I’m going to veer off course in this post today, but only slightly. I want to pause and say thank you to the women in my life. I am blessed to have great friends who give me encouragement, support and love. Some of you have always been there, and some of you have passed through my life. I want to mention three women in particular who have motivated and inspired me to start this blog, even if they weren’t aware of it.
Jacquie Donahue. I spent a magical weekend this past June at her ranch in Whitefish, Montana, complete with a double rainbow the first evening of our stay. She held a retreat for women, “The Inheritance of Intuition,” where we were guided to know, trust and honor ourselves, to let go of things that no longer served us and to embrace our authentic selves. She gave words to the process I was experiencing with my dollhouse; that by making deliberate and conscious decisions about each item, each room, I was reclaiming my past, choosing which parts I would keep and letting go of others. Check out her courses and retreats at: www.jacquiedonahue.com
Megan Flatt. Just a few weeks ago, I attended a seminar for moms looking to reenter the workforce or reinvent themselves. Megan was one of the speakers. Her talk reminded me that I need to take time for those things that inspire me and bring me joy. As moms, we don’t always find the time, and yet we can learn to make the time; time to enjoy family and motherhood and time for our own passions too. www.findyourmamagroove.com
And last, but definitely not least, my mom. She’s my original design inspirer/mentor. We moved out to the country when I was in grade school and built a log home. I don’t mean that we hired a contractor and construction crew to build it; WE built it. My stepdad was a log home builder, so he did the major work, but my mom helped in every way and my brother and I peeled the logs and cleaned up the sawdust. We taped, puttied and painted the walls and filled the home with things my mom created. Our bathroom sink was made from a cool old dresser. She painted it, cut a hole on one side and put a sink into it. It was an original. The living room coffee table was made from three timber chunks that she leveled off and used for legs, with a round glass table top they were throwing away at her office. She was (and is) a great mom. I rarely stayed home from school, only when I was really sick, mostly because I didn’t want to miss something; maybe they’d learn to conjugate a new verb in French class and I was sure I would fall behind. One day, I was sick enough to stay home from school, but not sick enough to put some time into painting an old cardboard file box. I needed a place to keep my artwork and a beautiful box would be the perfect place. I only got half of it done that day and by the next day, I was well enough to go back to school. I asked if I could stay home again, even though I wasn’t sick; I just had to finish the box. She knew it must have been really important to me and that I must have needed that day at home more than I needed to be at school. She let me. What an awesome mom. She doesn’t have a website to check out, but if you ever need a starter or alternator repaired and you’re in northern Minnesota, I know just the place. Happy Birthday Mom! No matter how old you think you look, you are still as beautiful as you were in this picture. I love you.
A House Full of HERstory 