Someone reminds everyone of the importance of being careful, to pay attention, to have quiet, and to always check your work.

That person for me is my mom . She is very analytical and yet gets the link between the rational and the emotional world. She taught me color, and line, the importance of being neat, the beauty of construction paper. She trained to be a nurse, and was a nurse 34 years. My dad runs hospitals..and that worked well for both of them. But there is another side to her, the one that takes a perfect photo, sees a natural balance in things,and is true to herself.
She could show you how to pattern anything. She was always appreciative of my Dad’s excellent cabinetry skills and was the first to help him route, or dado, sand and stain.
She spent time teaching us color, and form, lots of time spent reading and writing young before school ever started. Her attention to diet and the way that it tied in with mood, and energy level was something we were taught to always consider. We were Seventh Day Adventists, but my parents didn’t buy into everything that was on their agenda. Health, nature, appreciation of the arts, literature and music and good study habits were encouraged in a way that tied into everyday life, not necessarily the church’s ideals.

She is who I call to talk about any subject. I have told her the things that shame me the most, and she held back from being critical. She looked at every stage of my life objectively, and just tried to talk through without being opinionated. She has a great laugh. And despite the fact that she can build, sew, draw and cook almost anything, I have to wonder how much of this we have told her thank you for.

She worked in a profession where a mistake truly meant life or death, and she is a perfectionist. When she made sleepclothes for us…one of which I am remembering was a robe with a purple hood with white eyelet lace along the zipper, they were perfect things. I think I remember this thing as being one of the nicest gifts I ever received in the middle of a year. I think when I imagine going to sleep happily it is most likely those little outfits she made us that I objectify as perfect rest.

My mom has been living with Multiple Myeloma (bone cancer) and Amyloidosis for nearly 6 years. Her light chains have held steady after a vast turnaround as a result from continuing treatment. Amyloidosis does its work by changing the structure of vital organs eventually resulting in failure.
As human beings are resilient and adapt to change, so does disease. No religion and no job can alter these basic facts.

I started this site as a way to go back through my work, most of which has been for other people. I started looking more closely at it because she told me to do it as a way of organizing, and explaining it, making it useful to others, and to myself. I know that my Mom won’t be around forever, but I’d like her to know that her effort was received gratefully. Anything good that I am beyond stubborn is due to her. She has passed that on to my neice and my siblings.
So: to anyone that has made a life worth living thanks especially to the love of their mothers….hey out there. Love them while you can.