Interview: Brigid Kennedy ~ The Mystery Of The Treasure Map!

Brigid Kennedy tells an astonishing story of family and adventure! (Her Grandmother is also a miracle as well, but you'll hear all about it a bit later in the episode!) And it all began one day when her Irish ancestors decided to play a card game, and as you'll hear, that card game changed worlds!

Transcript

Hi, Everyone, And welcome back to the podcast whose sole reason for existing is to remind you that this world is full of magic, Mystery, And miracle. And my guest this time, Bridget Kennedy, Has a couple doozies to share with you. You know, Putting aside the fact that her ancestors won a treasure map in Ireland a while ago, But then hopped on a ship to go search for that treasure in the Amazon. Yeah, That's a whole magical mystery thing and Bridget tells more about that story and how it inspired her latest creation. She also shares a couple of stories that I found really beautiful, And it has to do with her grandmother. And it reminds us that, You know what? As much as we think we know about this world and this reality, We really know nothing. I'm so grateful that Bridget shared the stories of her family with me. Yeah, And I think you will be, Too. So let's get to it. Here's my interview. And my conversation with Bridget Kennedy. Grandmother was saying a little bit further back, But the waterline. The waves kept, Like, Coming and coming towards her. And I turned to my mom, And she was crying. And I said, Mom, Why are you crying? And she said, Well. When the ocean comes for you, It's letting you know. I'm about to tear up. That you're about to pass on soon. I'm used to being on a stage, But I'm used to being on a stage with a violin in my hand, Because that's who I am. I'm a violinist. I'm a musician. The stage is my comfort spot. And if I move past that, My next huge comfort spot is I'm a mom. I'm a mom to a 16-year-old teen, A cheerleader, And then I'm a faculty wife. It's a job in its own right there. So so I I have my world I have built my life I'm I'm turning 50 like next week and and my grandmother came to me in a dream and she just Turned my whole life upside down and everybody is now on this crazy journey with me all my violin students My youth symphony orchestra my daughter my husband my parents. They're all just like standing behind me me going, Go, Go, Go. So yeah, That's like me in a nutshell, My life. Well, Let me ask you, When you were a kid, Did you dream about being involved in music or being a, I mean, Like, What did you dream about becoming? Yeah. Um, As, As a kid, So, Um, My family are famous violinists. And so when, I know, Uh, When, When I was younger, They would come to like all the, The, The holidays and special occasions and they would play their violin. And I was just, You know, Wide eye, Just, Just enamored by, By the, Their skill and talent and that, Uh, An instrument can make that type of sound. I just be, I was in love with the sound. That the violin made. And so then when I was a little older at three, You know, I remember them putting the big violin in my hands. I was little at that time with little three-year-old fingers. And they taught me how to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. And I was hooked ever since. Okay. So obviously it's, I feel like ridiculous saying this, But violin and being adept with the violin is like genetic in your family. It kind of is. It's kind of passed down. And my daughter plays violin, And so hopefully she's going to pass it down as well, This thin little thread. Gosh, It sounds like also, And I don't want to assume too much, But it sounds like you actually had a passion and a love for the violin. There was no pressure around it. Is that true? No pressure, No pressure at all. It kind of just became who I was, You know, And it was something I could do. So side backstory that nobody else has interviewed me about or asked me about was my childhood. I actually was a very sickly child, Like a bubble child. And I did not go to school until like fifth, Sixth grade, Really. So I did didn't, The doctors were more concerned with keeping me alive instead of me learning how to read and write. So I didn't know how to read and write until I got to like junior high. So nobody kind of expected that type of journey for me, Especially now becoming a writer, That's mind blowing. So violin was something I could do. I could stay in my little bubble, My little room. I could practice violin by myself. You know, Other kids had sports. I had asthma, Right? They all could go outside and play. I couldn't, I couldn't be around people. And so violin became my lifeline, The way I expressed myself. Going through the world. Wow. I'm so sorry to hear that about your childhood, Because that is, You know, I knew nothing about your childhood. And it is a question that I ask certain people, Because I think it's interesting. You have dreams as a child of what you'd like to become. And then what does that look like later on in life? Do you live into them? Do you do something different? I just find those answers really intriguing. And with this legacy of, You know, Famous violinists in your family, Sometimes there can be problems. Pressure on a kid, You know, To kind of show up or follow the family line or what have you. I want to ask you, Did you know your grandmother when you were younger? Yeah, My abuelita Catalina, She, I mean, She was with us growing up. So my earlier part, We would go to Peru every, Every summer, And visit the family, Visit the grandma, Everything. And then when my younger sister was born, She's 10 years younger than me, My grandmother came and lived with us permanently. So we had a very strong connection from that point when she was here in the US on. That's amazing because, You know, Obviously I know because I know a little bit about you that your grandmother plays this kind of pivotal integral role for how things have evolved in your life. But I want to ask you this question because Oh my gosh. I. . . I mean, I read your profile and I was like, I'm sorry, What? She had an Irish treasure hunter in her family? Like literally, Your great-grandfather was an Irish treasure hunter. And I'm just wondering, And then he met your great-grandmother at a monastery in Peru. So how did he even become a treasure hunter? Do you know? Okay, So. . . You want the inside inside story, Everything? Okay. All right. So my great grandfather, Robert Patrick Kennedy, Was an Irish treasure hunter. So he was big into history and finding, Finding things right. Um, And research. And, Uh, He has a younger brother named John, One year younger than him. And they were at a poker game in Ireland and the pot was the map to the lost city of ink and gold. And in that pot was also coins from that lost city to prove that that map was real. Everybody at that poker table wanted that pot, But he ended up winning it. And they knew that they had to get out of town quick because other people were going to come for that map and that gold. So they left on the midnight trade ship out of Galway, Ireland, Heading to South America. And that is a three month trip, My friend. Three-month trip to go braving the the seas of the Atlantic Ocean over to New York City and then and then coming down the coast of North America going all the way down the coast of South America going around The Cape and then coming back up to Peru to the other side Three-month trip where you have to be dedicated to to that quest So when you land in the Puerto Lima and you have to go to the Peruvian Amazon you have to pass through a little town called Arequipa. And that's where the Rodriguez family was with their hacienda. They were very, Very wealthy aristocratic Peruvians. And it is tradition that when travelers come by, You invite them to stay. So these two Irishmen just happened to cross over the hacienda. They invited them to stay and they had like front row box seats to the bullfighting, The Spanish bullfighting. Match for the next day. So they invited the two Irishmen who's never seen a Spanish bullfighting match. And my great-grandfather got so excited. He started jumping up and down, Up and down. And then he leapt over the wooden railing straight into the dirt of the arena and fought that bull. The crowd went crazy. They started chanting, Gringo, Gringo, Which means white guy. And they like threw him a cape and a sword. Sword, And he fought that bull. And one dramatic pass came by, And he flashed my great-grandfather, Yedosha, A smile like, Oh, Look what I can do. And right then, That bull hooked his horns into my great-grandfather, Onto his leg, Into his ribs. And he launched him up into the air, Boom, Onto the hard ground. Well, The medics were able to save his life and to stitch up his wounds, But they couldn't go into the Amazon the very next day like planned because he had deadly mortal wounds. So my great grandmother stood by his bedside and became like his nurse over the next few weeks. And that's the love story. And that's when they fell in love. Well, While he was being held up in bed, John, Went into the Amazon to befriend some of the local tribes and to bring the map and seeing if the map was valid, If it could hold water. John ended up falling in love with one of the tribal ladies. And he found his true treasure there and he decided to live in the tribe amazon and and forget about all the rest of the world because he found his true treasure and he ended up marrying that tribal lady and they raised two daughters in the heart of the rainforest so of my side of the story my great-grandfather robert and yadosha they they got married they had kids and so So Robert had to go in and out with his expeditions all by himself since John was content with his new family. In the Amazon. And one fateful time, My grandfather never returned from his expedition. We don't know what he found. We don't know what he saw. We don't know what kept him from returning to us. But at that point, That's when our family history hit a wall our entire family just crumbled. It was every day, Is he coming back? Every other week, Every other month, Did he get injured? Is he held somewhere and gonna return to us? Just like the bullfighting incident. We just never knew what was gonna happen. So every day was like, We're holding our breath. We were holding our breath. And the whole connection with Uncle John, Nobody knew where to find him in the depths of the Amazon. And nobody knew the addresses and the ancient ancestors of Ireland or where the castle was. Nobody could send word. It was all with Robert. And he disappeared into the Amazon. So at that point, The family just crumbled apart. And we all had this huge hole in our hearts. Now, I'm talking about my grandmother. Catalina was his daughter. So the hurt, It wasn't so long ago from where I'm standing, Right? And just that hole. And the whole family wealth, Everything disappeared. And when I was writing the story, My story stopped at that same point. And my grandma, Catalina, Was still in my head, And she's now like kind of this avatar in my head, This character that I'm writing. And she's like, Push forward. And I'm like, Well, This is where the family stops. What are we talking about? Push forward. She said, Push forward. And then it's just started playing like a movie in my mind and pushing forward where all the kids got old enough where they could find his journal maps. And then they wanted to, You know, To put a close, Like close the chapter, Move on with their lives. Like find the clues that happened to dad so they can move on. And they all then pass into the magical borders of the Amazon to find what happened. And that's where my true story takes off. And it's a fantastical journey. And so what I did is I wrote the Kennedys into that gap that history left behind. And so I thought I was writing fantasy, You know, Running through temples of death, Being chased by cannibals, Headhunters, Surviving rivers with waterfalls, Like everything, Dragons, Running into other tribal people, Right? I thought I was writing fantasy. But when I got done with it, Because all of these kids, I wrote five siblings, And each one of them had their own personalities. Every one was like the leader, One was the warrior, One was the planner, One was, You know, The emotional support. And, You know, You just want to take that one sibling and strangle them, You know. And so I had all that sibling banter. I had all that sibling, The tension buildup, The grief, The resilience, The joy of those little triumphs of surviving every day in the Amazon by themselves. All the humor that goes with it, And that resilience and reconciliation that the family had, And then they figured out what happened. And the family unified. And when my book came out, This little girl here came out, And my family started reading it. They kept giving me one word, Thank you. And I was like, Sure, You know, I'm putting like my family history, You know, Down in print. And I never understood it until a New York Times bestselling author read my book, She became a fan. And, And she said, Bridget, You did not write fantasy. I go, What are you talking about? There's dragons, There's, It is fantasy. She goes, No, You wrote a reclamation. For your family. And it stuck and struck so true in my soul. It just rang. And then I started thinking about it. And the more I've been doing all these interviews and podcasts, And the more I'm seeing outside people's view on my book and reading it, And my family is getting it, It was a healing. It was a healing for my family, Because I finally wrote the ending that it deserved. I finally wrote that final chapter for them, That unification that nobody has ever gotten. It was just a hard wall that hit us. And I had no clue I was writing that. So in all, Looking past from what the mission that my grandmother did and sent me on that 2 AM, This book okay this is this is just just a novel right it's just a book but what it meant to my family went so far, Way and beyond that I never even knew what she called me to do because a calling always knows more than you do. Calling is divine, Right? They know what is needed in your life. And I'm a violinist. I'm a mother. I have a very full life. I did not need to take this tangent at age 50 and go on this emotional crusade, If you will. But it has brought me so much joy and these podcasts and connecting to you. And to all your viewers, It brings me so much joy because my story. Everyone has a story out there. Our ancestors, All of our ancestors, Were incredible people. And if I could answer a calling, A girl who was sick, All of her childhood who didn't know how to read and write. Could beat that imposter syndrome, Beat that fear that tells us, Oh, You're way too busy in your life. And you don't have to answer that calling, Right? And all those negativity things. If I could get past that. You can get past that. Yes. Yes, It's true. It's true, Everybody. You know, We were talking earlier about. . . Obviously the legacy of talent of, You know, Violins in your family and music. I'm just curious. I mean, I am absolutely fascinated by just No, I want to call it sheer audacity, But also adventurous spirit that there is. I mean that you're. . . Great-grandfather and your great-granduncle. Showed in like hopping on a, You know, Winning this map, Hopping on a ship at midnight. Do you think, I mean, Does that trait run in your family of adventure and belief and just going out on a limb and choosing to go out into the world with this open heart? You know, It did live past. So my two protagonists, Kat, Catalina, Which I named after my grandmother, And Robbie, The two protagonists in my story, Robbie, The actual Robbie, He actually took the treasure hunting family tradition and he led tourists through the Amazon as his job. And He also found the famed gold Incan mask, The sun god mask of the Incas, In the Amazon during one of those treasure hunting. And to this day, It sits in the Museum of Gold in Lima, Peru, Just to prove that some treasures still can be found. So you asked me this question about adventuring and traveling. I do love to travel. I do love to adventure. I do like to seek things out and scavenge. That's like always been part of my personality, But I wrote it for my teen daughter because she is now old enough to understand the importance of family and the roots and your heritage, And I wanted her to know. That if she ever felt that calling to go on a quest and to adventure abroad and to seek something, I wanted her to know that that's her ancestors calling her to do that, That she has treasure hunting blood running through her veins. And that is so awesome. And, And, And even like, Um, I wrote my true family history after, Like in the back of the book, Like what is true. Even my husband, Who knows my family, He has been with me. We've been married for 26 years. And before that, We were dating for like 10 years. And so he has known my grandmother, My abuelita, Carolina. He's known my family. And at the end of the audio book, We were driving to our vacation in Florida. And we got to the end of the audio book, And it got to the point of my true family history. And he almost had to stop the car, Pull over and look at me. And he said, I thought that's what you made up. I thought that was the fantasy part. I go, No, That's the true part. And so many people have responded to that where they thought that that was the fantasy. I'm like, No, That is the true part. But yeah, So that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to make sure that my daughter had the knowledge of her adventurous ancestors and know that that's where it came from. So I'm so glad that I was able to kind of put our family history in there for her as a gift. Oh, Yeah. I mean, I think What's particularly remarkable is that your great grandfather, He kind of lived near the tail end of the age of adventure where people went out into the world, No matter where, North Pole, South Pole, You know, Places where supposedly no other human had set foot. And, You know, Yes, He had a map, But sometimes you go places where there are no maps and you are the ones that actually end up making the maps. And that is not for the faint of heart, Like in any way, Shape or form. I actually can't even imagine what kind of wherewithal that takes to go somewhere where, You know, No one else has been or explored. And so I think that's absolutely fascinating. Amazing and to have that kind of lineage, But also, You know, The, The really beautiful and sacred task, He disappeared and nobody knew what happened to him. And, And kind of like this, This family tale, This family tale of, Of risk and adventure and, And just belief in oneself to always come back, But then to have this mysterious loss. So as a family story of mystery and then, And then no resolution, No resolution. Solution. And so, You know, I, I don't have anyone like that in my family. And I can't even imagine what that kind of creates in a family to have that kind of figure of loss and mystery, But it sounds like you absolutely provided closure for people, Which is so incredibly beautiful. So, Wow. Good for you. Thank you. I, You know, My grandma took me on this journey. And, And, And I was on another podcast. I've been doing lots of podcasts, But it's on another podcast. And before the podcast began, The host said, Can I pull cards? And I was like, What do you mean? She goes, Well, They're kind of like tarot cards, But not tarot, But you know, Spiritual cards. Can I read your cards? And I'm always up for anything. And so I'm like, Sure, You know that that's going to be amazing. So we got to the end of the podcast. And so she's like shuffling, She's shuffling, She's shuffling. And she looks at me, She goes, Ask your question. And I said, I have to ask a question? And she's like, Yes, You have to ask a question to the universe. And she's shuffling, She's shuffling, She's shuffling. So I'm like under pressure, Right? The camera's on, We're live, We're at a podcast, I have to ask the question to the universe, Right? So I got really quiet and I went inside to kind of figure out what I should ask. And I came up, I came up with a question. She's Shufflin and I told her my question and she kind of stopped. She goes, Okay, Let's do it. She pulled the cards. But the cards that she pulled was very interesting. And, And it's kind of full circle, Like in my life. And it's so impactful. Because I just did that podcast interview like two days ago. And I am currently like, If I open these these curtains behind me, You're going to see the beautiful blue beaches of Florida. And all three of those cards were blue, Ocean blue. Some of them were in the ocean, Some of them were in heaven. And all of them pointed to happiness resolution. So the question I asked is, Well, My grandmother sent me on this quest three years ago. I want to know today. Is she smiling down upon me? Is she content? And yes, All the cards were positive. So like, Everyone's very happy. But the reader said, You're not done. Your journey. Just began. And I was like, Whoa, Because I wrote my first book. I did the novella. I wrote the second book, The third book. I've put it out in the world. It's in people's hands. I've been doing the interviews. I was thinking I was getting to the end of publicizing the whole series. And I'm just like, So I'm wondering. I'm wondering. What else is my journey gonna go to? So now this open book has now came to me and so I'm kind of wondering. You know, Where, Where this is going to take and go. Oh, Yeah, It's like, It's like, Where's your adventure is just beginning now, Which is I, I thought it was done. And apparently, I am just now setting out on this adventure. But you know, I did go adventuring with my book. And I did go to Ireland. Now I grew up kind of improve every summers, Right. So as a kid, Though, You just don't know, About visiting relatives, You don't know the impact, Right, Of the history and everything. But as an adult was the first time I went to Ireland. Now, If you think about this. My abuelita, My grandmother Catalina, Never went to Ireland to visit her ancestors. My mother never went to Ireland. So that's me, That I'm the next in line. So that means I was the first Kennedy to return to Irish soil. That was huge. And as an adult, It hit me so hard to walk on the cobblestone streets that my great-grandfather grew up on, To stand before the castle of Ormore, To go on to the Cliffs of Moher and just feel the Atlantic air rushing through my hair, To smell it, To feel it, To taste it. It hit me so hard. So now what I want to do is I want to venture Back to Peru. Because I think I'm going to have a different perspective on it now as an adult, But I want to take a bunch of copies because. We still don't know what happened to my uncle John and his entire family and those two beautiful girls that they raised in the heart of the rainforest. And I want to take some copies and I want to go into the Amazon because, You know, Amazon doesn't deliver to the Amazons. So I'm going to need to do it. I'm going to need to step up and I'm going to try to find my lost family. And if I find those two girls, I'm going to give them the book and be like, This is your father. This is what he did. This is what he accomplished. This is how he got here, Right? And to be able to deliver that to them. So, Yeah, I want to do a book signing, And I want to do a book signing in Peru and go there and take the books, Because maybe they have questions, Too. That maybe they knew that they came, He came with. His brother, Robert, And what happens to that whole family, Right? Maybe they have questions. Oh my gosh, Another mystery. Your family's full of mysteries. And I, I mean. I like that too. I mean, It keeps things interesting, I guess. Let me ask the second question of the podcast, Which is. . . And we're so kind of making a dramatic turn right now, But this is the second question that I always ask, Which is, You know, Did you grow up in a religious household? What did that look like for you growing up? You know, As you've gotten older, Has that connection to something outside of you or the divine, Has it changed or shifted in any way? You know, I've had everyone from atheists to Catholics to, You know, People of the Jewish persuasion. I've had everyone on this show. So that's all to say that every answer is right and valid and good. So, Yeah, I'd love to hear your answer about that. Yeah, So, Um, I'm, I'm Peruvian, The Hispanic Roman Catholic, Right? But my, My mother did let me choose my religion. And at age 16, I did choose to become Roman Catholic. Which it was, I think it was a tremendous trust that she was raising us, You know, And we did go Vinchen, We went to different churches, She let me experience different religions. And that was just the one that resonated the most with me. I loved the tradition. I loved all the saints. So like, When we went to the Baptist, Right, It's just one, One God, Right, Jesus, And, And no saints, But I kind of liked the saints. I liked how kind of each one was individual. And there's a St. Bridget, And she's a saint of music, Right? And so it just, It just called to me so much more. And so I did become Roman Catholic. And spiritual wise, I didn't know I. . . Didn't know I was different. Let me just say it like that. And I didn't I thought everybody could do this. So this is my special gift, I guess, I can go really quiet, Like in my mind and centered really fast. And I can stay there like a meditation point, Right, For a while. And I mean, Absolutely zero thoughts in my head. And I can go so quiet I can listen. And I've hurt. I call it my guardian angel, Call it a high spirituality. I'm not sure. But I would, I would say it was a masculine voice and it was really low and very soft. And it was like only like two or three words like do, Do, Do, Do. That's it, That's all I got, Right? And I would get it from time to time throughout my life. And if I was. . . If I was with anxiety, Or worry, Or stress, And I have all my busy thoughts about me, And I was like, I have a to-do list, And I'm trying to truck through life, All the stuff that we have to do. If I was like that, I probably wouldn't be able to hear it, The direction that I had. And each time, Who am I to question? Divinity speaking to you, I followed it. And each time, It never led me wrong, So I trust it. But when my grandmother came to me in that dream three years ago at 2 a. M. , It was her. It was her. She was standing in my room. It was her face, Her voice, Her presence, And she got right down to it, And she woke me up, And she said, Write our story. And that was very different than the quiet voice that I've always had. So I do feel like I am spiritual. I do feel that I have an ability to quiet myself, Which I found not many people do. And when I tell people that, They're like, How do you do that? And I'm like, You just go quiet. Because it was just something always that I was able to do. And so maybe, You know. . . Other people can find it through meditation points or something like that. I do highly recommend it. And I do believe. . . I do believe in things. I'm not one to cross out anything because I just physically hasn't seen it. So I always open that possibility up to that door. So I do have an open heart. And maybe because of that, I'm able to receive things a little bit better or more or just I receive things at all. Maybe that has something to go with it. But yeah, I do. I do believe in things, And that's why I was so adamant in believing when my grandmother, Catalina, Came to me. And that's why I trusted it so much, Maybe. I didn't have that doubt, That questioning of it. Yeah, I mean, I think the way you orient yourself to the universe is with generosity and openness and an open heart, As you said. And because of that, You know, I think people who are creative, Who are imaginative, You know what, I also think, And maybe you could disagree with me, Please feel free to, That that period of your life where you were in your room. You know, When you were a child, Maybe helped cultivate this capacity of going into stillness, But also openness. I mean, Would you agree with that possibly? I knew I was lonely. I knew that I had time on my hands. Looking back at my childhood, Now I see how different I was than most children and how different my life is. It wasn't a hardship on me, Right, At that time. I was loved. I had parents. I had an older sibling. I had family that I got to visit. I felt loved and secure. I didn't really know what I was missing when I was a kid. I think the hardship landed on my parents. You know, That worry, A constant worry trying to keep me protected like that. But I do remember I, You know, I was by myself a lot. So maybe, Maybe going into that kind of helped me a little bit to Maybe just kind of right my mind or, You know, I don't want to say survive the situation because I, Like I said, I was loved, I was protected, I was happy. But just just feeling maybe filling the time, The downtime that was endless when you're by yourself. Maybe that was a coping mechanism. Yeah, But what a consolation for later in life. So appreciate. I was listening to you and I was thinking, Oh, This is what they call a charism in the Catholic Church. It's a gift that, Yeah, Charism. It's a gift that God has given you. Um, That you are meant to live into in this life. And, Um, It's kind of one of those things where, You know, You probably don't find out about it right away, But you discover later in life at some point, Oh, I have a really great facility with this, Or this is easy, Or it, This can bring blessings to other people or to myself. And you're meant to embrace it. And then use it to bring yourself more fully into the world or other people into the world. So you were saying that, And I was like, Oh, That sounds like a charism, Like, Like a gift that God has given you that you're, You're living into it. You're living into it. So. Every time I do an interview or podcast, I'm finding that my novel gets kind of put aside and this new piece of purpose of talking to people. With my heart. And the encouragement that. That connection, Like everyone wants to do like ancestor DNA, And like, Everybody wants to belong to something bigger. Now, Everybody wants to connect to the roots to know that they, Where they came from, Right, Everybody has that need. And, And I think it's, It's wonderful. And, And I think it's, It's, It's, It's amazing what we learn when we start researching our own ancestors. And And those stories, That is what makes us human are those stories. That's what connects us all. And I think all of those stories need to come out. And I don't know, Like novels pushed aside, But this new purpose, You know, It's, It's really pushing my point. And maybe that's the journey. Maybe I just started this part of that journey. That's very exciting. Now you have to find some sort of poker game that has a map as the biggest, You know, A life map for maybe your future and you can. . . Get in there and wager, Play some wagers. I feel like that for you. I feel like that that podcast where the lady drew the cards was was my poker game right there. And when she was shuffling, She's like, Ask the question. Right? That was like me ending up right ending up to the spiritual word or she was just like, That's the question. And it's probably completely true. And I agree with you. Um, Let me ask you the main question of the podcast. Um, I would love if you would share, It could be one story or two stories, Um, Of something where you either experienced or witnessed something that you thought was magical, Miraculous, Or mysterious. Um, I already, I know I sort of, You've alluded to this story with your grandmother, What happened with her, But I'd love to hear any stories that you'd like to share for my audience. Um. . . Okay, Well, Something that with, With the tarot card, The cards lady. So Like I mentioned, She pulled three carts, And two were of the ocean, Blue ocean, And on the card and it it had a boat and it had a lady in the boat, A girl, A feminine figure in the boat. And behind her was binoculars. And in front of her was a weather vane that pointed like true north. And so she was looking at the weather again. She was looking out in front, Not in the back. And that's where she pulled the card. She said, You're not, You're not done, Done yet. Because the lady's looking forward, Not in the binoculars. And then the heavenly card, It was big blue sky. It's kind of like when you look at the sky and like the sunbeams come through the clouds, Right? That, That spray of sunbeams. So that was the card. And it said, Imagine on the card. And, Um, And I thought instantly back to a point in my childhood. Sorry, Getting a little emotional here, Pointed in my childhood where we took a beach trip, A beach trip. So my mom and my siblings and my grandma, Catalina, And you know, You have the shoreline and you have the tides like lapping, The waves lapping on the shore. And my grandmother was sitting a little bit further back, But the waterline, The waves kept like coming and coming towards us. And I turned to my mom, And she was crying. And I said, Mom, Why are you crying? And she said, Well. When the ocean comes for you, It's letting you know. I'm about to tear up. That you're about to pass on soon. And, And I, And then I turned and I looked and I saw that waterline coming after her. Like she would get up and move the chair and, And it would follow her and come. It was very strong. And she did end up dying within, You know, The next couple of weeks. Um, But when I did that podcast and the lady's reading my, My future, And, And she asked me, Do I have a link to the ocean or to a story where my would call out because that was the question I put in that universe, Right? About my grandmother. And is she happy right now watching down on me? And like I said, Right behind me, If I open this curtain, You're going to see the ocean below of Destin, Florida. And I was like, Oh my God, She brought me here. She brought me here. It's right behind me. And this tarot card lady, She's holding them up and she's asking me what the connection is. And I'm just bawling at this point. And I felt it so true in my heart. And so right after I got done with the podcast, I was like, I have to go to the ocean. I have to go put my flip-flops on and go to the ocean. Take my flip flops off and put my feet in the ocean and my husband's like wait wait I'll go I'll go on a walk with you he's like what's up what's and I told him my story and he was like I don't think the tides can do that. Doesn't matter what you think is what I know in my heart. And I'm going to go put my feet in the ocean because that's where my grandma is right now. And I'm going to go connect with her. And so that's what I did. I went out there and, And I put my feet and let, And let, Let the ocean tides come up on my shins and my knees. And, And I felt, I felt her presence and I just got really quiet and, And centered in there. And I just felt her all around me and I've been feeling her all around me. Since we've been here in Florida and it's just like this huge. . . Huge spiritual, Like, Cocoon, Like a warmth. And I'm here in Florida. Because on a whim all of Florida in this whole area. Just suddenly called me up and said, We need you to come down and do a book signing, A book tour. And it wasn't just one place or another place or an, It was like the whole seaboard all called me and they're like, We need you to come down. Right. And then that podcast was scheduled at that time. And I'm like, Grandma, You always know more than I do. And I will follow, I will follow you. I'll pack up my family and we will drive down to Florida and all everything came and aligned and together. Who else can pull the strings besides the divine, Right? Who else can pull those fates and weave those threads? Oh my gosh, That is so gorgeous. That is so gorgeous. I just want to remark on the fact that, I mean, You know this, But clearly your grandmother has your back. I mean, It was part of the reason you went on this journey was because she appeared to you in a dream and said, You need to do this. Okay, So was that shocking to you? Did you wake up and think, What just happened? Wait, What is happening? Like, How did that happen for you. I was dead asleep. She came to me very real. She was standing in my room, Her face, Her voice, Everything. And she told me, Write our story. And she was gone. And I sat up in the dark and I thought about what she was asking me to do. And I knew the stories. It has been told around our family table every birthday and special occasion. And, And I knew the pictures, Right. They would all come out the pictures, But they weren't properly labeled. Right. And then, And then just talking to other aunties and Tias and stuff around the table. And they had stories, But they couldn't really quite remember someone's name. And I could just feel it slipping. Through our fingertips of each generation, Right? And so I knew she wanted me to preserve it, But I didn't know that she wanted me to continue the story and close, Right, When we started. And I knew what she wanted me to do. And when a loved one looks at you in that certain way, You can't tell him no, And I wasn't gonna be the one to tell Catalina Kennedy no. So I did what I could do. I got up. I made a big pot of coffee. And I started writing. At first, It was just the genealogy of it, Like the names, The dates, And the places. But then I had that hard stop, Where my family always hits that hard stop, The day that he never came back. And then that's when. . . The new journey and the new story began. And as they say, The rest is history. Yet to be written still yet to be written because I I'm apparently on a journey that Stills going. I have to admit, My conversation with Bridget really brought the adventurer out in me and kind of made me wish that I lived a hundred years ago so that I too could find a treasure map and follow it to the ends of the earth. I'm so grateful to Bridget for sharing her family stories with me, But also how they inspired her work and what she's doing in the world. Please do consider leaving a rating or writing a review wherever you find the podcast. It means so much to me that you take the time and you give me feedback, It helps me to make this podcast even shinier than it already is. Thank you for listening, And here's my one request. Be like Brigid. Be an adventurer. I mean, There's no doubt in my mind that Bridget is following the heart and the soul and the strength and the bravery of her ancestors with the work that she does now, But they believed in themselves and they believed in the eternal call to adventure. So open your eyes and ears every day because that call to adventure can arrive anytime and then have the heart and the strength like Bridget to follow that call to adventure, To step out on a path, Even if you don't know where it's going. I mean, Come on, Those paths might be mysterious, And they might be a little scary, But if you have faith in the universe and faith in yourself, I really do believe that that path is gonna lead you to your biggest adventure yet.