Me on Monday: On Struggling and Gratitude

It's the Monday after the Halloween weekend and normally I would have a chirpy post full of how much fun we had this weekend and photos of the festivities. But, to be honest, it was a weekend of struggle. A struggle with work. A struggle with family. I may share more later; it depends how things play out. We didn't go to the annual Halloween party. We were not in the mood for a party. And I was, finally, making headway on my work project. So we stayed home. For now all I have to share are the photos I took of my Dias de los Muertos altar I put up, even though I took it down . . . a victim of the struggles.

And then, somewhere in the midst of the weekend, I came across this photo on instagram. That's my boy (#10 in midfield) playing soccer under a rainbow. His college team was playing in the regional club soccer tournament (they lost in the semi's to the eventual tournament champion). It made me smile.

And I started to notice people posting the intention to compile daily gratitude lists for November.

And, on Sunday night, as I was finally finishing up my work project to send, I heard rain begin to fall. 

And I realized that November 1 at least had not been a completely bad day. I did have things to be grateful for:

a day of peace;

a good workout;

finishing my casebook chapters; and

rain.

I'm not sure how often I will post my gratitude list, but I am going to try to find and note at least one thing to be grateful for each day in November.

The Art of Remembering: My Mother

The Recuerda Mi Corazon blog is hosting an October meme called The Art of Remembering.  You can read more about it here and this week's memories are at this link.  In Rebecca's words, the purpose of this Sunday exercise is to "share our most personal memories of loved ones and their forever places in our hearts.  As we take time to do the sacred work of remembering we are filled with the presence of all those now gone that once filled our days with love and comfort."  You can read my previous entry by clicking here.
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My Mother's Roses

There are so many things I could share about my mother, but today I want to remember one of the smallest details about her life. . . . 

She loved roses. And she had the greenest thumb for them.  I never counted the number of rose bushes she had, but they were scattered all about our yard . . . along the walkway to our front door, in the flower bed outside the living room plate glass window, in the back yard along the side of the house and even one tucked into the small patch of dirt by the side gate. She knew exactly the right amount of watering and pruning they needed, as well as how much and when to feed them. Her rose bushes came in so many different colors and varieties.  And they all thrived under her care.  They had the sweetest perfume. It filled the air when she cut roses and placed them in vases throughout the house. 

Because my mother believed in sharing her roses . . . with her family and with her friends.  She made countless bouquets for me to give friends, neighbors, teachers and anyone else who she wanted to make feel special. She carefully selected a variety of stems to cut . . . some in full bloom; some buds just beginning to open. She wrapped the stems in wet paper towels and then in foil so they would last on their journey to the lucky recipient.  Sometimes she trimmed the thorns, but most of the time, I had to be careful because the most beautiful roses seemed to be surrounded by the sharpest of thorns.

I think of my mom every time I see roses. I remember their smell. And their beauty. And the care she gave her roses. And how she shared them.

The Art of Remembering: My Father

The Recuerda Mi Corazon blog is hosting an October meme called The Art of Remembering.  You can read more about it here and read this week's memories at this link.  In Rebecca's words, the purpose of this Sunday exercise is to "share our most personal memories of loved ones and their forever places in our hearts.  As we take time to do the sacred work of remembering we are filled with the presence of all those now gone that once filled our days with love and comfort."  As soon as I read about this meme on Gloria's blog, I knew I wanted to participate because I thought it would be the perfect run-up to Dias de los Muertos (a Mexican celebration of remembering those who have passed away that occurs on Nov.1).  I definitely plan to put up a Dias altar this year, especially because I did not do one last year.  So, for my first Sunday in The Art of Remembering, I want to share this memory of my father (you can see a collage I made in his honor up top). 
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My Father, the Balladeer

I spent all day today at the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival selling tamales to support the High School soccer team. Our booth was in a parking lot turned food court which also contained a stage. Mid-morning, a cowboy band began their set, and I heard the familiar chords and lyrics of the cowboy's lament, "The Streets of Laredo." The song brought me immediately back to my childhood. . . a childhood where my father was always singing cowboy songs and Mexican corridos. As he puttered around the house or rocked his children to sleep, he sang The Streets of Laredo, The Yellow Rose of Texas and, my favorite, The Red River Valley.  

One of my favorite stories involved him and his compadres going out drinking while my mother stayed home because she was pregnant.  Apparently, they felt guilty  and so went home and serenaded her in the wee small hours of the night!  

At my father's funeral, my brother asked the vocalists to sing "Red River Valley." There wasn't a dry eye in the house as they sang, "Come and sit by my side, if you love me.  Do not hasten to bid me adieu. Just remember the Red River Valley. And the cowboy who loved you so true."

Dad, I will always remember you.

Monthly Make: Halloween Bookmarks

I love creating art in October for two holidays - Halloween and Dias de los Muertos. I don't think I made anything last year at all! So I resolved to change that for this year and bought some new paper to inspire me (it's from Echo Park's Chillingsworth Manor collection). I signed up for a Halloween themed book mark swap and made a couple of different designs.  The two pictures on the left show the front of the bookmark, and the image on the right is the back.  Here's the second set I made:

Again, the fronts are on the left and the back is on the right. I think my favorite of all is the "Nevermore" one, but I favor a fairly flat bookmark.  Although these were fairly simple to make, they still seemed to take all morning. I just don't think I'm a very fast paper crafter!  Regardless, it was a fun morning, and I'm calling these my "monthly make" for October.  Got a favorite in the bunch?  And, I was wondering, are you a fast crafter? Or a slow poke like me?

The Butterfly Seller at the Mercado (Dias de los Muertos Nicho)

In addition to Halloween, I also really enjoy creating art for Dias de los Muertos, a celebration in the Latino community which has its roots in All Souls Day and is a way of honoring our ancestors and those who have recently passed away.  "Nichos" are scenes featuring skeletons, as a way of poking fun at Death and thinking affectionately of those who have passed away.  I've starting making nicho frames out of plaster wrap, and this is my first finished nicho.  It's a market scene. And who do we find in the market?  The Butterfly Seller, a recurring figure in my art.  She began her life in this post, and I really enjoy it anytime she makes a return visit.  I've found that some people have a strong negative reaction to Dias de los Muertos, so I apologize if you find this disturbing.  For me it really is a positive cultural celebration.  Your thoughts welcome as always!

Dias de Los Muertos Art, Part 2

Here's a variety of art that I have created to pay tribute to and remember my loved ones who have passed away. The first collage is dedicated to my mom, who loved roses and let me have cats. The second collage is for my father - he was the "patron" who loved to tell stories. The house features photos of both my mom and dad. The last photo is my newest tribute - it's for our family dog, Buster, who passed away over Labor Day.

Dias de Los Muertos Art, Part 1

I really enjoy making art for Dias de los Muertos. Here's a few things I have made. The first is a faux sugar skull (made in a class taught by Connie Andrews). The second is a shrine that includes an altered domino (made the shrine in a class taught by my friend Sally). The third picture includes a slide shrine that I made in a class I taught last year and a metal tin shrine.

This post is Part 1 because tomorrow I will post some of the art I have made to pay tribute to particular people who have passed away.

Also don't forget that today is the last day to post a comment in response to "Is it Finished" from Friday. Entries close at 6:00 Sunday night California time.