My mind is filled with so many ideas.  They come quickly, and if I don't jot them down I lose them.  That's the mind of a creative, I guess. The ideas make their way in during the most beautiful moments such as times when I am worshiping the Most High.  Last month,  I had an idea for a piece for Mother's Day. I wanted to make it and share with customers as an option for a gift for themselves or mothers in their lives.  Well, it didn't happen.  I didn't create it because I forgot about it.  Thankfully in the midst of worship the idea returned, I saw it so clearly and it that moment I created it.  It didn't happen when I wanted to, but it happened when I needed to.  I had been feeling a little bit down in my parenting skills.  If you are a mother, you know there is always something new to learn.  Not only am I grateful that the idea reemerge so that I can create it for my shop, but I am grateful it returned because it reminded me that HE meets me right where I am and will not leave me by myself on this journey. 

There's something I have to admit before sharing the three things I learned in the midst of creating the necklace.    I am not a big fan of making jewelry with names on it because there are so many people who do it, and I wanted the pieces I create to point back at Him.  My desire is not to make an idol out of people or things.  I feel so strongly about this that I often limit myself.  It's funny how the thing that I used to place boundaries around my relationships with others is the same think He used to free me.  The piece I made actually does have names, and this was what I learned during the creation of it.

• The love that my children reflect to me is a reminder of how much the Father loves me.
• Cherishing my daughters bring honor to Him.
• Acknowledging two of the most precious gifts He has given me isn't bad, and because I love them doesn't mean I worship them.

Although I love my daughters and am told often that I am a great mother by them and others, I still feared loving them too much.  For the longest, I struggled with balancing relationships.  I had not seen many healthy parent child relationships.  I feared giving too much of myself because I knew first hand that people hurt people whether adult or child. It was the one truth I left my childhood with, and I believed boundaries would keep us all safe.  It has been a journey for me to lay all of these thoughts and feelings down on the altar without picking them up again.  So the creation of this new piece was a gift to me as I enter into another year of motherhood with the scales removed from eyes,  I can see my daughters for who they truly are: 

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Psalm 127:3