Made from Scratch
To us it seemed that there was no end to what our mother could tackle and it wasn’t just crafts. We were having “pub platters” on a Friday night before they were on the menus of most pubs. She had this knack of making the “made from scratch” seem easy. If you were to witness my attempts at tole-painting you, would see it is not something that just anyone can do!! The subject of our mothers’ creative ability is not a new one to our posts but we repeat it because Mom’s approach to the things she tackled had a profound impact on the two of us.
In an earlier post, we have shown you some of the work done @littleredhousewhycocomagh. As the summer approaches, I have been helping Doreen to plan the opening of The Little Red House, that slice of joy on the shores of the Bras D’Or. In doing so, it has really brought to light how much of our mothers’ influence is still very present in our day to day.
Now, this is an aside but I think it will paint a clearer picture of what the preparation process has been like. When we spend time “together” (FaceTime is your friend when you live 1500kms apart) a few things often happen; 1. the speed of our speech reaches warp 2. our Cape Breton colloquialisms abound and 3. we get rather silly which results in laughing until we cry at some point. All three of which have been evident in full force as we make plans for the cottage opening.
What I noticed is that we would get most excited about the things we could make or the “special” ideas we could come up with. Whether it be baskets for guests or a really neat way to hide a modem (we promise to post a picture when we are finished setting things up), I think of how much fun Mom would be having if she were with us. I also recognized that, even though she was not here, she was very present.
Doreen and I might not have her abilities when it comes to the “made from scratch” area but we certainly are willing to try. I realize that was really the lesson she was trying to teach us. Just try. I posted the following quote on FB last week and I think it encompasses very well the spirit our mother tried to ingrain in us.
“Run the risk. If it works out, happiness. If not, wisdom”
Author unknown
I also believe that Mom knew that one day she would not be here to share these experiences. That our crazy attempts to “make from scratch” or to emulate her would be a way to ensure that those 1500km never kept us apart. That we would still laugh together until we cried. More importantly, though, that in those moments when perhaps the tears where not from laughter, we could look to both the things and memories she made for us and feel her love.
