SUDBURY, Vt. — Michele Santos is no stranger to heartache and loss.
After five bouts with cancer herself, losing a brother and her father to cancer, and another brother currently fighting stage four cancer, Michele found herself intrigued by the idea of the Wind Phone when she first heard about it a couple of years ago.
The first Wind Phone was created in 2010 by Japanese garden designer Itaru Sasaki, who was mourning the loss of his cousin. He installed a white phone box in his garden with an old rotary phone inside and used it to speak to his cousin and work through his grief. Following the devastating tsunami in Japan in 2011, he moved the phone box to a hill near the town of Otsuchi overlooking the Pacific Ocean. As word spread, others struggling through their grief came to speak to their loved ones. Now, hundreds of such phones exist worldwide.
Norman Chambers
Michele decided to build one on her property on Burr Pond. Her husband, a carpenter, built a bench from a large wooden plaque that had been on the outside of their home, likely created in the 1950s or 1960s. He also built a brilliant red phone box that’s attached to a weeping willow. The antique rotary phone inside the box was gifted to them by a neighbor. Simple instructions are posted on the back of the box.
The inspiration for the project came in part from Michele’s memory of her father, Norman Chambers, who passed away in 2011.
“My father was a wonderful man who helped many,” she said. “He was a hands-on healer and came from a family of healers that dates back three hundred years. He was a very kind soul who was always willing to lend a helping hand to people in need. I am also a healer and a Reiki Master.”
Today, Michele hopes that others will find some comfort in her Wind Phone.
“I encourage you to make a call to your loved one,” Michele said. “Feel free to sit on the bench and enjoy the beauty of nature surrounding the pond as you speak to your loved one. You may notice there is a handcrafted stone in the red box. This is a mandala stone. They date back centuries and are used for healing, prayer and meditation. It is comforting to hold the stone in your hand while making that call to your loved one. Lastly, I placed a journal in the box. If you so choose, you may reflect on this experience by logging your thoughts into the journal. When finished, kindly return everything to the phone box and securely close the door. It is my hope that your experience brings you comfort and healing.”
“Although there is no one at the other end, the words just seem to come when you dial their number,” she added. “I would also encourage people to ask for a specific sign from their loved one and pay very close attention in the days that follow. The mandala stone is also a tool to reach the other side and send your message on the wind directly to heaven.”
The Wind Phone can be found at 829 Burr Pond Road, in Sudbury. To be considerate of the folks who live on and around Burr Pond, Michele asks that folks park at the public boat launch that is six houses down from the Wind Phone, on the right side of the road. The Wind Phone will be open April through November. It’ll be housed indoors during the winter, and will return refreshed in the spring.
Michele’s is the thirteenth phone installed in Vermont. More information and other locations can be found at My Wind Phone.
