Surfs Up!

My boy has always been a water soul. From way back when he was a teeny little thing.  He is happiest, most at home with himself and to use his words 'the most free' when he is swimming, snorkeling, body surfing, or getting tumbled by waves.  I have zillions (well, probably hundreds) of pictures of him in water, whether it be beach, pool, water park, sprinklers, or puddles.

I signed him up for surf camp this year, and I believe he may have found his core, the thing that may ground him and help sustain him in his life. A place like we all need, to go and recharge our minds, spirituality, and bodies.

He proved to be a natural at surfing, up and walking the board both ways, and DANCING on it, within 20 minutes or so.  He caught waves all morning.  When I picked him up, tousled blond and a bit sunburned, he was different than he was when I dropped him off, something fundamentally had changed, for the good. He had completely connected with the experience of riding the waves, the freedom, the autonomy, the abandon and the Zen spirituality of it.   I am grateful to my core that he had such connection with this experience.

And the bonus, as if he needs one?  The counselor assigned to him is a Parkour competitor, which makes him close to a superhero for my boy.

When I watch my boy on his incredible journey, I am struck by his innate sense of who he is, his ease at living, his confidence with new things, his courage in the face of things he may be unsure about and his joy at overcoming those things.  I am fortunate that he still speaks to me of his heart and of things that many kids keep silent about. Our conversations give me a window into his heart and mind, and it is at these times I know he is going to be a good man, a strong, honest and happy man, a courageous in so many ways man.  And I am so grateful for that.

Wings and Faith

Awhile back a dear friend who has been my self-appointed fan club prez, (OMG I love her!) had been gifting her mother, among others, with my work, told me that her Mother was a docent at a fabulous Museum across the state.  (Trembling and disbelief starts here…)

Her mom wore my work a LOT while she gave tours, and apparently was being asked about the work consistently, and whether it was available in the Museum Store. (heart rate soars here…) 

This is one of the necklaces her Mom liked to wear.

Very long story short (fear, trepidation, and paralysis off the charts ALL through here…), with gentle prodding from my friend, a trip across the state, my work is in the Museum Store.  I discovered it’s very hard to drive back across the state while doing a happy dance.

My friend, with her amazing gift to me of unwavering belief  (and a good kick in the ass)…gave me wings and conviction.

Then....Not so very long ago, a friend who had commissioned work before, saw the pieces I posted that were sent to the museum, and asked if I would make her a piece of sea glass jewelry to remember her sister by. 

Yes, I cried.
(And I was afraid.)
But mostly I was filled with gratitude that she would trust this to me.

Her sister was a guiding light in the family, every picture I ever saw of her was full on laughter, always a light in her eye.  In the conversation about what would best represent her sister, my friend also shared that she had lost her mother not all that long ago.  She told a story about her parents, after they had discovered her Mom was sick, taking long walks on beaches…looking for sea glass. 
And I cried some more.

She decided that the gift needed to extend to more of their family, and we ended up with 8 pieces.  EIGHT.   We chose this from the glass her Dad so willingly sent:

(Paralyzing fear)

What if I couldn’t hit the mark?  What if I took all this beautiful glass and screwed it up? 

Then I remembered I had wings, and I breathed, and this is some of what happened:

Every single one has a heart soldered on the back.

This friend with her amazing gift to me of trust…gave me faith and calm.

I am am grateful for my friends, who lift me up.  I only hope I do the same for them.