The decision to keep moving forward in life’s journey and not letting the depths of despair take us down…

Our story is definitely not a short one or an easy one to write about. However, it`s exhausting maintaining a façade and if this helps you in any way on your path and offers insight to know you are not alone and that there is light at the end of the tunnel, then we have done the right thing in sharing this with you. To understand who we are and how we got here today, and how Crystals Hampers truly came into fruition it is best to start at the beginning…

Some people breeze through life without being exposed to many life events, while some seem to tick all the boxes. Fortunately, and unfortunately, as a couple we have ticked quite a few. After an horrendous IVF journey, our turning point was the public humiliation with the collapse of our business (a Melbourne food institution) which led to the decimation of our livelihood and nest-eggs. Subsequently we faced the threat of homelessness everyday for nearly five years as we also grieved the concurrent tragic death of our son Thomas. But now my recent brush with cancer has cemented some of the reasons and motivations for creating Crystal Hampers with my amazing husband David.

Going to University to study multiple degrees and the four decades of hardened big Corporate World experience between us did not prepare us for the journey we have taken. And those around us were not prepared either. We experienced multiple voids of silence and many words that were well intended but delivered so poorly. What happened to the couple who seemed to have everything? It lead to isolation, significant periods of despair and compounded our grief. Those around us also became fatigued with the legal rut and pain we found ourselves in. (I have to disclose that all of my life I have absorbed and felt people`s energy around me. It`s known as clairsentience. I can feel your day without you saying a word or touching you.) I could feel the awkwardness, the overwhelming judgement, other people’s numbness, and their despair. But this is definitely not a ‘poor me` story. No matter how low it got – we never lost sight that there is always someone else worse off.

Simple pleasures…

Life can throw many curves balls your way however we are living proof you can come out the other side – alive. We focused on simple pleasures (the new name of our Company, and one of our packaging combinations) and our young family (along with the friends and family that stuck by us), as that is all we had. Saving up to buy 4 x 30cent McDonalds ice-cream cones, or spending time in the park were gold to our family (and still are) when putting food on the table was a challenge and keeping a roof over our heads an even bigger challenge. I`m not a religious person (and nor is David) but we both severely craved hope. A glimmer would’ve sufficed. We craved ways to rationalise our fall from grace, our overwhelming feelings of hopelessness and self loathing, ways to navigate through relentless pain and grief, and ways of finding a level of assurance that no amount of well intended words could convey. That had to come from within. A hidden inner strength.

The Missing crystal…

I had been unwell for nearly three years before being diagnosed with Cancer mid 2016. It wasn’t until then, that earth crystals resonated with me. I have been a life long collector of crystal (man-made) thanks to my dear grandmothers. Crystal vases, candelabras, platters, nick-nacks, you name it, I have it in crystal. Our entire wedding was filled with Swarovski Crystal. Even our food business didn’t escape my love of crystal. Let`s just say I love a Chandelier. I still wear crystal. You get it, my life is filled with crystal! (It’s the “all or nothing” Scorpio in me!) However, the earthier type of crystal now in my life is the crystal that I theoretically needed. I had come home from hospital after multiple surgeries. I`d been left with a permanent injury.  Our food business re-launch plans were in tatters. My father died a few days later, a few hours before I was urgently trying to get on a plane to see him. I had tubes hanging out of me. Half my insides were now missing. I was medicated to the hilt and in the depths of instant menopause. I had nothing left. I was spent.

A sliding door moment…

David searched for someone locally to help. Not a cleaner, but a lovely lady that did Reiki came into our lives. (Google: Reiki is a healing technique based on the principle that the therapist can channel energy into the patient by means of touch, to activate the natural healing processes of the patient’s body and restore physical and emotional well-being. Often crystals are used to enhance this process as crystals are thought to contain energy, absorb energy and project an energy.) Instead of going to her, she came to our home. Filled with uncertainty re what David had organised for me I reluctantly accepted her visit. The bottom line is that her visit was a sliding door moment. (Watch the movie – The Sliding Door with Gwyneth Paltrow. You`ll know what I mean.) During her visit she conducted a healing session with crystals and also cleansed the energy in our home. We even discussed décor (including my love of crystal) and feng shui. But towards the end of her visit, she randomly suggested I buy a Rose Quartz for our youngest son because he was having a tough time at school. (He was 5 years old at the time). I didn’t even know what that was, where I was going to get it or what it looked like. And I was told to only get it in a heart shape. I eventually bought one and gave it to him.

Flowers were just not going to cut it…

Needless to say, the response from him was such that we all now have our own selection of crystals (yes in crystal bowls), next to our beds and on our desks, and in our lives. I realised that if our youngest was going to respond to the receipt of a pink crystal, that others around me might like one too! A dear friend of ours had just begun her own cancer journey, another was going through a divorce, and another separated from her long term partner. Each were feeling the despair that I knew so well. So I gave them a selection of crystals based on their Zodiac signs with a few words about the crystals meanings from Judy Halls` Crystal Bible, and a birthday or gift card. OMG! I was not expecting the emotive responses that I got. I was actually nervous to send the parcels given crystals were not in any of their lives, but flowers were just not going to cut it. I wanted to say, what I wanted to hear for so long, to the people before me that were hurting. There was no advice attached. Just really simple words of encouragement to hang on. So as more and more birthdays have come around, my gift has become more than a few crystals in an envelope. Not having the physical capacity any longer to continue relaunching a food business, we embarked on setting up Crystal Hampers so that no one has to endure voids of silence when there are no words.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story and being a part of our Crystal Hamper journey. Whether you are a new or returning customer, we hope you enjoy the experience and time on our website and that you have found the perfect Crystal hamper to suit your needs, wants, desires or for that of a loved one, or someone you are reaching out to.

We really look forward to hearing your crystal stories…

Deborah and David

xx