flowers that began as little arrows

You know how you see something every day as a child, and it becomes a huge part of who you are?

I can think of a handful of such things.  My grandma had these strange plates with fish on them that hung in her kitchen.  I close my eyes and can see them perfectly.  I do not remember feeling one way or another about them, but there they are, just behind my closed eyes.

Another thing that stands out from my childhood are these stickers my dad had for his scrap business.  They were a black and white image of our last name, and no offense dad, but rather boring.  I put one on my pink lunchbox during fifth or sixth grade and treasured that ugly sticker.

But there were pieces of art from my childhood I adored and stared at for hours.  One such thing is a porcelain basket of flowers.  It sat in my grandma's hutch and was not for little fingers.  I now have that little basket and admit I touch it often and love it as much as my kid self did.  Another thing I cherished was an embroidery piece my mom made.  It hung just above the coffee pot in my grandma's kitchen for as long as I can remember.  Now it hangs in my office. When I look at it, the wall it hangs on disappears, and I am in my grandma's kitchen again.   

This is my mom's embroidery piece:

Today, as I was posting my next embroidery piece on Etsy, I happened to look up at my mom's embroidery and I couldn't help it. I shrieked.  

Somehow her piece has sprouted flowers, flowers that began as little arrows. 

This is my newest embroidery piece:  

Even the sayings feel like a conversation between two different eras.  I feel like my life is mass confusion quite often, and it helps some to tell myself that it's happy mass confusion.  Let go is the mantra I repeat most often, and that helps too. Miss a serve or crack my shin with my racquet while missing my serve and I tell myself Let go.  I cannot hold up or onto everything or make things fit in places that are the wrong shape.  Let go.  In a way, those two words are the answer to the mass confusion of life, the remedy or force to combat the arrows that are constantly flying at us.  And what a wonderful strength it takes to turn those arrows into growth!

But just like my embroidery piece illustrates, we don't have to let go of everything. And sometimes we are unable to.  

I love my progress pictures of this piece.  I spent as much time ripping out thread as I did sewing the piece.  Thankfully, denim is so forgiving.