I don't get all gooey about being a mom. Millions of moms have come before me and have gone about raising their kids using their intuitive powers and memories of how they were raised by their mothers and grandmothers before them. I don't get terribly sentimental in thinking that I somehow deserve a great big load of heaping thanks for all I do as a mom. I decided to become a mom, and everything that has come after is part of the job and part of my life. I didn't make the choice in order to have anyone's gratitude. I am in awe of the things that come naturally to me as a mom...sitting at the kitchen table on a school morning and signing all of my children's necessary forms and homework assignments so that they have what they need that day, without my kids even necessarily knowing what they need to have signed. And I don't worry about being a perfect mom. I try not to contemplate how others are doing their motherly jobs and whether I should do it that way. I'm proud of myself for not trying to mold my kids into some idea of who they should be, other than making sure they mind their manners and make good moral choices. There are certain things that I want for my kids, but I know that they have to want those things in order for them to happen. They have to step out on their own journey and just consider a few of my helpful suggestions for places to stop along the way.
My own mom didn't force her opinions on me or shove me into opportunities that didn't feel right to me. She let me find my way. She let me make my own choices. She let me get dirty and dress in mismatched clothes. She understood my emotions without always trying to repair them. She let me have bad friendships so that I could determine for myself the importance of having true friends. She never ever spoke ill of my dad after they divorced when I was 3 years old. These are the things I appreciate about my mom. I walked through my youth a little scathed, a few scratches on my knees, and learned to let lots of little things roll off of my shoulders. Thanks, Mom, for helping me to become who I am by setting me off on my own adventure, by pointing to all sorts of possibilities on the horizon, then adjusting the straps on my backpack, tying my shoelaces, and giving me a supportive nudge ahead.
Materials: tea pot and token findings, green-flecked glass bead, dark red bugle beads, pearl plastic beads, green E beads, rusted wire