One Story of Gratitude

 Gratitude for love and encouragement shows up in every piece of jewelry I have created since 2015.  Each piece carries with it a little heart full of gratitude.

After a debilitating “complete hamstring avulsion” injury in the summer of 2015 I had to spend several months laid up after surgical repair.  Not able to sit for a very long time or walk unassisted, time ticked by slowly and TV became quite dull.

My mother insisted that I find something to do with my hands and after considering my options we, “she” decided I should learn how to make jewelry.  She set out to popular craft stores and brought back beading supplies to make basic jewelry complete with tools and a little how to book.

I toiled away for months lying on my side figuring out some very simple earrings using basic jewelry tools.  I even sent some creations to relatives as gifts who received them with so much joy and encouragement.  Basic as they were, at the time they were pretty plated and plastic “gems” to be worn and adored and they were loved.

I found my way and my favorite supplies by weeding out materials through trial and error that didn’t last or look good for very long.  This paved the way for the amazing materials I get to use today.

In the years that have followed I’ve discovered that peace and comfort is found internally when I make jewelry.  The creative space brings my mind back to the quiet where healing took place. If life events are troubling to me, I sit and create and feel a sense of natural healing taking place restoring my center balance and mindful tranquility.  Equally, when I am feeling inspired and joyful, sitting at my jewelry workbench is a comforting “home” full of endless possibilities through combinations of beads to make the next beautiful piece of jewelry.

My family and friends helped me to nurture this “hobby” by encouraging me to continue to learn and grow as an “artist” as some would call it. Eventually it became my small business and has taken on a life of it’s own and is a very important part of who I am.

I am thankful for the encouragement I have been the lucky recipient of on this journey and phase of my life.  My family and friends helped me along this journey and in each piece of jewelry is a little bit of their love and my gratitude I have for them.

The nurturing, love and encouragement given amongst people has a ripple effect in life. Those ripples not only help us through the difficult times, they also help propel us to reinvent ourselves as we tread through the unknown to find the new known, which can equate to new hobbies, a new business, new friends and new ideas and views, and best of all a further grown new self.

As my mother has said on more than one occasion “If we don’t continue to learn in life we might as well be dead.”  I do believe she is right, and I am forever grateful my mother has been my cheerleader in this life.

Thank you, I love you mom.

 

“Give away love, all it takes is a little heart”