The arts and skills of woman

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Mom, this one’s for you

“The arts and skills of woman, the creation and inspiration of which she is capable and which, here and there in isolated places in our culture, she still manages to effect in spite of the ruin and decay of man’s world which spreads around her, must be brought newly and fully into life. These arts and skills and creation and inspiration are her beauty, just as she is the beauty of Mankind.” ~ L. Ron Hubbard, Science of Survival

This is one of my all-time favorite quotes, discovered when I was a young mother. It instantly brought my own mother to mind—a beautiful woman whose creativity and inspiration touched every corner of my life. The quote resonated deeply, I believe, because of the tangible example set by my mother throughout my formative years.

Growing up as the youngest of 13 children on a farm in the South, she learned to sew, embroider, cook, and sing from her many older sisters. They were excellent seamstresses with talent born of necessity, sewing all their own beautiful, delicately detailed clothing, often from feed sack fabrics. Their masterful attention to detail transformed the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Mom made our clothes when we were children and passed her love of sewing and expertise as a seamstress to my sister and me. In all honesty, Mom’s teaching left the strongest impression on my sister, but I’m not entirely without sewing skills.

Our sweet mother’s creative spirit and talents extended far beyond sewing. She was a wonderful cook and baker, keeping our family of seven well-fed and always eager for more, no matter how tight her budget.

She was also a beautiful singer. She and two of her sisters were regularly featured on their older brother’s hometown religious radio show. She passed her love of music and song to all her children, and for many years, we enjoyed family sing-alongs as Mom played her organ or my sister and brother played their guitars.

Watching Mom industriously create, eating her delicious food, and hearing her joyous, harmonious singing was a beautiful way to grow up. I credit her with my own sometimes-overpowering desire to be creative and industrious. She set a wonderful example of the “… arts and skills of woman, the creation and inspiration of which she is capable …” that I agree must be brought fully to life.

There is much evidence in our highly technical world that the creativity and inspiration of women are indeed being revitalized. So often, when people wrote of the “future” we now live in or portrayed it in television and movies, it was an aesthetically cold world of sterile, form-fitting uniforms devoid of attractive details. The environments depicted were similarly cold in color, design, form, and detail.

Yet, what has technology brought us? Craftspeople, artisans, and artists worldwide share wonderfully warm, detailed, creative projects via social media, delighting and inspiring millions. Technology has brought creative people together in online communities where the beauty of creativity is celebrated, learned, and expanded.

“Wheresoever she was, there was Eden” ~ Mark Twain, The Diaries of Adam and Eve

My mother passed away a couple of years ago, but her beauty, creativity, and inspiration live on through her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. And so it will be, flowing through an ever-expanding river of time into future generations.

Thank you, Mom, for everything.

Until next time, this is …  ~firefly, out.