Bits & Pieces Archives - Compassionate Women

Joe Byrd Prison Cemetery in Huntsville

January 24, 2021 by Jillian Leave a Comment

Huntsville is a Texas town just north of Houston and is home of the Texas State Penitentiary. The Texas Prison Museum sits on the side of the highway greeting drivers, and the elementary and high schools are next to two prison units. Nestled in between college housing for Sam Houston State University is a quiet patch of land that serves as the final resting spot for inmates within the Texas prison system whose bodies are not claimed by their families. I stumbled across this little treasure of a place when I was looking for interesting things do in Huntsville and noticed the cemetery on Google maps. Curious, I looked it up and was instantly intrigued. This cemetery has a rich history and what follows are photos I took on my visit, accompanied by what I learned in doing some research on the Captain Joe Byrd Prison Cemetery.

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The Healing Properties of Crystals

January 4, 2021 by Jillian Leave a Comment

When I was about eight, I remember going on a school field trip to a natural site in Oklahoma to learn about geology. My mom was one of the chaperones on the trip and she allowed me to buy a purple amethyst crystal as a souvenir. I still have that amethyst, in fact, it is currently sitting on the side table next to me.

I have always been interested in crystals, and have friends that swear by them, but never took any time to learn about them until recently. I was at a museum in Huntsville, Texas and could not resist bringing home some of the exquisite crystals and stones from their gift shop. I looked up each individual one when I got home and discovered a plethora of information on them! Not only are crystals beautiful and diverse in appearance, they are incredibly healing because they have spent thousands of years forming within the earth’s surface and retain the earth’s energy. Therefore, you can benefit from this energy by keeping them close to you.

In this post I have compiled information on 7 different crystals with a focus on their physical, spiritual, and emotional healing properties and simple tips on how to use the crystals for these purposes. Enjoy and happy healing!

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Making a Movie in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas

August 11, 2020 by Jillian Leave a Comment

I moved to the Rio Grande Valley of South in Texas in late 2016 because there was just something magical about it and I knew I wanted to film a movie there. I had a dramatic thriller in mind, with a strong female lead and tight-knit plot full of unexpected twists and turns…

Well, I did end up filming a movie in the RGV, but it was nothing like what I originally planned. From 2017-2019, I worked tirelessly on my movie, which ended up being a documentary project on the history of the region. The seed was first planted when a friend who grew up there clued me into the little-known Jewish history of the Valley. He suggested I look into it for myself and the deeper I looked, the more I found.

Thus began a long but rewarding journey that ended with a feature length documentary I directed called Remember My Soul. The film investigates how the Sephardic Jewish diaspora in 1492 set forth the practice of crypto-Judaism in colonial Mexico, and how these invisible Jewish families settled the Rio Grande Valley and contributed to traditions of borderlands culture. In this post, I share how the project came together, what it was like filming in the Valley, and the many photos I took during filming that reveal the marvelous landscapes there.

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Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto & Historic Downtown Roma

January 15, 2020 by Jillian Leave a Comment

In March 2019, I took a mini road trip to visit the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in Rio Grande City, as well as the historic downtown district of Roma, both located in the southern tip of Texas at the border of Mexico. I had passed through Rio Grande City once before but never been to Roma. Both are known for their historic buildings, their rich histories that include the Civil War, as well as the Grotto and Roma’s scenic overlook of the Rio Grande River. So, despite the sweltering March weather of South Texas, I grabbed my camera and decided to check it out.

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Don Pedrito Jaramillo Shrine in Falfurrias, Texas

May 26, 2019 by Jillian Leave a Comment

The Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, where I currently reside, is a very religious place. Historically, it was a Catholic region, due to the colonization that took place by Spanish conquistadors in the Americas. Here in the borderlands, curanderos (healers) played an important role in providing spiritual advice and remedies for physical and emotional ailments to people who could not afford to see doctors. Curanderismo is quite diverse, but traditionally incorporates elements of Catholic and indigenous medicine. The most well-known folk healer from this region is Don Pedrito Jaramillo, who was born in Mexico but spent the last quarter of his life here in a small town called Falfurrias.

My friend and I decided to drive up to Falfurrias and visit the shrine on a hot, sunny day in South Texas. It was a magical place, and here’s what I saw…

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