my family altar

little beaded pouch from my daughter-in-law filled with rocks I gathered as we walked a Pacific beach together

a tiny turtle gifted to me when I first met my daughter in law

a felted ball our beloved cats — now gone — used to chase

a marker with a cat drawn on it from a game I made my son when he was little

a red slat from a mini building set my son had as a child

a soldier baring/bearing his heart to represent my son who is in the military

a St. Francis statue to represent my sister — Debra Francis — and her magical way with animals

a monkey from one of my mother’s necklaces

a stone cat found in my sister’s apartment after she died that reminds me of my mother’s style

a piece from my father’s military regalia

a buckeye because cause my father taught me to collect them and I passed that on to my son

a “lucky” stone — that’s what my dad called them — that I picked up after scattering my father’s ashes in the water

Cinse Bonino 2024