Giving a Piece of Myself

Best or worst gift you ever gave.

Several years ago I broke off contact with my parents. It was my choice to take a break from interacting with them, as I try to continue healing from CSA and 2 rapes as an adult.
I finally ran out of strength and energy to try and get them to understand my pain, and the things I needed from them. I didn't stop loving them or wanting their approval. 
I needed time to learn that I can love them in all their imperfection, and that their not understanding didn't equal not loving me.

We see each other periodically now, exchanging information via email. I still haven't gotten to the point that I'm comfortable with random phone calls. I just can't take the possibility of being caught off guard with them, but I think we are making progress. Our relationship will never be the one I wanted and needed, but I tried to give them the gift of knowing me when I gave them this gift at Christmas 3 years ago. 

Dear Mother and Daddy,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year all rolled into one!

This year I have decided to do a joint gift for you. It is a basket filled with things I love and want to share with you. This note is an explanation of each item.

Mother, this shawl is for you. It is made of 100% recycled cotton yarn. When I first returned to crocheting a few years ago, I was determined to learn to read patterns, and this is the first shawl I made using a pattern. I have kept it because I loved it so much, and now I want you to have it. The colors make me think of you. You may wear it or use it as a table linen. I hope you enjoy it. (It can be machine washed on a cold delicate cycle, and then laid flat to dry.)

Daddy, the prayer beads are for you. I have always been intrigued by prayer beads, and as I have worked on healing I have found them to be very helpful in keeping me centered in moments of panic or stress. I have included instructions on how to use them, along with a prayer from Julian of Norwich. Turquoise is one of my favorite stones to work with, and I hope you will enjoy using them or just looking at them and thinking of me. (If you are interested in more information on using them, I have some books you could look at. Feel free to email me about them.)

The remaining items are for you to share:

Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals is a devotional book that I have been using for a couple of years now. It is based on The Book of Common Prayer, but has been modernized and simplified. Each day provides a message, readings from the Old and New Testaments and Psalms, as well as a hymn (all in the back of the volume) and then providing an opportunity to pray for others. I frequently look the hymns up on YouTube and listen to them as I read. This particular volume has opened my eyes to a greater understanding of God’s love for all people, and helped me widen my world view.

"The Ghost on the Canvas" is Glen Campbell’s final cd. He has retired since being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Campbell has always been one of my favorites. I feel as if I grew up listening to him, along with the Lettermen, and Jimmie Driftwood, among others. Anyway, I have found this cd to be very moving both musically and lyrically. I hope you both enjoy it as well.

First Watch (gift certificate) is a new restaurant in town. I know how much you enjoy going out to eat, and I always enjoy sharing new places with you. The restaurant serves breakfast and lunch until 2:30, no dinner. The food is lovely! Wonderful eggs, waffles, pancakes, sandwiches, and soups. I hope you get a chance to try it, and let me know what you think.

Finally, the basket is from SERRV.org. They are a fair trade organization, and I like the hands on quality of their items, as well as knowing the gift serves a dual purpose. Of course, my theory is you can never have too many baskets!

I want you both to know that I appreciate this time you are giving to me to work on healing, and I look forward to continuing to improve and deepen our relationship. I love you both very much.

Blessings

I know this gift was given with an open, searching heart, and I think they received it that way. A single gift can't repair our damaged relationship, but I still feel positively about my motivations and the desire I had in giving the gift to them. Even now as I write this, I feel the anxiety rising in my body. Tension and discomfort. I wanted so much from them that they were unable to give. I believe I have forgiven them, but I keep them at arm's length for my own wellbeing. 

I will give them gifts again this Christmas, but none will ever be as meaningful as that gift and what I tried to invite and say in the giving of it.

linking up with Writer's Workshop and Just Write

Thankful Thursday #9

Receiving gratitude is difficult for me. 
Over the past couple of weeks I've been helping two high school students learn about sewing. They each chose to make a vintage clothing item as part of their history projects this quarter. Neither one of them knew much about sewing. 
I am apparently one of a dying breed of moms who knows how to sew garments and owns a sewing machine. I didn't mind them using my equipment, but I didn't really want to get pulled into doing the projects for them.
Of course they waited too late (from my perspective) to start the projects and hadn't read through the directions on their patterns until they were ready to sew (12 days before the project was due!). I explained about laying out pattern pieces and grain of fabric. I showed them how to pin the pieces in place following the layout on the pattern, and left them to it.
They did well with the cutting, but the sewing was a bit much for them, and truth be told for me as well. These were duplicates of vintage patterns -- read: bad photo copies with little or no instructions! I learned a lot right a long with the kids.
Tuesday night they came over to put the finishing touches on the garments and finish the presentation they had to do in class. They walked in bearing gifts -- for me! I was floored. A beautiful arrangement of flowers

A gift card to my favorite restaurant and another to Joann's Fabric, and a new pair of sewing shears! I was stunned. These are nice kids and so I figured they'd express gratitude for the help, but this, well this, was just too much. Included in it all was a note that said in part . . . 

I think you'll believe us when we say there

is no way we could have done this 

without you!

It made me think about receiving gratitude. We tend to brush it aside, but truth be told we all need the opportunity to show gratitude. I had gone out of my way for these two, so it was appropriate for them to show thankfulness, but I felt unworthy of this much gratitude. Learning to receive gratitude is important in helping me learn to show gratitude.

I want God to feel overwhelmed by my gratitude. He has done so much more for me than I could ever express. All I have are my words and my life to show my gratitude. I know it's not enough, but I also know it's all He asks.

link up at Women Taking a Stand