The Journey of Life Game Cards

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I knew the name and words for each card in the summer of 2001, and I knew some of the images. I was looking for an artist to paint them when I met Sarah Roche at Jonathan Goldman’s Sound Healing Intensive in Colorado. Sarah had just graduated with her degree in art in Northern Ireland. She got interested in my project and agreed to put her attention to it. When she came to visit me in September 2001 she had three images done. That was a beginning, but she lost interest in the project.

When I went to visit my grandson, Derek, in 2002, a year after we had started making the cards for the Aspects of Being and the qualities, I asked him to create images for the picture cards. He did The Moon, Great Cycle of Time, and Balance, from words I told him. I knew I wanted a ferris wheel for the Great Cycle of Time and two people on a seesaw for Balance. That’s all I told him.

One day we were at the doctor's office. Becky had brought colored pencils and paper to keep Derek and Melissa busy while we waited. There was a mural on the wall of hot air balloons that inspired Derek to make his own drawing. When I saw it, I knew it was the image for “I am Liberated. I am Free.”

After that, I visited my other grandchildren, Ryan and Kyla. On the last day of fifth grade Ryan made a pencil drawing on a piece of notebook paper ~ because he was bored. When he showed I to me, I knew it was the Integration image. For The Reverser, I knew I wanted a child standing on its head, one turning a cartwheel, and one turning a summersault. The boys didn’t know how to draw it, but Kyla, aged 9, took a pencil and drew the image. I put in the color.

I started taking art lessons in March of 2003 ~ watercolor of flowers was my main focus. When I went to visit my grandchildren later that year, my dear friend, Maria Handley, asked me when I was going to finish the cards. I told her I couldn’t get any of my artist friends to help me. “What do you think you are taking art lessons for?” she asked. “Oh, no! Not me!” I replied. She persisted and I finally agreed to put brush to paper ~ if I got an inspiration! I came home and painted 8 of the images. I amazed myself!

Derek was 11 when he created The Sun, The Contemplator, and the little man headed toward his destiny for The True Self card. I was guided, then, to call them Journey of Life cards and include them in the game we were creating and call it the Journey of Life Game.

I began making the cards on my computer in the summer of 2003 and asking friends to play the Game. Nives Nichol, from Italy, living near Fredricksburg, Texas played the Game and that evening she created the images for Transformation and Strength/Courage. Then my images were complete.

Or so I thought. Melissa was 9 when she played the Game again and when she finished with the Journey of Life cards, she said, “Well, there are two missing!” “What are they?” I asked. “Spirit and Love”, she answered. “You create them and we’ll add them to the Game,” I told her.

She was only 4 when her brother and I started creating the Game. When she was 9 she made her significant contribution.

I like the fact that the cards are by an Irish woman, an Italian, my grandchildren and me!