Support

Among the things that make me happy is my beading. As I made this particular item, I couldn't identify what I loved so much about it. They remind me of many things, hanging plants of a variety I couldn't quite bring into focus. So, I just started making them. My mind wandered to herbs hanging up to dry and the String of Pearls hanging plant. "What do I name them?", I thought. Then a memory from my childhood came to me. I was eight years old and visiting family in Colorado. My grandma was driving us somewhere and needed to stop, so we pulled over at Hanging Lake in Glenwood Canyon. The hanging gardens there are amazing; they support the wildlife that makes their home there. It is a literal oasis in the desert. The earrings are the shape of the waterfalls, and they bring to mind the ferns that drape over the rocks.

How do I feel today? Supported. I can name three groups of people who have stepped toward me as I struggle through turmoil. I have friends of all sorts gathering around me and gently supplying water in my desert season. While the voice of trouble is louder than love, I choose to listen closer to the voice of my people. Their help keeps my oasis alive and growing, which in turn supports other life. This is even more beautiful when I acknowledge that this is the first time in my life I have been able to lean on a support system. I no longer need to fight for survival; I can flourish and gently grow.