I’ve been thinking a lot about how women used to bead in the old days. Sitting around the kitchen table with other women, talking for hours as countless pots of tea were brewed. This got me thinking about how my mother and her friends would gather once a month to do crafting or sewing projects. It wasn’t so much about what they were making, just that they were taking the time away from their busy lives as mothers to spend with other women.
Since the pandemic, I have been fortunate to have met some amazing women through weekly zoom beading sessions and other online platforms. Although it isn’t the same as being together in person, it has definitely helped me to connect with people who I would otherwise never have met. As time passed and we became comfortable with each other, deeper conversations started to happen. I almost feel closer to some of the women I have met online than I do with women I have known for decades.
I have also had the opportunity to sit online with many elders whom I would never have had the chance to hear in person. I feel so much gratitude for being able to listen to teachings in the comfort of my own home, while beading or crafting, as my grandmothers long ago would have done. Listening to the stories of other women, even the radio programs but always keeping their hands busy. When are separated in space but yet still able to bring our minds together in a good way, it truly is a blessing. I consider this one of the silver linings of this pandemic, the ability to build relationships in new ways.
I finished beading the main design for the centrepiece but I felt like something was missing. So I decided to add hearts as a symbol of love to all the children, their families and communities. I decided on seven hearts, for seven generations… always honouring those who came before us and those yet to be born. With each heart, I am imagining waves concentric hearts radiating outward and sending love to anyone who needs it!❤️