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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 2021)
8 Wednesday, April 21, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon DIEZ: Project has taken on a life of its own for Sisters woman Continued from page 3 ILLUSTRATION BY MANDA SEVERIN the museum and made sure she9d really won. <They said it was real!= The museum launched last summer, with her seeds on display. <The museum looks really neat 4 it9s a small place in downtown Copenhagen,= said Diez. <Simple, clean lines, very tastefully done. Someday we9ll get to go.= Comfort Seeds began with the tiniest impetus: a tomato seed, dried out and cling- ing to one of her father9s old shirts. He had passed away from cancer ten years before, and Diez was ironing the shirts, intending to make a quilt. The stuck seed caught her eye. She planted it and, astonishingly, grew a healthy tomato plant in her laundry room. She saved seeds from the plant, and gave some away to people who were griev- ing. Now Diez replants the seeds every year 4 together with her students. Many of the kids she works with are in behavior-intervention pro- grams and have experienced trauma and grief in their young lives. <These kids are all in their own processes of healing,= she said. <There9s something so magical about their little hands planting the seeds. Two years ago, every single plant came up. Like 50 seeds 4 and every plant germi- nated. There9s something behind that.= Diez doesn9t consider herself an artist. A gen- erator of ideas, she enjoys col- laborating with Severin, whose colorful, earthy illustrations give Diez9s concepts new dimension. Together they are work- ing on a book and have launched a website, comfortseeds. com. On the web- site, visitors of all ages are invited to share memories of loved ones passed. People can download a beautiful page to color and decorate in their memory. Grief stories and resources sit alongside friendly paintings. <We want this website to be a place where multi-gen- erations can come and submit stuff. Grief, beauty, healing, art, and poetry,= said Diez. Punchy, garden-bright tomatoes and cool nighttime owls are among the site9s recurring illustrations. Some are available as merchandise, ILLUSTRATION BY MANDA SEVERIN Katie Diez combines art and healing with the Comfort Seeds project, which recently won an international prize. such as shower curtains and coin purses. Seed requests come from people who have lost loved ones themselves, and from their friends and families. Diez wanted to make some- thing that would be appropri- ate to give a grieving person: a little story with a packet of seeds, something meaningful a friend could easily slip into a greeting card. <When my dad died I was relatively young, and people just didn9t know what to do,= Diez said. <They were afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing, so they didn9t do anything.= Sometimes people are shy about asking for the seeds, which do not cost money. Diez noted that accepting an item that is free of charge benefits the person giving. <By receiving,= she said, <you9re giving a gift as well.= Diez is very observant and takes time to be in the pres- ent. <Through this whole pro- cess, it9s been about noticing and paying attention to the lit- tle things, and being curious,= Diez said. She came to hone her pow- ers of observation and appre- ciation through the practice of mindful meditation. Reading the words of Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh inspired her to take a class on teaching mindfulness for children. Diez figured she would learn the practice in order help her students. The prac- tice changed her life and outlook, and enhanced her students9 experience and education. The practice can be difficult, though. <I still struggle,= she said. Giving away the seeds continues to be rewarding for Diez. <It9s been a wild ride, not anything I expected when I planted the tomato seed!= she exclaimed. <It9s taken on a life of its own.= That wild ride connects her to one she loves. Said Diez, <It feels like my dad9s behind it.= Read about how Katie Diez copes with grief in <Grief in Tough Times,= on page 9. Year-round FIREWOOD SALES MEAT S, GAME ALASKAN SEAFOOD CHEESES SANDWICHES BEER, WINE, CIDER — Kindling — — — SISTERS FOREST PRODUCTS 110 S. SPRUCE ST. | 541-719-1186 10 OFF $ 541-410-4509 SistersForestProducts.com DOT & FAA PHYSICALS WALK IN OR SCHEDULE YOUR APPT. TODAY! Valid through 4-28-21 541-548-2899 3818 SW 21st Pl., Ste. 100 Redmond • Open every day yourcaremedical.com URGENT CARE • OCCUPATIONAL MED M • TELEMEDICINE • X-RAY This ad sponsored by The Nugget Newspaper
