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"O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declared the Lord. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel." ~Jerimiah 18:6. This verse reminds me that G-d is constantly molding and shaping each of my kids into what He intends for them to be. He puts in them the passions, interests, skills, and personality that they will need in the future. Through the years, I have learned that what seem like useless, annoying quirks and hobbies to me, are often the hand of G-d molding the shape of my children.
I saw His powerful hands at work (again) in our 15yo daughter this year as we watched a skill develop that, looking back, had always been in her. Katherine loves arts & crafts: crocheting, sewing, drawing, painting; you name it. Last year I signed her up for a basic ceramic/pottery class and she enjoyed it, just like all the other classes. Then she took a wheel-throwing potter class, but this one she loved. Her teacher said she was a natural and Katherine never tired of being in class.
I asked her one day what it was that she loved about the pottery. Her eyes lit up and she said, "I just love the feel of the mud in my hands." This set off all the lights and bells in my brain. You see, there hasn't been a summer when my porch railing wasn't lined with mud pots, mud pies, mud cups, etc. drying in the summer sun. Kather could spend entire days just playing in the mud, even when she was 13! She also has a quirk that alway annoyed me, but now makes sense: she carries an egg of Silly Putty in her purse. It drove me nuts; I saw no need for it. Then one day I noticed that everytime we were somewhere and she was bored, out came the Silly Putty. She would build bowls, cups, fruit, sculptures, ....
Well, you don't have to hit me over the head wit a 2x4. I began to think that just maybe this pottery thing was a G-d given interest. Studio fees were $10/hr and we couldn't get her back and forth to the studio to practice more than once a week. So we thought about bringing a studio home to her. We looked around and found a potter's wheel for a reasonable price (thank you Lord for e-bay). Katherine offered up $100 from her savings, and on a leap of faith, we coughed up the rest (actually it was more like hacking up a fur ball).
Today Katherine has a small pottery studio in a corner of the laundry room and continues to take classes. She is still a novice potter with much to learn, but she loves it and dreams of one day opening her own studio. Once again, my chrysanthemum is finally blooming. The clay pots on the shelf have replaced the mud bowls on my porch, and that little egg of Silly Putty...well, she still carries it in her purse. I just don't find it so annoying any more. |
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