Friday...Saturday...and now Sunday has crept into my reality. I worked late on Friday and went over to my daughter's Tina's house for a small conference with my eleven year old grand daughter and her desire to run away to live with her biological father who lives five hours away and has hardly visited with her during her lifetime. The torment and turmoil affected the entire family and with her young skills she is having a very difficult time attempting to make sense of this tumultuous situation. I can see she is being torn in several directions when she is just beginning to spread her young wings for more freedom and privileges. I know families did not have to deal with this during my childhood but I do remember wanting to go live with my grandmother who spoiled me and I could have my own space and the beginning of independence. My father had his way of thinking and I had mine...so as usual the weaning process was starting to flow in my preteen spirit. We have worked on several plans to attempt to revisit her need to avoid situations she is struggling with...she has a teacher that she is unable to connect with and struggling with the fifth grade curriculum. Tomorrow I will pick her up and we will go to the library to have a special tutor hour with grandpa and away from distractions like the phone, interruptions and well just life. It truly does take a village to raise a child ...and all families can agree to disagree but we are still connected by our heartstrings.
I am still painting snowmen...and Ken delivered my trees and lights and wrapping papers to the studio so I will have another very busy week ahead of me. I have invited young families to come down on the Friday after Thanksgiving to the studio for hot chocolate and cookies to snack on while we wait anxiously for Santa to arrive on his firetruck to light the courthouse for the Holidays. For generations this has become a family ritual for our community to welcome the season to all families and all generations. I have the chocolates and need to pick up candy canes and cookies closer to the actual date. I am hopeful that the photographers will bring their cameras and capture this joy of the season.
I am working on several small Thanksgiving pieces that are assemblages and reasonably priced so someone might have a small gift to share in the Thanksgiving season. Vintage images and linen cross stitch reworked with silks and layers of memorabilia will hopefully connect with my viewers. I am a wee bit saddened by the fact that the commercialism of Christmas has completely overshadowed the thoughts of gratitude and sharing our blessing with those we have loved in our lifetime. My parents were married on Thanksgiving in 1949 and when we gathered for our dinner and celebrations I would love to remember my parents working together to make a memory for their sic children. The first wine I had ever tasted was Morgan David wine... it was awful to my taste and made my Dad laugh when he allowed me to have a taste. No offense to the Morgan David wine company or family but I did not have any curiosity for drinking wine after that first experience. I am not sure why this memory came back into my heart tonight but Thank you Mom and Dad for all the delicious meals and the warm home you provided for all six of us....we did not have much but we did have each other. I pray you have all had a wonderful Indian Summer weekend...Minneapolis received 12 inches of snowfall so Winter is definitely arriving soon. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart
I love your snowmen! It is a muggy 75 degrees here in California tonight - so x-mas and winter seem a long way off but I still love your inspiration. The cold here will come soon enough!
ReplyDeleteMary and Riley drove up to Minneapolis to visit her brother, Justin and family. She couldn't get back home yesterday because of the snow. We had a flurrie here, yesterday but just frost left on the ground.
ReplyDeleteI remember when Mary was 11 and just starting to "act out". She wanted to go live with her grandmother. Anything but deal with the reality of life, at the moment, in her world. Those first awakenings that we have to actually deal with problems, find solutions, work out issues instead of just running away, is so very hard.
Just knowing that she has loving support from her extended family will be such a help down the road. Love the snowpeople! :)Bea
So very sorry to hear about your granddaughter's dilemma. My grandsons are going through something similar with their father. He lives here in El Paso and the boys live with their mother, my daughter, in Austin. He's not really communicated much with them and when he does, he's quite critical of what they're doing in school, boy scouts, etc. When he came to pick up the boys this past summer for his visitation, my oldest gradnson, Sean, 10 years old, refused to go and hid in the bathroom. His father left without him and has chastised him since. They are hoping they can see me this coming Christmas, but I told them that they're going to be with their father for just a week so there may not be any time...my oldest grandson told me he was going to run away then call me to come pick him up. Oh what adults do to these angels...breaks my heart. On one hand, you want to throttle the responsible parent, but on the other, you have to remain calm and rational.
ReplyDeletexxoo,
Georgina
The snowmen look fabulous!!! I love these adorable photos of you working!
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