Sometimes~

By Lily Lane

This is the artwork of one of my former students, now all grown up.  She linked her blog to facebook this morning, and I spent the better part of my coffee-time exploring her artwork.  It is amazing.  She paints, draws, does comics, fibers...beautiful stuff. One of those students who has grown into just an amazing (that word again- but it is so appropriate) woman.  One of the lucky few to find talent, beauty, passion and true love all waiting for them- and I am so incredibly happy for her. And envious.  (I wish I could time-travel back for a do-over of my twenties! except I would still want a grendel, and mr. manz)....

Speaking of which, this is what I hope for Grendel to find.   Passion in work.  Love.  Happy talent.  A place to be.  It's hard watching the kids grow up.  I am still in mother bear mode- I've been reading about 'Tiger Mothers' and I am definitely not a tiger mother, I am a mother bear just like my sisters and my mother.  We encourage and protect, sometimes get snarly and make the boybears leave the cave...but we support. Love. Forgive. Remain. Worry. Believe.  Tiger mothers push and push and drive their young up and away... they fly high without a safety net, just good claws to scramble up walls with.  Bear boys find their way to- but it takes some stumbling around and a season of hibernation.  They seem to wake up slower, take their time to find their focus, always have the risk of lazy.  I'm not a boy, but I was a bearcub...it took me 30 years to get my act together and learn to be responsible, to find my focus.  I'm still working on it (today I'm fighting the lazy- but I have a project due and allowed myself to be lazy yesterday, so I better get a move on).

Breathe, trust.  The kids are alright.