This photo was taken during a family picnic. In searching for photos of my mom I realized I don’t have any recent portraits of her. Not sure why it never occurred to me to take more photos while I was living at home. So, I’m making it a goal of mine to do so in the near future.

When I think about my mother, I think of someone who is completely selfless. She played both roles of a mother and father to my brother and I, and for that I am forever grateful. Looking back on our relationship growing up, I feel fortunate to say that we actually got along really well, even though some of my friends could barely stand to be in the same room with theirs.

Aside from her unselfish nature, she is also probably one of the most creative and talented individuals I know. Whenever I go back home to visit she is always working on a new project or trying to hurry up one to start another. As a kid/teenager my friends would always make comments and give compliments on her quilts, holiday decorations, and other crafty creations. Afterall, she is the one who made my Jem costume as a kid. And whether she is living in a house or a 2 bedroom condo, my mom puts her spin on everything she touches and inhabits.

To the one who brought me life, loves unconditionally, and put up with my sassiness; I love you.

Happy Birthday Mom.

3 days and 3 family visits later, the Christmas weekend is officially coming to an end. Of all the memories created over the past few days, I think my favorite was when I took this photo of my nephew opening one of his many presents. As soon as the bulb flashed and the film ejected from the camera, he stopped to look up at me with an inquisitive smile and said “Let me see!” Although I’ve taken several Polaroids of him in the past, this was the first time he seemed to understand that he could watch it develop before his eyes. It was pretty special.

When she handed it to me I immediately noticed how delicate it was since the cover and some pages were no longer attached to the binding. It has a lot of wear on the edges of the pages but it oozes history. Page after page there are stickers, memorabilia, and images pasted inside the book. Some include poems and tiny bits of writing (in English and Swedish). When I finished looking through it, it seemed more like a scrapbook than a journal. But, however one chooses to classify it, I’m thrilled we have such a great piece of history in our family.

Luckily I had my digital camera with me and was able to take photos of some of the pages and beautiful details.

Some of the pages were so ornate that I’m thinking of photocopying them to use in my own journals.

Yesterday was To Write Love on Her Arms Day and I found out about this event thanks to a long-time friend, Jeanne, via Facebook and the message really hit close to home. It was created to help spread awareness about what the TWLOHA organization stands for:

To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.

Lately, I’ve been thinking of ways I can be more active and informed on helping others that are in need of assistance. Helping out this organization and others like it (SAVE, AFSP, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) is something I’m planning on getting involved with. In a way I feel that participating with these types of organizations will help me to remember my father more, while also helping out those in need.

Over the past few days my evenings have involved a cup (or two) of delicious mango-passionfruit tea (Stash tea brand)  as I work through my art journal. After steeping, the ingredients inside the pouch leave behind a beautiful myriad of vibrant reds and oranges, perfect for this time of year. If you’re a tea lover, you should definitely seek out this stuff, it’s wonderful.

On the extended family front, my boyfriend’s nephew was born yesterday. Hearing the news triggered my memory in remembering the feelings I had when my nephew was born three years ago. There were overwhelming emotions to protect him and cherish every moment from the minute I laid eyes on him. He wasn’t just a random baby that was born; he was my nephew.

As people around me are having children (some are already on their second and third) I wonder if I’m missing out. It’s not that I don’t like children, but truthfully I feel I’m too selfish to bring a child into the mix. Maybe it’s knowing that my mother was only a year older than my current age when she had me. Is it wrong that in my 5-10 year plans, having a child isn’t on the list?

Regardless of how the next few years pan out, with or without a child, it’s still a wonderful feeling knowing I’ll always be part of my nephew’s life and (hopefully) be the coolest Aunt V he could ever ask for.