A Rose

I've been particularly inspired lately by #aprilforartists2020 to get my butt in gear and really get my little business rolling. But to be entirely honest, I never anticipated that being involved in this kind of challenge would actually force me to dig deeper into the actual being of my company than I could have ever imagined.

Today's prompt was art on my wall--we have a great many things on our walls, pictures mostly. Jesse takes the most amazing photos of our travels, so there are some of those, and of course many family photos of us with our little one. But the one piece of artwork that I created from my jewellery supplies were my roses. I made three, this is big for me. Not only do I believe good things happen in threes (wholeheartedly) but I rarely make a duplicate of anything. I was twenty, and I was having surgery on my feet, scheduled far in advance, but still not the plans of any twenty year old I knew. I was in university, enjoying friends, participating in the international society at Brock, meeting people from all over the world who have remained life long friends to this day. I was busy. Like VERY busy, I planned trips and outings, I introduced my new friends to the Niagara region. I was literally having the time of my life. And then suddenly it all had to stop. To be fair I knew something was wrong with my feet, they had hurt forever, from a walk, or a game of soccer. But I had no idea that I was about to undergo the same surgery my 80 year old grandmother had just had on her feet a few short years earlier.

It was during this time that I decided I would try something that had always fascinated me, I wanted to bead something into life to pass my time with purpose. Literally anything at the time would do. It wasn't exactly a time of tablets yet so I had to use my imagination and a few magazines. I remember at the time seeing a beading magazine where a woman had actually covered her car with a beaded woven cover! I decided to keep it simple. A flower was best for me. My mother loves roses, so I started with hers. I tried my hand at making a red rose. It took me an entire week. I made a red rose for my Nana, and a third red rose for a good friend overseas. Each leaf has rows upon rows of beads, and each petal had more. It took a tremendous amount of patience, and time. I was in pain, sometimes excruciating. (as a frame of reference, I actually said to my husband during childbirth that my feet, my operations, the removal of my rods--hurt MORE). But the beautiful thing about having something so extraordinary to focus on, is that your offered this time to forget, this moment to move forward with a purpose and channel your energy into something beautiful. I loved it, and it was incredibly healing for me, it helped me work through my pain--and knowing that it would make people who were very precious to me smile made it even more important to me. I looked forward to it every day.

It was a long few months. Weeks upon weeks of sitting still. Waiting for bone to heal and reassemble. Not moving swiftly at all for basic tasks with crutches. I had three steel rods in my feet, two drilled, one slotted.

I kept them.

My steel rods that held my bones together as they reformed and re positioned my toes into these amazing feet that I am so lucky to have today. I kept them as a reminder that in life, absolutely anything, can always be pieced together.

But my roses, I gave them away.

At the end of the day something that can help someone heal, can help move anyone forward, can make someone happy. That's a precious thing, and precious things, like beautiful objects, moments, talents. They should always be shared. Its what makes them even more beautiful.

Making things for people, this will always make me happy.