I was blessed as a child to have a mom who knew how to make fun. A third-grade teacher, she is well loved as that rare teacher who is fun, caring, and highly skilled at teaching to individual children's needs. At home, craft projects, games, books, art, and music are just a few of the activities I remember from the whirlwind of my childhood in a busy working family with five children.
Most of our fun activities didn't cost a lot of money. We moved often during a period of time, and our first visit was always to the library. We read so many books, it would have been senseless to buy them all. Halloween costumes were reusable basics embellished with each year's creative idea for "what you want to be this year". Precious memories, I see their value clearly as I share the transmitted joys of learning and creativity with my children. I wish that I had acquired my mom's astounding ability to cook three great meals while working full-time and having fun with my kids, but I'm happy that we are a family who laughs a lot and enjoys creative play and learning.
I renew my creative spirit in different ways at different times of the year. Around Mother's Day, my thoughts return to art, crafts, and gardening. My mom joined a Craft-of-the-Month club and shared her artistic skills with us. I never progressed to any level of great skill in my artistic efforts, but that wasn't important. Thanks to my mom, I know to enjoy the creative process for its own sake. I know that fun in our daily lives makes our family stronger and brings a sweetness to the childhood years that I get to relive with each little smile.
