On Friday, April 26th my sweet sweet Mama passed peacefully from this world.
The last month has been a whirlwind of grief and joy that hasn’t left any time for running a business. I guess that’s usually why we start businesses, to be able to take time off when we choose. I’m grateful I was able to drop everything and spend some very sweet moments with my mom and sister in the last few weeks.
My mom was the strongest woman I know.
She was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis) when I was a little kid and went from being an amazing dance teacher to confined to a wheelchair in a matter of years. I don’t remember much of the transition from living with my mom to visiting her in a nursing home because I was so little and it was just our reality. But I got the chance to read through some of her journals last week and it broke my heart. To lose your ability to move is usually to lose hope in your life. But, she never let that take her spirit.
Over the last fifteen years my mom learned to dance in other ways; with words in her poems and with the grace that she accepted where her life took her. She taught me what it means to be a strong and creative woman and I will always remember her sweet smile and the way she cracked jokes, up until her last day.
She was the biggest advocate for my jewelry and creativity, always telling friends and people who came to visit her in the nursing home about me. Every piece of jewelry I make will have her memory and love in it so she can dance on in spirit.
I will miss her with all my heart but we are celebrating the release from her body that caused so much pain and suffering. She is free now and that is a blessing.
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It's been four years now since I wrote the above post and life has continued to shift and change. I remember my mom with so much fondness and love and keep her close to me in many little ways. I am grateful for all the things she taught me and for all the memories.
The Nancianna Studs in my newest collection are a nod to her and I love seeing them out in the world being worn and enjoyed. I know she would love them.
