Saturday, May 14, 2016

Americans, Indians, Pow-Wows


Like a butterfly as her decorations suggest
Today we enjoyed the annual American-Indian Pow-Wow at Big Sandy Rancheria of Auberry.  It was my second time to go and it was a  lot of fun.  I really enjoy the regalia (their beautiful attire that the American-Indians wear) and the dancing.

It was a beautiful setting, the day was gorgeous with a cool breeze and the Indian Tacos were awesome.

Grass Dance
One dance, we were told, was called the grass dance.  This one was to get the ground ready for planting.  The yellow color of the regalia represents the dry earth that is being readied for planting.

Color guard and flag ceremony
I love their flag ceremony that they always have.  What struck me today was the poem that was read and the explanation that was told of how American-Indians (their word) defend this land to the utmost, this is their homeland and that is why you see so much reverence given to their Veterans and their elders.  Something the rest of us could learn from.

There were flags from several branches of the military, including the Coast Guard and the Marines.



I cannot include all the pictures I took.  There were too many to chose from.  I tried to pick the best to get a glimpse of the beauty in these pow-wows.
The young girls dance

My friend, Erica, the original Indian princess, and her twin daughters





















And of course, I had to get a pair of earrings made by local tribe members.  How could I not?

Saturday, May 7, 2016

The Musings of a Mother for Mother's Day

1974 My first child




“If you bungle raising children, I don’t think whatever else you do well matters very much.”  Jacqueline Kennedy

When I had my first child I suddenly knew that life as I knew it was over.  I wondered why no one had told me this and why I wasn’t prepared.  Nor was I prepared for the immense outpouring of love that I felt for this new life and that it couldn’t compare with any other feelings I had experienced.

Being a mother is not easy, even in the best of households, or the richest.  There is no playbook yet there is an overabundance of directions and/or suggestions from well meaning sources that often contradict each other and add to the mix of confusion.

 When my world was full of little people that I had to protect, provide for and ensure their safety at all costs, my modus operandi was control all situations in every aspect.  When it became clear I could not in all honesty control every situation, my motto became “Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.”  I felt ill prepared and definitely out of control.  I bemoaned that I was the worst mother in the world.  I would lament little things like:  “How could I buy a pair of shoes too big for my small child to save money only to watch him fall as soon as he got into the parking lot, tripping over those cost saving shoes and getting a nasty bump on his head?”  Certainly that was not the only mistake I made.

There were way too many bumps in the road for my liking, too many pitfalls, too many roller coaster rides. It became clear eventually that the best I could do was make good citizens out of my children, teach them right from wrong and, again, hope for the best.  

For my nuclear family, things were not easy, in fact, we would joke that our family fit the description of dysfunctional when that became a new word in the dictionary.  I could only hope that when I came to the end of this road my children had survived me and were happy and still loved me. 

People would ask me how I did it and my answer was always the same.  “I really don’t know, I just do it.”  But that’s our job, God gave us a task and we must complete that task.  

When I came across this Jacqueline Kennedy quote, it hit home.  As a mother, we have one job, one job to do and that job is to raise our children.  That is our first and foremost responsibility above all other responsibilities.  Most of us just know that.

My children are all on their own now and I am proud of them.  I hope they know how much I love them and that I wouldn’t be without a one of them.  

I think of my own mother and how she treated me.  I was a hopeless wanderer who may or may not have been the black sheep of the family.  I was passionate about the wrong things and I cared for the wrong people.  After 20 years I waltzed back home with all sorts of troubling issues.  My mother had never given up on me and she took me in without question or judgment.  For the next 10 years we talked on the phone daily and were never far from each other.  I now cherish those memories.

I took pages from her playbook and used them for my own.  I wonder sometimes if she knew how much I appreciated her.  I hope so.

Friday, May 6, 2016

Mother's Day Memories


Our family 1955 - my mom on the right

 Soon we will be celebrating Mothers around the world.  I'm pretty sure the event started to give mothers a day off from working in the kitchen, hence, all the restaurants packed out with families giving mom a day off.  Flowers were a peace offering for all those times we made her cry.

Growing up I loved surprising my mom with a few flowers I picked for her or a card I made in school.  I would leave them on the back porch, ring the doorbell and then run out of sight, certain I had fooled her,  and more importantly, made her smile.  I would run around the side of the house huffing and puffing, and then calmly walk in the front door as if I had no clue what little girl had left those flowers on the back porch.

My mom left to go beyond the stars before I was done appreciating her.  I'm sure I could have done more. I'm sure I could have hurt her less.  But one thing I know for sure, she always loved me no matter what.

Here's to you, Mom, and all the moms in the world.