Weaving The Dream

My husband, Bob, and I just returned from attending the wedding of the oldest son of our good friends, Bill and Patty.  Like us, they have three boys and this is the first son to marry.  We were excited for them and for us since our oldest son will be married later this fall.

For a number of reasons, Patty had much of the responsibility for organizing and preparing for the wedding and reception.  Her loving care and efforts were evident in everything from the organist to the wedding program, and to the reception in the church hall afterwards.  There, Patty had recruited friends and neighbors to help decorate the tables as well as prepare and serve the food and beverages for the buffet.

During the ceremony, as Bill and Patty watched their son repeat the age-old vow promising to love, honor, and cherish his new bride with his “I do!” I couldn’t help but think about how Patty and Bill first had to say, “I do”, to Mike and his brothers.  For in giving birth, the most powerful creative act for many women, we must say, “I do,” promising to love, honor, and cherish our children, without reserve and often without reward.

As I mentioned in a previous post, commitment is a scary thing whether to the children of our wombs or the children of our inspiration. Like our flesh and bones children, our creative children also need us to say, “I do.” If our songs, our paintings, our novels, our weavings are to have life, find a home, and grow into the fullness of their potential, we must commit to giving them our love and our respect without reserve – and often without reward.

The challenge, of course, is to keep saying, “I do” when we are tired, short-tempered, and frustrated, to continue to love and honor our efforts to create what has meaning, beauty, and significance even in the face of criticism or failure.  Our creativity is sacred whether it manifests in our children or in our creative work, and we are called to give it everything we have.

As we sat next to Patty’s sister waiting for the wedding to begin, she shared with me that Mike told her, “Mom has always been there for me for 28 years.”  Mike truly understood and appreciated the selfless, unstinting love his mother had given him, still hearing the echoes of her “I do,” even 28 years later.

So I wonder…Can I promise to love, honor, and cherish my creative work in frustration and disappointment?  Can I be as selfless in my creativity as Patty was in preparing that wedding for her son?  Can I say, “I do,” to my creativity?

After the ceremony, as the bride and groom made their way down the aisle greeting their guests, Mike hugged his mom fiercely to him, tears of relief and love and joy on both their faces.

And I would guess that, for Patty, that was reward enough!