I know I’ve said this before, I think I say it every time…but this one was hard to write! In fact, I intentionally am writing and posting it today because she will be on an airplane for hours and then she will be jet lagged and overwhelmed by life back in America, so it will take her a bit of time to see it…at least that’s my hope.

It’s not because I’m going to say bad things about her…that would just be a horrible way to write a dedication page…it’s because she’s my mom, and I come from a family that doesn’t really gush feelings and emotions…I always have but it’s just one of my many black sheep qualities…so to publicly gush about how inspiring I find my momma is going to embarrass her and probably make her uncomfortable…but I just gotta do it!

Like I said, Sharon is my mom. And, I would love to tell you amazing stories about how my mom and I have always been best friends and I was that sweet adorable child that cried when I missed her and ran laughing into her arms when she picked me up from school…but that just simply wasn’t the case.

…I want to put a disclaimer here that I have NO memory of who I was as a small child, I remember none of the stories told of me, and I have no idea why I chose to do the things I did…

From all the stories I’ve heard I was AWFUL. I screamed and ran away when she picked me up from school. I wasn’t kind or loving to my parents. I was strong willed and a destructive force…misguided creativity I think.

Crayons, scissors, markers…all banned from my possession…sometimes I wonder if either of my brothers had delayed fine motor skills because I’m not sure they were ever in contact with scissors or writing devices until they went to school because their big sister couldn’t be trusted with them.

My adolescent and teen years were less destructive to the home and possessions, but I continued to be a bit of a handful…strong, independent, insecure, and hormonal make for a rough puberty.

But we made it, we’ve come out the other side, and hopefully we are all better for it. Now, my mom is one of my closest friends. She is the woman I turn to when I need really wise advice, when I’m overwhelmed by being a wife and mother, or when I just want to talk. She lives far away most of the time, but when she’s in town I just like spending time with her…I miss her when she’s not here.

My mom is this amazing calming presence…which is probably why I like being around her, because I kind of have an internal storm of worry and anxiety swirling around inside me…I use to think that she just had this affect on me, until her ENTIRE house flooded and had to be completely remodeled. Most people would freak out if their daughter called and woke them up in the middle of the night to inform them their house on the other side of the world had been turned into a giant water feature at the end of the cul-de-sac. But, she didn’t, and through the whole process I kept hearing people say things like “at least it happened to Sharon, anyone else would be freaking out.” She just took it all in stride…and now she has a gorgeous newly remodeled house.

So, It turns out, my mom is just really calm…which makes sense because I think most people would have either had a mental breakdown or given me away if I had been their child if all the stories are true. 

My mom also is kind and funny and giving, so incredibly giving. She has spent her life serving others…her husband and kids of course…but she has also spent years involved with orphanages or homeless kids or homes for the elderly or kids with disabilities…whatever the biggest need was in whatever place we found ourselves. She found the best way to serve the people with the biggest needs and then she did it!

She shaped my perception of the world, and her kindness, humility, and desire to take the privileges she had and serve others with them changed me from a bratty and entitled teen to the woman I am today. She is the one who brought me to that orphanage all those years ago, who took me into slums and showed me poverty, and she’s the one who opened my eyes to poverty in my own town.

She also taught me to channel my destructive forces into creative ventures. She taught me to sew, cook, bake, quilt, cross-stitch, crochet, and bought me my first camera. She has always encouraged my creativity…she may not have always understood it, but she encouraged it…again shaping me into the woman I am today.

Oh, and my mom has this great laugh! When she really gets going it’s like she’s all rosy cheeks and nose and she laughs so hard she can’t really talk she just squeaks and she cries a little bit…it’s just the best!

This bracelet is for my mom, because she loves jewelry and she always has great bracelets. She loves blue, and calcite is the perfect blue for her, soft and gentle with just a bit of shine.

I am forever grateful for my mom. We are so very different, and I quite often feel like she just doesn’t understand me…but she has always loved and supported me no matter what crazy idea I have, from moving across the world to adopting a teenager to starting Frippery House. Thanks mom!

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