"Regard (treat with honor, due obedience, and courtesy) your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land the Lord your God gives you." (The Amplified Bible)

Today is my mother's 91st birthday.  I called her on the phone and sang "Happy Birthday To You".  She laughed and said no one had ever done that for her before.  It has taken me most of my life to realize what an incredible gift my parents are to me.  They have invested the greater portion of their lives in me.  What will the return on their investment be? 

I thank God that my parents have lived into their nineties and kept their health (for the most part.)  Not only is it a blessing of the Lord,  it has allowed us to leave behind the difficult parts of our parent-child relationship and embrace one which is more understanding, forgiving and supportive of one another.  Recognizing that they won't live forever has helped me make the most of these last years with them.  It is difficult to be as old as they are.  Life is constantly changing.  There are days when they feel great and there are other days when they just don't feel quite right.  Life has become an endless calendar page marked with doctors appointments and calling hours.  The last couple of weeks has been especially difficult for them as they lost two dear old friends.  They had been friends with each one of these dear people for more than sixty years.  A lifetime.  There aren't many of the lifetime friends left...only a few remain.  I grieve their losses almost as much as they do...because they are my losses as well.  I have grown up with their friends as part of my life.  Many of their friends parented my childhood friends.

I grew up with many advantages, not the least of which was growing up in a small town.  I went to a 10 room schoolhouse from the first grade to the eighth grade.  There were never more than 30 other kids in my class and we all knew one another.  We knew one another's brothers and sisters, moms and dads.  The world was different then.  High school changed things, because we went to a regional school which was huge by comparison.  It is interesting to note that although all of us made other friends in high school, many of us from the 10 room schoolhouse days have managed to stay in touch over the years.  Most of our parents stayed together, married for the long haul.  Most of us went to college.  Most of us survived the sixties, although we lost a few to the Vietnam War and some to the tradgedies of life...car wrecks, illness etc.  A few weeks ago one of my old friends lost his mom, and we touched base.  It was as if the years were erased and we were just a couple of kids talking about the reality of life and death and change.  Last week two more of my old friends lost their last remaining parent (one a mother and one a father)...and again the reality of my upbringing struck me and the importance of those relationships. 

In today's world relationships are shallow and often temporary.  If you don't like it, you change it.  If it isn't working for you, you move on.  We don't look at longevity as a blessing.  That isn't how I was brought up.

So...in the light of the last few weeks...I have been examining my feelings about life and death and relationship.  I have realized over and over again that I would not trade the way I was raised for anything. 

Phew!  Where does the time go?  I am committed to make an entry in this blog weekly...but as you can see...I'm already behind.  I don't remember life being this busy when I was growing up.  Although my parents led healthy, productive lives and were quite active in the community, family was their first priority.  We knew our neighbors...all of them.  We helped each other when help was needed...no questions asked.  We walked with each other through joy and sorrow and everything in between.  That was what life was about...and it was good.

I love the work that I do...I am privileged to be able to use the creative gift that the Lord gave me and I recognize that.  I also recognize that the work can completely take me over, and when it does...I am no good.  We need each other.  It is that simple.  What has happened to life?  All those time saving devices do more to rob us of opportunities for relationship than save us time. 

I was listening to an interview with Mario Batali a few days ago...it was very interesting.  In case you don't know Mario...he is a mega chef with several restaurants and a regular spot on the food channel.  Mario says "Dinner as a family is not an option in my house".  Why is that?  It's our time to connect.

Food for thought. 

I want my life to have the same qualities that I grew up with.  Time with family, time with friends.  Deep relationships.  Friendships you can count on over time and until the end of time.  I want a peaceful home where others can relax without the noise that is life in 2009...a place where people can connect with one another.  We were never meant to live inside ourselves...we were meant forge lasting relationships with one another...friendship for the long haul.

A note on my work:  Intentional.  I want you to step into the view...let it speak to you...allow you a moment or two to reflect.

On that note...I'll write again soon...and I might even have a picture or two!

Welcome to Threads....the blog for PamelaDruhen.com.  I hope you enjoy stopping by occasionally to check on my blogging and my artistic progress.  I will add some images soon. (New work...work in progress...?) 

The technology curve is such a frustrating process for me...but I am learning...slowly.  I hope you will bear with me while I get it figured out!

September has been a busy month.  We just returned from 2 weeks in Alaska on the Kenai Peninsula.  I love the raw beauty of the Alaskan landscape.  In Homer there were glacier views in every direction, sea birds, high peaks, deep valleys...an incredible landscape.  Cooper Landing gave us more of an interior view...lots of wildlife...lots of wilderness...rushing rivers, massive lakes...fishing country.  Bear country.  In between the two we spent 4 days in Halibut Cove, a tiny island community. A quick 30 minutes by water taxi from Homer.  We hiked. We took lots of pictures.  We enjoyed being with each other.  Quality time.
It is hard to get back in the swing of things after being in such a different environment. But back to normal life we must get so...

Last weekend I exhibited 10 pieces in the Memorial Hall Museum in Old Deerfield Village, Massachusetts as part of the Deerfield Craft Fair.  I face the "public" part of being an artist with mixed feelings.  Usually Claude comes with me, and he is a great talker.  He makes it easy for me.  He wasn't able to join me in Deerfield so I was facing the weekend with trepidation.  Even the idea of blogging is a bit scary.  Now that I am on this side of the weekend I can say that it was a positive experience (and it usually is)...though not my favorite.  My favorite part is doing the work.  

I am looking forward to being back in the studio.