Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day to all you moms, grandmas, aunts, all others who play mother. And of course to all you ladies out there who are "mom" to furbabies only (like myself). I feel pretty lucky to have 3 women in my life I think of as mother figures. My grandmother is the first. She raised me until I was 13 (as well as 2 of my brothers). She and Grampa gave us a warm, safe, loving home for the 3 of us. Gramma was always very patient with me, and taught me everything from how to take care of a home, to sewing and crocheting, to how to cook. Now I'm living with her again, only our roles have switched. Now I'm taking care of her, which is as it should be. She just turned 93, and while she's quite fit mentally, there are many things she's unable to do physically. I want to keep her in her own home for as long as possible. I love Gramma dearly.

Then there's Mother, who my brothers and I went to live with when I turned 13. She's my actual mother. She's a complex, intelligent, funny, and creative woman. From her I got my creativity, my love for nature, and my love for all animals. I learned a lot about the outdoors, how to build a fire, identify animals and their tracks, and much more from Mother. We always had animals, including cats, dogs, turtles, and any animal that needed a home. We had snakes that we kept only long enough to check out, then carefully released. One summer I raised tree frog tadpoles, then set them free when they matured. This sort of thing was a normal part of my life as a teenager. Then there's creativity. Mother is full of it. She's an amazing writer, she makes wonderful things in wood (her toy trains were really awesome), and she also does really cool stuff with pewter. We have long talks now about the creative process, and she's actually the one who sent me the link for Artfire and suggested I try selling my work there. She's really quite a woman.

And then there's my mother-in-law, who I simply call Mom. She treated me like family before my husband and I were even married. She's kind, soft spoken, and understanding. She never judges, and I've always felt I could be very honest with her. She's another creative woman. Before her eyes got too bad she painted beautiful pictures- a lot of outdoor scenes. And she didn't have any sort of training- just natural talent. I talk her a few times a week usually. She enjoys animals and nature too, so we talk about gardening, pets, and of course family stuff. Computers completely confound her, so she's never seen my Artfire studio, but I keep her filled in on everything I'm doing, and she's very excited for me. When she comes to visit we often sit together and talk for hours. I haven't seen her for a while, so I really miss her.

So all in all, I'm a very lucky person to have so many wonderful women in my life. And I thank them for all they've done for me and taught me over the years.