asked.  If it is broken, I will repair it at no cost to them. If they’ve lost it, I will replace it.  Their problem is an opportunity for me to provide a solution.

When I give this service my intention isn’t to get anything in return. I believe and always have that it’s just the right thing to do. Over the years, I’ve gained many rewards for providing exceptional service and have enjoyed the satisfaction of giving that quality of service to my customers.

“Love is All There Is” (The Beatles)

All forms of Giving Comes From Love.  All that we receive in life has come from an act of love.  I believe that our true nature is centered around being loving spiritual beings. That’s why it feels so good to give. Giving is unselfish compassion for others, it’s a way of expressing gratitude for the abundance that you have.

So, that being said:

As we approach this Season of Giving, take a moment to think about all you’ve received from those who love you. All forms of giving find their source in Love.  All that we receive in life has come from an Act of Love and I believe that our true nature is centered in being loving spiritual beings. That is probably why it feels so good to give. Reflect on the gifts you’ve received from your parents, friends, brothers and sisters. Then when you give from the heart, you know it can truly make a difference in the lives of those around you. And that is the best form of giving you can offer.

Make this holiday season even more special by Giving Yourself The Gift of Love for all of your efforts and accomplishments, you deserve it.  Then as an unexpected “Angel” you can share the magic of the holiday season with a special friend. Who have you missed? Who hasn’t heard from you?  Imagine the delight of re-connecting, the joy and love that will last long after the holidays are over.

Be an Angel, Give an Angel and Make a Difference

Check out our Special Holiday Bundles, where you can gift yourself and a friend or family member by sharing in our bundle pricing.

We wish you Many Happy Holidays and Angel Hugs,

Stan W Tait, Sue Tait and our Family

Emma - My Sleeping Angel by Jen Bonds ~ Photography by Stacy's Creations Photography Copyright 2010

“Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth; Unseen, both when we wake and when we sleep” ~John Milton, Paradise Lost.

Every day we receive inspiring and touching updates, testimonials, stories and tributes by those touched by our Angel Pendant and requests from those who want to send the gift of caring, love or hope to a special person in their life. I would like to share with you a wonderful story of how The Angel Pendant came to affect the lives of some very special ‘Angels’.

Our story begins with an introduction to a wonderful organization called Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep that have ‘Angels’ (professional photographers) who volunteer their time and efforts to photograph sweet babies who were either born sleeping or who passed shortly after birth.  As a non-profit organization, these volunteer photographers are called upon when a family experiences the loss of an infant and they offer their services free of charge to supply photographs of these “Sleeping Babies”.

Stacy Hayward is a professional photographer Stacy’s Creations Photography and has  been volunteering her time to this organization for 2.5 years and states “I get as much out of these sessions as the families do and for that, I am grateful”.  Stacy believes that every single life matters, no matter how brief and capturing an image of that precious life with an intimate and touching photograph is of huge importance to the families who have experienced such a loss.

Emma born sleeping "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep" Stacy's Creations Photography

Stacy is one of those true angels and she shared her story with us.  Stacy met a young woman, Jen Bonds, when her sweet ‘Angel’ Emma was stillborn on February 3, 2010. She took these very touching photos of Jen’s sleeping baby, Emma, and these two women instantly developed a very close friendship.

In one of those remarkable sequence of events, Jen, after the birth of her second daughter, Ella, (who was born premature at 26 weeks and weighing only 2 lbs, 5 oz)  had the chance opportunity (although we like to believe, it was not chance at all, but rather angels at work) to meet Max and Kayley Galarneau at Toronto Sick Kids Hospital this past summer.  The Galarneau’s were also at Sick Kids Hospital as their infant baby Cohen was born with a rare disorder called gastroschisis.  To complicate matters, when Ella was one month old she developed Necrotizing Entercolitas (NEC) and had to spend time in the intensive care unit of Sick Kids. For Jen, this was very scary time to think she might lose another baby.

Ella ~ Then and Now

Baby Cohen Galarneau wearing The Angel Pendant

Jen noticed The Angel Pendant that Kayley was wearing and fell in love with it immediately. She was inspired to learn more it when she noticed that Max and Kayley’s entire family were also wearing our Angel Pendants and learned how we had helped the family with their journey at Sick Kids. As it so often happens when Angels are involved, it was no surprise that these two woman were destined to meet.

For Jen, she felt an Angel Pendant of her own would be a symbolic gift to represent her baby girls; especially extra meaningful as it would allow her to stay connected to her ‘sleeping baby’, Emma.  Close friends often share inspirations together, so it was no surprise that Jen shared with Stacy from NILMDTS about The Angel Pendant and how much it would mean to her to have one of her own. Stacy, being the true angel that she is, contacted us and ordered the beautiful Heart Ribbon Angel Pendant for Jen as a surprise  birthday gift to celebrate and cherish both her sleeping baby Emma and her newest child Ella.

When Jen received her Angel Pendant, she shared with us how much this wonderful gift meant to her.  In her own words,

“The Angel Pendant for me will symbolize that I am a Mommy to an Angel, and that I have an Angel at home too.  I have been looking for over a year now for the perfect necklace that would “represent” Emma and now for my miracle, Ella.  The Angel Pendant is it! Furthermore, Jen stated that it was the best birthday gift ever, and she now feels complete! x0x0”

For us, we are touched that Jen has three beautiful Angels including a happy 3 year old Ethan, a thriving now healthy 7 month old Ella and her sleeping Angel, Emma. Jen is now connected in spirit and in friendship, to many other Angels in our rapidly growing community of those who give and receive The Angel Pendant.

Quotes like this one from Luciano de Crescenzo sums it so very well “We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another”

Please join us in our movement to celebrate, embrace and hold each and every person connected to Our Angel Community in a safe, loving and spiritual place.

I WAS BORN with a love for music, and during my late teens and for the first few years of my adult life, I earned my living as a musician during the 60′s; the time of  “Love–Ins” and “Be-In’s” in Vancouver, British Columbia. I played with the band Fireweed as the drummer and had the pleasure of playing with the well known actor Chief Dan George. We even produced an album with Columbia Records (Yep, a real album, No CD’s or iTunes then!)

It was my passion and I was following my bliss!

"in Circle" - Chief Dan George and Fireweed, Columbia Records Vancouver, BC 1973

During a very dark time, I found myself moving away from music and when I surfaced again to the world of light, I was led to become an artist of a very different kind. I began making silver jewellery. I didn’t fight it, I accepted it; for who was I to question what the universe held in store for me?

I have always found to it be true that, “God brings into our lives exactly who and what we need at just the right time”. During the winter of 1974, what I needed showed up in the form of a box filled with sterling silver wire, jeweler’s supplies and hand tools abandoned by a student of the Jewellery program at the Vancouver School of Art. Making Sterling Silver Jewellery by hand turned out to be a natural fit for me and I worked at it 10 hours a day, 7 days a week. I learned many of the things I needed to know to begin making my living as a jeweler or as our American cousins say, “Jewelry” Maker and Designer. As I crafted each piece of jewelry by hand, a healing took place. I found immense pleasure in creating form and beauty and an even greater awakening. I realized that by sculpting and molding silver into works of art, I could touch others in deep and meaningful ways. I designed and created from my heart, always with the goal of creating work that was original and beautiful. I worked hard at perfecting my craft and my place in the world as an artist.

Which brings me to How The Angel Pendant Found Me.

FAST FORWARD, 26 years.

The first Angel Pendant gift between friends

On December 4th, 2000, I received a phone call that changed the course of my life and career forever. A client asked me to design an Angel Pendant as a gift for her closest friend who was recovering from cancer surgery. My client’s friend loved angels and she loved her friend. The gift of the Angel was to symbolize her ongoing love and support as her friend recovered. Although she could not be there in person, she wanted a gift for her friend that would touch her both physically and spiritually. A gift that her friend could hold onto and treasure to signify that although she could not be there in person, she could be there in spirit and prayer.

I had never designed an Angel before; but began drawing a simple outline as I spoke to my client that morning. The design came to life during the course of our conversation and The Angel Pendant was brought into the world. I believe I was given the gift of creating this angel for a very special reason. I did not question why and I still don’t.

It just happened because it was meant to.

I was deeply moved by the love between these two friends and realized this Angel was the perfect way to convey thoughts of Love, Caring and Support between any two people, or an entire group of people. As I worked on the Angel, I found myself praying for the woman who was to receive it even though she lived 3000 miles away and I had never met her. I sent her my love and positive light filled energy and prayed that her struggle with cancer would serve her at the highest level. I began to imagine millions of people all around the world connecting with each other sending prayers and loving thoughts of kindness through the gift of The Angel Pendant.

The Angel Pendant - Sterling Silver

Life has led me to amazing places and to extraordinary people, and life has led me to The Angel Pendant. I am very grateful to be the one bringing the gift of The Angel Pendant to the world as a reminder that each of us has the power to be spiritually present in the lives of others through the greatest gift of all, ourselves…… And there really is no better gift than that. So, that being said, I would be touched and honored if you would join us in delivering the gift of The Angel Pendant worldwide. When the time is right for you to send a gift, please consider giving the gift of The Angel Pendantand join us as we spread thoughts of love, support, kindness and encouragement to the world.  With gratitude, Stan W Tait.

BTW, I still play music, guitar, dobro and sometimes drums.  You can hear a few of my tunes here. “God Lives” http://t.co/I3Ilwms and “Calling my Spirit Home” http://t.co/H4Y6Nvi

We first heard about Violet from an Angel in our midst, Sunyata Choyce.  Sunyata is co-founder of Project COLORS. Their mission is, “Conveying resources, supplies and opportunities directly to those who need them most.”  Sunyata was the 2007 recipient of the prestigious Canadian Red Cross Young Humanitarian Award and is a regular guest on CBC Radio where she shares her life’s work and vision.  The Angel Pendant has been helping support Project COLORS over the past 5 years because we both make “designs for love”.

THE STORY OF VIOLET – A True Angel Among Us

AN AFRICAN PROJECT Violet ( on the left): An Angelic Volunteer in Thembalethu, SA

So, you had a tough day, huh?  Maybe you’re tired, don’t like your job (if you’re lucky enough to have one right now), not sure if you’re going to be able to take that long weekend at the beach next month and to top it all off, your kid is failing “Circle Time”.  Wait… seriously?  I’m thinking your kid’s teacher is failing to understand that “Circle Time” IS, in fact, an appropriate time for burping your ABCs!  That’s what I think. Well, time to take a few minutes for you. Brew a cup of white tea – no caffeine right now – and read the rest of this article.  I think you’ll feel a whole lot better soon.

LIFE IN AFRICA – Often Unforgiving

This morning, Violet, a 60 year old, single mother of a teenager, woke up and went to work.  She runs a crèche (day care) where she looks after upwards of 55 (yes, 55) children.  She feeds them, teaches them and nurtures them.  She is loved by the children and highly regarded in her community.

When the workday is over, Violet helps out with various charitable programs, like Project COLORS. She also participates in a knitting group.  After all of that, she goes home and feeds… the neighborhood.  Kids from all around her show up because they are hungry for  food, love and kindness.  Though she struggles, “no” is a bitter taste she prefers to avoid.

Before bed, she does laundry and dishes.  The area where the spigot is located has no drainage.  She stands in a puddle of mud late at night while she washes clothes, bed linens and dishes for the children.  There is not a lot of free time in her day and life in Africa can be unforgiving. Before bed, she does laundry and dishes.

Violet and Sunyata; Celebrating the 1st day of school while Project Colors helps her achieve her Early Childhood Education Certificate

AN AFRICAN PROJECT – Angelic Acts of Kindness

But Violet has a dream.  No, she doesn’t want to go to Paris or meet Justin Bieber.  (Alright, everyone wants to meet JB!)  Brace yourself – she wants to open a soup kitchen. That’s because Violet has a very different idea about what makes a “tough day”.  To her, that means not being able to feed all of the hungry children around her or, to find that yet another child has become orphaned.  She lives in Thembalethu, South Africa, where 50% of the population is HIV positive.  Children losing their family is not uncommon there.

My intention is not to trivialize our everyday struggles.  Rather, I mean to highlight the divine strength a gifted few have been endowed with.  Just as the physical limits of Michael Phelps are much greater than ours, so are the limits of Violet’s compassion.  She is a gold medalist of grace.  I will be notifying the Olympic Committee.

Designs for LOVE; Violet (on left) A Joyous smile for everyone!

DESIGNS FOR LOVE – Limitless, Unconditional Love

Designs for love can take any shape or form.  They are limitless – unbound by convention.  Violet is an Angel whose designs for love take the form of her crèche and dream for a soup kitchen to feed her ‘kids’; nothing could more Angelic than that.  The world is in desperate need of her style of kindness and compassion.  So it is with GRATITUDE that we chose to present Violet with The Angel Pendant.

The Angel Pendant by Stan W Tait Jewellery

Help Support Project Colors. 20% of all online sales will be donated when you use Partner Code ‘Project-Colors’ at checkout

BELOW, I’ve included the original correspondence between Sunyata Choyce and me regarding Violet and what she needs for her soup kitchen:

Dear Stan and Sue:

Here is the information on Violet’s Project you asked for. Violet is truly an Angel. It will be wonderful to present her with one.

Here is the proposal brief I wrote this month for Violet’s soup kitchen. She already has a pre-school COLORS where she helps with 55 kids…she is truly amazing! Read more:

Violets crèche/ Pre-school wants to create a soup kitchen.
Violet is a very humble lady and she never asks for anything. She is a 60 year old single mom to a teenager (who might be adopted) living on her own.
I found out through volunteering with her that she longs to create a soup kitchen. She has been feeding the community children with her own food whenever she has enough but I know she struggles. Violet has a group of local women who help her with her extra projects as COLORS is also running a knitting group from her space. She has over 50 kids in her care each day and other children come to her home often as they feel safe there and will get some of her famous stew or shackalaka.

What she needs:
- Violet needs plumbing! She has no sink or washing machine so she is often outside at the tap (surrounded by mud/ no drainage) till late at night as this is her only time left to wash all the sheets and kids clothing…and cups and bowls from the day.
- Sink  – Washing machine  – Stove with oven for baking – She needs pots, bowls, silverware. Food: For this to launch, I would hope to supply big bags or rice beans and baking supplies. We can then apply for the municipality to help and add her onto its list of food drop offs for soup kitchens once she is up and running. Thank you for your gracious support!