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Although Spring is my favorite time of year it is also filled with saddest for me.  With Mother's Day approaching I know that it leaves some of us hurting and grieving. I hope that, for those of you who fit in that category, know that you are not alone.  Please feel free to share a memory or a thought in the comments of this blog.  I am sure that we would enjoy sharing. 

This is my beautiful mother Connie Hickman. She lost her battle with breast cancer 18 years ago this June.  I can hardly believe that I have even survived without her this long.  She was my Mother, my business partner, and my best friend. Losing her was devastating and as the years go by I now know that losing her will forever be devastating.  She was a great business woman and she was NEVER wrong.....about anything! And I know that she loved me more than anything else in this world.  She brought a lot of beauty into the lives of many through our business Rainbow Art & Frame.  I still tear up when I run into our old customers from the shop and they share memories of her.  

She had an affection for me mostly but she also loved white tulips, listening to music while drinking her morning coffee, potato chips, dogwood trees, and red geraniums in the summertime.  To indulge for a moment, I have two memories I would like to share.

 One was when we had went to a convention for work and attended a seminar.  Im not really sure what triggered it but we were sitting in the front row of about 75 people and the speaker said something that struck our funny bones.  Well we got to laughing and we tried not to look at each other but it just kept getting worse.  Being in the front row we were quite visible and starting to disrupt the seminar.....but we just couldn't quit laughing, finally we completely loose control and go into silent laughter....you know the kind, where you can't breathe and you think you are going to die but you have no control......yep!  That was us, finally the speaker quit speaking and we staggered out arm in arm laughing the whole way....we even contagiously affected a few others.  Totally disrupted the entire event......and we never went back in!

The second memory was of an Amtrak trip to Sante Fe for the Indian Market. Which was a great way to travel by the way.  Well, there is a little altitude difference between Indiana and Sante Fe which we discovered was a little more notable than we had thought.  My Mom liked to have her bed sheets so that she could bounce a coin off of them so anytime we traveled the first thing we would do is make her bed, right?  So we are trying to pull those sheets tight and we are huffing and puffing like we are running up a hill or something, which of course ends up in a fit of laughter.  Its serious this time though because we can't breath....and we know it....and that makes it even funnier!  We had to separate or one of us was going to pass out! Sometimes laughter is the best medicine and these are two things that make me laugh. 

My Mom collected Mother and Child themed items. There is something that I make that she would have loved.  It is a medicine bag duo for Mother and Child.  These are great as baby shower gifts or a Mother's Day gift.  Just like the baby in the womb, one bag fits inside the other, until the baby is born and then they separate. They are usually made out of the same hide so that they will have the same spirit of the animal.  I use beads and stones on these and when the bags are together the stones complete  a total chakra but once they are separated then they need the other one to be complete.  Much like the sacred relationship between a Mother and child.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/185566827/pregnancy-medicine-bag-duo-birth?ga_search_query=medicine+bag&ref=shop_items_search_7

These are a custom piece of course and several things can be added to make these uniquely yours, different beads, symbols, leather, etc. It is a keepsake as well.  The lady who this was designed for put it on her belly when she gave birth.  It is in all of her pictures and that makes a really cool keepsake years down the road.  

Another product that is dear to me are my Memorial Bags.  I know that this is something that my Mom "taught" me.  Without my grief for her I would not understand how important these bags are to their owners.  My memorial bags are story bags.  They tell a story of a person, an event, or a time on ones life. Though they can be made in any color of leather, it is usually light leather so that we can brand images into it to tell a story.  I usually choose a hide that has a hole in it to represent the hole in our hearts when we loose someone.  The fringe represents tears.  Sometimes we will include a string of tears that hangs on the side of the bag.  Usually there is branding on those tears that tell a story. Personal items can be added, symbols, beads, and usually every little element on one of these bags will have meaning. Here are a few images of these marvelous bags. 

You can order one of these on my Etsy shop or on my website.  Here is a link to my Etsy shop. https://www.etsy.com/listing/220172960/custom-memorial-grief-medicine-bag-large?ga_search_query=memorial+bags&ref=shop_items_search_2

My Mom used to say that out of everything bad comes something good.  Once again she was right.  Without experiencing the loss that I have I would not have been able to make these and touch the lives of my customers. So, in closing today I would like to remind you that no one can take away your memories and for those of you who are orphans this Mother's Day just know that you are not alone and many of us are grieving with you.  And for those of you who are lucky enough to still have your Mom with you, please don't take her for granted.  Tell her you love her and laugh with her this Mother's Day.  They leave us too soon sometimes. 

Peace to your hearts - Julie