Do-It-Yourself: Honoring the women who helped us out along the way

Hi dear reader, I hope our cozy corner of conversation is something you look forward to in your month for some peace and inspiration. Our days are filled with emails, work deadlines, practices, piles of laundry, cooking, and so many mental notes it can drive a person a little insane. So, grab your cup of tea, and the softest blanket you own and shuffle over to your special spot in the house. Let’s give these fast days a reason to slow down for a few moments.

With Mother’s Day ahead of us in the next few weeks, I was reflecting on my mother in each stage of my life.

When I was a child she was the one I counted on for my survival. As a young adult, she was my place of steadfast ground in all the uncertainty high school and college doles out, even when my stubbornness didn’t want to recognize the love of her well-intentioned guidance. As a new wife finding her rhythm at home and in the workplace, she was my encourager, my usual first phone call after a long day at work or even after a normal day at home. The sound of her voice calmed the most demanding of office days and brightened the mundane moments.

Sometimes (and still today) I would call and not have anything specific to say; a bunch of nothing to talk about, really. But all of those “nothings” added up to the most precious “somethings” that got me through the good and the bad. I needed it all the same.

Before I became a mother three and a half years ago I was wholly blind to the total mind shift that came with the sweet presence of a child you call your own. The pressures, worries, hopes, and aspirations for this little babe that flooded my mind the instant he came afforded me a glimpse into all I could imagine my mother felt (times two!) that warm July day.

Whether you have a mother you adore or a mother figure you admire most, take the time to acknowledge how they’ve helped you through your life. Let them know how much they mean to you and how they helped you develop into who you are today.

One way to show your appreciation could be a sweet hand-written note attached to a teapot! Go thrifting for a unique teapot that reminds you of them. Get some fresh flowers, cut them to fit in the teapot and make your arrangement. Tie on your note and give it to them for a beau-TEA-ful reminder of just how much they are loved.

This month’s time together was short on DIY but big on one of the most important people in our lives.

I admire endlessly the woman who raised me in the hills of Pennsylvania and West Virginia with my dad and twin sister. I pray my son comes to me with all of his “nothings” and they add up to be all of his “somethings”.