#113, Art Envoy


She draws, I stitch.
She is my developmentally disabled sister-in-law, Nancy
and I am Jeanne, the woman who flat-out loves her.


Hey look everybody! Wholly Jeanne featured ME as one of her envoys to get the word out about the art project she's doing with her develomentally challenged sister-in-law, Nancy. Check it out, here.

First Nancy draws (in her favorite color purple) then Jeanne embroiders the design on small white cloths. Art, I think, is in the eye of the beholder. In Nancy's case, there is no filter. Her designs are free from personal critique.  When you see them you can almost feel her joie de vivre.

And I've got to say that as anxious as I felt at times in Seattle, when I was photographing drawing #113 it kind of took me out of my scared self.


Wholly Jeanne and I quickly became blog buddies. I think it was the first time she responded to me as "Sugar." I can't hear the sweetness of her southern drawl, but I always feel like we're sitting on a big wide plantation veranda, surrounded by Magnolia trees and sipping cold iced tea, topped off with a scoop of sugar and a pinch of mint. Hmmm, maybe even a whisper of Kentucky Bourbon.  I love how Jeanne writes. And I'm unabashedly tickled when she says things like:
"Listen, Sugar: DO NOT TOUCH THAT WRITING SPACE OF YOURS. If you can write like this from a table shared with a sewing machine or a closet where you've carved out enough space for your computer, you can write anywhere. So don't waste your time with that kind of stuff, just write. Oh my god, woman. You had me shedding tears of nostalgia, tears of sadness, and tears from laughter. You've got just the right mix of detail to ground it and let me settle in before getting to the heart - not the heart of the story, but the heart of me."

I'm laughing cause in some of our earliest exchanges Jeanne promised to help me clean up my writing space. She gave me several assignments to sort of clear out my head first. All of which I promptly put in a pile and forgot about. Then I moved from the messy office to my chair in the den, which I can now rightly call son (daughter?) of messy office. 

Jeanne has also encouraged me to keep sewing, to turn some ideas into a small business, to remember my family's history by keeping records in the form of stories and to save room for serendipity. Sometimes she uses words. Mostly she blazes a trail and invites others to come along with her on the journey.

Thanks Jeanne, I'm honored to be one of your envoys.

Wishing for you a sunny smile and someone to call you "Sugar"
Merry ME

Comments

AkasaWolfSong said…
Well Miss Merry...I'm with Jeanne on every front! I'll go over and check out the feature to be sure.

I love the photo of you by the Totem Pole, (which reminds me, I got your post card and Thank You!)

You know I've said you can turn those sewing projects into money...I'm Wholly with Jeanne on that one, and who knows where it could lead, eh?

As for the Sugar thingy, I don't have one of those but it's perfectly alright, lol.

Here's wishing for you lots of sewing days with family history weaved in the threads...or thoughts or your heart, or wishes to another, or...the list is endless. :)

I'm Lovin' Ya Woman!
xoxoxo
AkasaWolfSong said…
Mary...I didn't want to join Discus to have to post at Jeanne's blog so here is my comment and hopefully Jeanne will see it here?

"Merry...you truly are a pioneering woman! Jeanne...your love of Nancy shines through! Nancy, when I look through your eyes I see nothing but Creator illuminating all of us. What a Sisterhood of women!" :)
My travels (finally) led me here today, and while I have been kicking myself for being so behind and out of touch, I am exhaling that away cause this is proof positive that we arrive when we need to arrive. I needed a Merry fix today, and I needed these words. I'm copying this in its entirety and tucking it in my Heartwarmers folder, you know, the one I dip from when I need to. I stand behind what I said about the writing, too - what you mentioned here and the other things I've told you - you just keep writing and don't waste a nanosecond on trying to create The Perfect Writing Space. Pfffft on that, Sugar. I'm so glad our paths crossed.
And AkasaWolfSong . . . I LOVE your name, your words, and your spirit.

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