Sunday, December 7, 2008

Not Exactly Punctual

Well, it's around 2 weeks past Thanksgiving, so I guess an entry here about all the things I'm thankful for is a bit passé. Not very timely of me. Over the years November has become quite an "event-full" month, filled with both celebrations and loss: birthdays, anniversaries, and loss of loved ones. Just as every coin has two sides, so does November. I've been debating all this time as to whether I would post any comments around this time. One part of me wants to commemorate those I love and the other side that wants to keep it private-Not because it's so personal, but rather "Does anyone really want to hear it?". So I'll compromise and do a little of both....

My mother passed away 2 years ago on Nov. 19, 2006 from Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. She was a type of person who was rarely sick; but by the time she was diagnosed, the cancer was Phase 4 and relentless. She was gone in 3 months. Gone. My Dad lost his wife of 40+ years; my daughter lost her chance at having a Grandma (my husband's mother passed right after we were married); I lost my personal angel. Melodramatic? Maybe. But so what--my Mother was/is a HUGE part of my life. She inspired me to dream, to succeed, to love, to laugh...of course others in my life have, too, but my Mom was IT. I got my artistic talent from her, and her sense of fun as well. People told us we looked alike; strangely enough, we had "matching" moles on our right hip. (Too much info--yeah, you're probably right). My point ultimately being that my Mom was too big a part of my life not to mention her here--a journal of things of art and life that I enjoy and love. So here is a tiny sample of one of the things my Mom liked to do, and what has stayed with me....

When I was a tiny kid--and I remember this well--she would take me for walks, as many Moms do. But she would stop along the way, numerous times, to show me the bark of a tree, up close in all it's detail, touching and really noticing it. She would point out clouds; how each leaf of a tree is different, just like a fingerprint; the tiny universe that is the center of a flower; a bright color someone was wearing; a happy dog's wagging tail; a smiling baby. Things that are often passed by, glanced over, my Mom noticed. It has given me the gift of appreciating that many more things in life, and I try to incorporate those details in some of the work I do. So she is with me, all the time. Not in the way I'd RATHER her be, but in the way she can and needs to be now.

I miss you, Mom.

2 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry you lost your mother, and I'm glad you posted. And at the same time I think you're lucky -- some of us never have such a positive relationship with our mothers. I wish you could have had your wonderful mom for longer.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you, Daphne.

    Did you ever do your Stencil project? How did it go?

    Leona

    ReplyDelete

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Not Exactly Punctual

Well, it's around 2 weeks past Thanksgiving, so I guess an entry here about all the things I'm thankful for is a bit passé. Not very timely of me. Over the years November has become quite an "event-full" month, filled with both celebrations and loss: birthdays, anniversaries, and loss of loved ones. Just as every coin has two sides, so does November. I've been debating all this time as to whether I would post any comments around this time. One part of me wants to commemorate those I love and the other side that wants to keep it private-Not because it's so personal, but rather "Does anyone really want to hear it?". So I'll compromise and do a little of both....

My mother passed away 2 years ago on Nov. 19, 2006 from Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. She was a type of person who was rarely sick; but by the time she was diagnosed, the cancer was Phase 4 and relentless. She was gone in 3 months. Gone. My Dad lost his wife of 40+ years; my daughter lost her chance at having a Grandma (my husband's mother passed right after we were married); I lost my personal angel. Melodramatic? Maybe. But so what--my Mother was/is a HUGE part of my life. She inspired me to dream, to succeed, to love, to laugh...of course others in my life have, too, but my Mom was IT. I got my artistic talent from her, and her sense of fun as well. People told us we looked alike; strangely enough, we had "matching" moles on our right hip. (Too much info--yeah, you're probably right). My point ultimately being that my Mom was too big a part of my life not to mention her here--a journal of things of art and life that I enjoy and love. So here is a tiny sample of one of the things my Mom liked to do, and what has stayed with me....

When I was a tiny kid--and I remember this well--she would take me for walks, as many Moms do. But she would stop along the way, numerous times, to show me the bark of a tree, up close in all it's detail, touching and really noticing it. She would point out clouds; how each leaf of a tree is different, just like a fingerprint; the tiny universe that is the center of a flower; a bright color someone was wearing; a happy dog's wagging tail; a smiling baby. Things that are often passed by, glanced over, my Mom noticed. It has given me the gift of appreciating that many more things in life, and I try to incorporate those details in some of the work I do. So she is with me, all the time. Not in the way I'd RATHER her be, but in the way she can and needs to be now.

I miss you, Mom.

2 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry you lost your mother, and I'm glad you posted. And at the same time I think you're lucky -- some of us never have such a positive relationship with our mothers. I wish you could have had your wonderful mom for longer.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you, Daphne.

    Did you ever do your Stencil project? How did it go?

    Leona

    ReplyDelete