Gail gave an exceptional presentation. One of the things I have always loved about Gail is that when she speaks (especially) about herbs, her voice has a quality that reminds me of when I was young and my mother would tell me fascinating or exciting stories. There is that feeling of secrets being revealed. As the day went on, I noticed that she became more and more beautiful. Yes, I DO know how odd that sounds, except that on the way home I asked my sister if she noticed it too - and she exclaimed that she had been seeing the same thing. It is so clear how much she loves the plant realm.
Between the materia medica and the specifics for making medicine and treating conditions, she sprinkled the information with personal stories. It was when I realized that even though I've been acquainted with Gail for well over 10 years, I'd had no idea how humble she is. For instance, I'd never heard about her going to Bhopal to work with the people suffering from the massive chemical gas leak. The only reason we heard that story was because she was affected severely with some of the afflictions she'd treated after she got home, and she was describing her self-treatment. Some of the things she shared seemed to surprise even herself, and I think that came from the intimacy of the group. I am so glad to have been there. Even with 40 years working in herbs (which she says has only taught her that there is so much more to learn) she made everyone in the room feel more at ease with their own level of knowledge. It was a completely magical day and I enjoyed every morsel.
I was particularly fascinated with the segment on Baltic amber. Having read some of her writing on amber, I'd gotten some from her before and a small bottle of tincture. It was much more powerful to hear her talk about it. I don't think many people left there without some amber.
My sister, Susanna, and Lorie after the class wrapped up.My camera dropped last week, and it seems that the lens got jostled. That's disappointing, because I would have loved to have shared more with you here. Not that pictures of the scrumptious scones, spreads, soup, salad, and desserts would have expressed their flavors... not that the grins and smiles from the other attendees would have conveyed their delight in the class... but still.
I hope Gail had a splendid trip back to Maine. We certainly enjoyed her time here :-)
Many thanks to Susanna and Nancy for bringing herb experts to our area and for making it such a spectacular event.
